Concord's annual Town Meeting on Wednesday voted down a petitioner's article seeking to repeal the town's bylaw prohibiting the sale of unflavored, non-sparkling drinking water in single-serving plastic bottles.
Statement says, 'Liberty loses in Concord on bottled water ban.'
The following was provided by Robin Garrision, the petitioner for Article 30 and co-founder of Concord Residents for Consumer Choice, a group of Concord residents seeking to repeal the town's bylaw prohibiting the sale of drinking water in single-serve PET bottles. At the Concord Town Meeting on Wednesday night, Article 30 to repeal the ban on single-serving PET bottled water was narrowly defeated by just 66 votes out of the more than 1,300 cast. Members of Concord Residents for Consumer Choice (CRCC), a grassroots advocacy group of Concord citizens seeking to repeal the ban, organized a townwide effort to draw attention to the adverse effects of the ban which has been in place since January. The “Free the Water” campaign, as it had …
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Concord's annual Town Meeting is voting on a motion to repeal its bottled water bylaw.
Concord resident Bob Lawson, in some kind of character, spoke in favor of upholding the town's landmark bylaw banning the sale of single-serve bottled water during annual Town Meeting on Wednesday night. As of 9:15 p.m., the vote is being counted. Stay tuned to Patch -- we'll let you know the results as soon as they're in.
11:32 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Let's be honest and admit that there are flawed arguments on both sides of this issue, some minor and some whoppers. The whole 'assault on freedom' argument is as bad as the 'big corporation' one; there are countless laws that regulate our 'freedom' that haven't destroyed our country yet...for example, you cannot got to a gas station in Concord and fill up milk jugs (16oz or otherwise) with … more ›
A quick look at what you need to see, do and know on April 24 in Concord.
1. Bottle Bylaw On Tap at Town Meeting Tonight: An article seeking to repeal Concord's landmark single-serve bottled water banning bylaw will be taken up at annual Town Meeting tonight, and has a time certain of 7:30 p.m. at Concord-Carlisle High School. 2. Chris Curtis, Tornado Chaser: The West Concord 5 & 10's own Chris Curtis will speak about his 10 years as a tornado chaser and hurricane interceptor at 7 p.m. tonight at Concord Free Public Library. 3. Have Something to Say? Why not start a blog on Patch! Click here for more information on how to get started. 4. Like Us on Facebook: For even more information and engagement, like Concord Patch on Facebook. Over there, we'll be asking questions, looking for feedback and continuing the …
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Encouraging a 'No' vote on Article 30, Annursnac Hill Road resident Katie Lebling writes, 'Choosing tap water instead is a minor change for an individual that sends a much larger message.'
To the Editor, Bottled water definitely has convenience going for it, but beyond that momentary benefit it has little to offer the consumer and the global community. In terms of human health and environmental effects, as well as its larger impacts on equity and environmental justice, it is undeniably damaging. As residents of not only one of the most developed nations in the world, but one of the most affluent towns within that nation, we have a responsibility to both future generations and to the rest of the global population to maintain the environmental quality we were given. The amount of plastic and other externalities dumped into our environment throughout a bottle’s lifecycle is staggering, especially considering the same product …
1:47 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The survey was conducted by locals right here in Concord. It was a survey to ask how people feel about repealing the ban, not an effort to change your mind. A group of local Concord citizens made hours of phone calls around town to identify others also in favor of repealing the ban. All the calls were made by people in your neighborhood and not the bottled water industry. more ›
Ripley Hill Road resident Adriana Cohen explains why she's in favor of repealing Concord's bottled water bylaw at annual Town Meeting.
