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NYT: Where Thoreau Lived, Crusade Over Bottles – Mrs. Hill and Concord, MA’s ban on bottled water

Excerpt from the New York Times:

CONCORD, Mass. — Henry David Thoreau was jailed here 164 years ago for refusing to pay taxes while living at Walden Pond. Now the town has Jean Hill to contend with.

 

Jean Hill has proposed a ban on the sale of bottled water in Concord, which will be reviewed by the state attorney general and could go into effect next January.

 

 

Mrs. Hill, an octogenarian previously best known for her blueberry jam, proposed banning the sale of bottled water here at a town meeting this spring. Voters approved, with the intent of making Concord the first town in the nation to strip Aquafina, Poland Spring and the like from its stores.

In orchestrating an outright ban, Mrs. Hill, 82, has achieved something that powerful environmental groups have not even tried. The bottled water industry is not pleased; it has threatened to sue if the ban takes effect as planned on Jan. 1. Officials here have hinted that they might not strictly enforce it, but Mrs. Hill, who described herself as obsessed, said that would only deepen her resolve.

“I’m going to work until I drop on this,” she said. “If you believe in something, you have to persist and you have to have a thick skin.”

Read the full article HERE.

 

 

posted by Christina M. Samala
June 23, 2010
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  • http://www.azurastorch.blogspot.com Azura Skye

    Hey there,
    I just wanted to say – I’m almost finished reading The Story of Stuff book! And wow! What a read :)

    Thank you SO SO SO much for writing it. I’m gonna get my parents to read it next. I’m tired of all the plastics in our household.

    You are deffo my inspiration – hmm, a hero even :)

    I thought I was a savvy eco gal – but I just realized my thinking of what landfills were was just a ‘fantasy’ I hadn’t really an idea of what they were really like.

    Perhaps – The Story of Stuff the Big Movie is next?

    Thank you so much Annie, for all your work.

    Azura.

  • Shilpa Mishra

    Hey Annie! What a great SOS, it’s a treasured gift to mother Gaia, very thoughtful and very thought provoking, beautiful contemplation and holistic perspective. You are making us all aware of the big picture and the roots of all causes and how it can be amended. Truly wonderful work! Thank you for creating and sharing your wholesome thoughts.
    Wanted to share a good news with you: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100707-279764/Solar-plane-sets-out-on-historic-flight

  • http://www.samefishnewpond.blogspot.com Cassy

    Whoa! I had never even thought of supporting a ban on plastic bottles. It’s genius! Let’s get this thing going!

  • http://www.advantatraing.com Linda Reed Friedman

    I had the priviledge of walking Walden Pond and touring Concord with a college Literature class from New Jersey. It strengthed my spirit, centered my thinking and supported by goals. The year was in 1964! Mrs. Hill, after that trip I never under estimated the strength of resolve and the determination present in people like you and in all of us to achieve our goals. You go Girl!

  • drinkalot

    I drink a ton of water , like literaly a ton a year , that means a lot of money , and I know there is a high possibility that the water I buy is just filtered tap water at a ridiculously high price , but the water in my community , and not just a house or two , but almost everywhere is freaking discusting (not living in the USA) , because of the realy old and rusty public water infrastructure that is only patched up when something breaks , and that hapens alot . I guess with the money everyone spends on bottled water they could fix the dammed thing , but wheres the profit in that? :(