On May 5th, 2009, Governor David Paterson signed an Executive Order specifying that New York State will stop purchasing bottled water (both single serve and cooler sized bottles) for State facilities, meetings, and events. New York State becomes the second state after Illinois to take such an action. And in 2007, the US Conference of Mayors resolved to take similar action.
The action was in acknowledgment of the State's obligation to protect its environment and natural resources, most notably its water. For the State to use public money to buy bottled water for its employees is like BMW buying a fleet of Volvos for the use of its employees.
The signing of the Executive Order was the culmination of years of effort by organizations such as Corporate Accountability International with its Think Outside the Bottle campaign, Food and Water Watch's Take Back the Tap campaign, and the work of dedicated activists (many of them Coop members) who tabled, gathered petitions, wrote letters, and lobbied with members of the governor's staff to convince him of the logic of employing public money to support and promote the State's high quality public water.
The action was in acknowledgment of the State's obligation to protect its environment and natural resources, most notably its water. For the State to use public money to buy bottled water for its employees is like BMW buying a fleet of Volvos for the use of its employees.
The signing of the Executive Order was the culmination of years of effort by organizations such as Corporate Accountability International with its Think Outside the Bottle campaign, Food and Water Watch's Take Back the Tap campaign, and the work of dedicated activists (many of them Coop members) who tabled, gathered petitions, wrote letters, and lobbied with members of the governor's staff to convince him of the logic of employing public money to support and promote the State's high quality public water.
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