Take Back The Tap: 50,000 People Say No To Bottled Water At Slow Food Nation

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Take Back The Tap: 50,000 People Say No To Bottled Water At Slow Food Nation

Largest Food Gathering in America Educates Consumers on Health, Environmental Impacts of Bottled Water

Washington, DC – According to a new guide released by Food & Water Watch, event organizers, whether throwing garden parties, conferences, or citywide street festivals, can join the growing movement against bottled water. The national consumer advocacy group, which is working with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the design firm SMWM to provide tap water for the inaugural Slow Food Nation event over Labor Day weekend, has been working with restaurateurs and city mayors across the country. Now, the group is aiming to help event planners and caterers break the bottled water habit and join their Take Back the Tap campaign.

“Slow Food Nation will be a model for caterers, conference planners or anyone who wants to plan an event that excludes bottled water and will be the perfect opportunity to show how much difference people can make with a change of habit on a large-scale,” says Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch Executive Director.

“We want people to make the connection between the plate and the planet, and that includes drink,” says Anya Fernald, executive director of Slow Food Nation. The non-profit organization is with a subsidiary of Slow Food USA, part of a growing global movement dedicated to deepening people’s understanding of the environmental connection to food.

The Slow Food Nation event will showcase sustainable agriculture and healthful eating, and offer tap water at various water distribution stations set up throughout the facilities. Food & Water Watch developed a how-to guide in response to a growing trend in bottled water-free event planning, including trade shows, conferences, and university events, as well as festivals and specialty events.

The guide, “Free Your Event from Bottled Water,” breaks down the planning process into ten key steps, offering useful tips such as how to calculate the amount of water an event requires and deciding which water filtration device to use. The guide will supplement other resources created by Food & Water Watch to help educate consumers and businesses about why choosing tap water is better for people’s health, their pocketbooks, and the environment.

“Serving tap water at events like Slow Food Nation is clearly economically and environmentally beneficial,” states Hauter. “Not only does it save money, but it also saves your event from being littered with empty water bottles that may end up clogging our landfills.”

Anya Fernald agrees. “Tap water is the slow water equivalent of slow food. The goal is for people to leave the event with one, two or three things they can do to change the way they’re eating and interacting with the environment. Tap water is one way to do that.”

“Free Your Event from Bottled Water” is available online, at http://foodandwaterwatch.org/free-your-event-from-bottled-water

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.  Visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.