Residents of Bundanoon, a small town southwest of Sydney, Australia, have taken a quiet, but monumental stand against the bottled water industry by voting to stop all sales of bottled water in the town.  The amount of energy (and oil) the town will save by eliminating bottled water will be huge, but perhaps more importantly they will ensure that their local aquifers remain in the public trust and are not drained by private interests.  Hopefully their efforts will inspire other municipalities to protect their water supply from being shipped off, bottled and sent elsewhere (or resold in their own stores).  

The “Bundy on Tap” campaign, as it’s called, didn’t even begin as an environmental movement, but by protecting the vital, and in many places dwindling, resource they will be making a huge difference for the planet.  By refocusing our attention and funding to protecting local water supplies, and improving public access, we can drastically cut down on the waste produced by bottling and shipping water, and ensure that clean drinking water is avaliable for future generations.  Bundanoon is a shining example of the powerful impact a community can have when they rally together, let’s hope other follow their lead.

Photo: klearchos kapoutsis’ flickr photostream (creative commons)