City of Seattle Slams Bottled Water

Last week the City of Seattle announced they will stop purchasing bottled water to cut down on monetary costs and environmental impacts, according to the Seattle Times.

The city is expecting to save up to $58,000 annually with this move. Seattle tap water, coming from rain and snow pack in surrounding natural areas, costs much less per gallon, according to the Times.

This isn't by any means a ban on bottled water all together.

Employees can still drink bottled water and vendors are still allowed to sell bottled water in machines located on city property, said the Times. But, don't expect to be handed a bottle of Dasani at a city event. Perhaps, you'll be handed a Dixie cup instead.

Seattle isn't the first city to boot bottled water. Santa Barbara and San Francisco have also recently banned bottled water purchasing, and other cities are considering similar actions.

Of course there are critics. According to a piece written for the Business and Media Institute, in an interview with CNN, Greenpeace Energy Policy analyst Samantha Powers questioned the bans. While she acclaimed San Francisco for their efforts, she believes city's must do more the environment.

While this may be true and it is quite evident that bottled water bans will not solve the nation's environmental problems, small steps are better than no steps. I give Seattle two thumbs up.