A bottled water company chose a novel way to celebrate Bottled Water Free
Day on Thursday - inviting Toronto residents to "Get free bottled water
today."
Cedar Springs, based in Concord, Ont., gave away four 11 L or 18 L glass
bottles of water to people who called and asked for them. The company even
offered to deliver the bottles to the callers' homes.
“We wanted to do our own spin on Bottled Water Free Day by sharing spring
water with our community,” said Cedar Springs vice-president Craig Hayhoe.
“Spring water is simply the purest and healthiest beverage you can buy and
we’re giving it away today for free.”
But the idea of giving away free bottled water doesn't exactly jive with the
intended message of Bottled Water Free Day. Organized in Canada by the
Canadian Federation of Students, Sierra Youth Coalition and the Polaris
Institute, the purpose is to raise awareness about the negative impacts
of bottled water.
“Across the country students are standing up against the wasteful bottled
water industry,” Noah Stewart, national deputy chairman of the Canadian
Federation of Students, said in a release. “Tired of having to pay Coca
Cola,
Pepsi or Nestle for a drink of water, we’re calling on schools to ban the
sale of bottled water and re-invest in water fountains.”
Municipalities and school boards across the country have implemented
restrictions on bottled water.
“The success of Bottled Water Free Day shows the strength of the
back-to-the-tap movement,” said Elly Adeland, water and energy campaigner
for the Polaris Institute. “Bottled Water sales in North America
have plummeted and across the country Canadians are pledging to kick the
bottle - clearly the tap is making a comeback.”