To the Editor, I am a member of Concord Residents for Consumer Choice (CRCC), a coalition of Concord conservationists and consumer choice advocates who believe in having the liberty to buy legal, safe products without government interference or penalty. I am a recycler, a tap water drinker and a bottled water drinker. Believe it or not, this is not a contradiction. Bottled water and tap water can and should co-exist. Neither the government nor the private sector should have an exclusively monopoly on the water supply. Hence the reason we have anti-monopoly laws in this country. Giving either sector a monopoly on water simply affords too much control and power over the masses as water is a life critical resource. Remember that our …
12:51 am on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
50 billion bottles of water per year (only 26% recycled) getting into our landfills, oceans, parks and 17 million gallons of oil to make them, when we already spend our tax money for delicious drinking water here in Concord. Send a message to big corporate: we want our water fountains back, and we want our infrastructure for clean drinking water back, I want the freedom to have clean tap water … more ›
Annursnac Hill Road resident Janet Rothrock writes that voting 'no' on Article 30 and 'moving away from single-serve bottled water is a small step toward a more sustainable world.'
To the Editor, We all believe in individual choice but along with choice comes responsibility. We have a responsibility to our children and their children to leave a world that will be habitable. Moving away from single-serve bottled water is a small step toward a more sustainable world. High quality water comes out of your tap and by choosing it instead of water in disposable bottles you are choosing to eliminate carbon dioxide spewed into the air from the manufacture of bottles, the drilling for and pumping of water, and the trucking of bottles to bottling plants and of bottled water to retail stores It is now clear that human activity is a major contributor to climate change. We have already seen a 1.5 degree C increase in global …
2:22 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Trish, You are ignoring the influence of collective guilt, which is a heavy burden for Concord liberals. A plastic bottle dropped on Main Street finds its way into Mill Brook which empties into the Concord River, which empties into the Mississippi River, which empties into the Rio Grande River, which empties into the Colorado River, which meets the Pacific Ocean. From there the empty bottle makes… more ›
A CCHS student pours out his feelings on Concord's bottled water ban.
Each week, we set out to answer a question on the mind of Concord Patch readers as part of our You Ask, Patch Answers column. This focus of this week’s column is the FreetheWater.org campaign and website that’s been making a bit of a splash of late.
Looks like the Concord Residents for Consumer Choice group has a new website and branding campaign pushing for the repeal of Concord’s revolutionary bottle-banning bylaw. According to members of the group and a sentence at the bottom of website's homepage, FreeTheWater.org “is supported by Concord Residents for Consumer Choice, a local coalition of concerned citizens.” The original group, Concord Residents for Consumer Choice, is seeking to repeal a bylaw prohibiting the sale of non-sparking, unflavored drinking water in single-serve PET bottles of 1 liter or less. The bylaw was approved by annual Town Meeting last April, was ratified by the Attorney General’s office a few months later and took effect earlier this year. Concord resident …
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9:27 am on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Stephanie, if I'm not mistaken, it actually passed the first time (2010), failed the second time (2011) and passed again on a third try, in 2012. In 2010, Town Meeting approved a bottle ban that was not written as a bylaw. Arguing that there were "no teeth" to article, the selectmen opted against trying to enforce the ban, and it was later rejected by the Attorney General's office. -pb more ›
This spring, Arlington’s annual Town Meeting will take up an article seeking to adopt water-bottle banning bylaw to Concord’s.
Marco Rubio’s bottled water moment earlier this week probably grabbed more headlines, but there was another bit of bottle-related news that might have caught a Concoridan eye. According to reports from earlier this week, a trio of Arlington High seniors collected enough signatures to get a water bottle bylaw like Concord’s on the warrant for their town’s special Town Meeting this spring. See the full text of Arlington's article below. That move comes as some in Concord are readying their rebuttal to the ban, while others rally in defense of the ground-breaking bylaw. Concord resident Robin Garrison has a petitioner’s article on the Town Meeting warrant seeking to repeal the bottle bylaw. Meanwhile Concord on Tap, a local movement led by …
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11:16 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
Hi folks, You may not agree with the Bottle Water Ban, for one reason or another - but deep down in your heart you know, it's the right thing to do! Bill Montague P.S. Contratualtions Arlington! more ›
john kacher
8:03 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
I never said tap water is already free (re-read my comment). but know that you bring it up it is clean and safe and relatively inexpensive compared to bottled water. you can chose a safe healthy beverage also. concord now sells boxed water. you still have sealed "regulated" water in a single serve size and at the same time you are protecting the environment. The bylaw does not promote unhealthy … more ›