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City Council, Restaurants, Launch Take Back the Tap Portland
Restaurants to Give Up Bottled Water, Support Tap Water Funds Instead

Portland, ME - Today, Food & Water Watch, the City Council of Portland, Peace Action Maine, and local restaurants joined together to launch Take Back the Tap Portland. The campaign highlights the social, economic, and environmental problems with bottled water industry; the need for increased funding for public tap water; and the importance of celebrating and protecting Maine watersheds. Restaurants, government officials, and local advocacy organizations are encouraging tap water over the bottled brands as the best choice for Mainers’ health, environment, and economy.

“Big corporations like Nestle take our water for practically nothing, tell us it’s chic and healthy, and then they sell it back to us in a plastic bottle for exorbitant prices.  Portland tap water is just as safe and healthy as bottled water, and is a far more cost-effective choice,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.

On Monday, Portland’s City Council passed a Take Back the Tap resolution in support of local tap water systems. Citing estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency that the nation will fall $22 billion short in funding necessary to repair and upgrade water treatment plants, pipes, and other infrastructure, the resolution calls on Congress to set up dedicated water trust fund.

“The City of Portland prizes its excellent drinking water and we’re committed to investing in it. That’s why we passed a resolution Monday night calling on Congress to create a public water infrastructure trust fund to ensure clean and safe water for generations to come,” said David Marshall, City Councilor and Chair of the Public Safety Committee.

"Water should be safe, clean, and affordable for everyone,” said Dan Muller, Executive Director of Peace Action Maine. “It’s a right, not a corporate commodity. Instead of relying on corporations to provide something we all need to live, taking back the tap is about protecting our most important resources."

A group of local restaurants have also led the way on water sustainability in Maine by taking bottled water off its menus, serving tap water instead, and pledging to educate customers about the benefits of tap water over bottled water. Leading restaurants include the North Star Music Café, Ruski’s, and Empire Dine and Dance.

" It was an easy shift to make. Between the fossil fuels, the disposal, and the production, bottled water doesn't fit with our café’s commitment to sustainability. Our customers come to us because they want to eat local, and they want to drink local, too, so I think they’ll really appreciate it," said Anna Maria Tocci, owner of the North Star Café.

Restaurants that take the pledge will be featured for as “water conscious” in the Eat Well Guide, a free online directory listing thousands of family farms, restaurants, markets and other outlets that offer local, fresh and sustainable food in the United States and Canada. www.eatwellguide.org.

Portland’s campaign arrives as community resistance over Nestle’s water mining operations escalates. From Kennebunk to Shapleigh to Rangeley to Fryeburg, with organizations like Save Our Water (SOH2O) and Defending Water for Life, citizens are challenging Nestle’s large bottling operations. With over seven wells statewide, Nestle is currently putting over a million gallons a day in bottles, to be shipped around the country as their Poland Spring brand.

"I applaud Portland's leadership from city council to restaurants, “ stated Emily Posner, organizer with Defending Water for Life in Maine. “This is a great way to stand with local Maine communities who are working to restore democratic control over their water from a multinational corporation from Switzerland.  Instead of Nestle's PR spin, this type of action in Portland presents working solutions to water crisis we face.”

Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer rights organization based in Washington, D.C. that challenges the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources. Food & Water Watch is asking restaurants across the country to take back the tap.  Visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.

The state’s largest peace organization has worked for 25 years to promote peace through grassroots organizing, citizen education, and issue advocacy. Peace Action Maine is an affiliate of National Peace Action.

Please visit www.takebackthetap.org for more information on the campaign.