NYC: mobile fountains against the summer heat

by Paolo Ghiga

The inhabitants of New York will challenge this torrid summer accompanied by long awaited public drinking fountains: the Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner of the environment protection Cas Halloway, have launched a new programme to make more accessible drinking water in the public spaces of the city.

New drinking fountains are located in public squares, in parks, markets, historic cope by a shortage. These facilities include six taps to which drink directly or fill containers, plus bowls for pets.
They are part of a broader project, named "Water on the go": a summer calendar provides rotation of these mobile installations around the city: for example some locations can be found on Tuesday to Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket, Friday at Union Square Greenmarket, the Saturday depending on events, for example along the promenades in Staten Island, Sunnyside, and Sunday for example at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. There are currently 10 fountains of this type, which can easily be linked to water cannons at dawn and removed at the end of day.

Mayor Bloomberg has underlined the strong investment made, over 21 billion dollar, to maintain and improve the system that serves every day the 8.4 million inhabitants of American metropolis. Holloway clarifies how the city's water is clean and present in large quantities, distributed by over 7,000 miles of pipelines and from 19 reserves and 3 natural lakes, away up to 250 kilometres from the city, and the majority is filtered by the same ecosystem formed, that the enriched with minerals along the way.
Also is a drink which the large consumption of sweetened products and soft drinks, of which Americans are big consumers. Here's a first educational significance, making a natural choice to win the scorching heat of the summer. Halloway also underlines the economic aspect, arguing that physiological well-being, this water is also an excellent investment, since about a penny per gallon, is 1000 times cheaper than bottled water.

A decided tack towards more democratic and sustainable forms compared to the previous data and statistics. Containers which are placed in the public and private offices, in addition to tons of plastic bottles have a devastating economic and environmental impact. In the U.S. are used 17 million barrels of oil per year to produce plastic bottles for water, causing over 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution.

That drinking water is a business and growth of volumes is a fact: just think that in the summer of 2007, Craig Zucker, founded the Tap'd NY, a company that takes care of bottle water in New York, sold 1 dollar and 50 bottle. An idea on the mark and a bet onerous for the pockets of New Yorkers, who while paying already a water bill, replied unexpectedly, with over 50,000 bottles sold in just six months, thanks to a network of 75 for shops, bars and restaurants that have joined the initiative.

The issue of costs is a plague endemic that invests the entire planet: in Italy the Adoc research highlights how the cost of bottled water have increased by 6%, so that half a litre of mineral would cost the 133% more than in 2001. Also the hot factor and the absolute necessity, mean that prices come to the stars, since the great distribution reduces the offer on 1.5 litre bottles in the period June-September, with a reduction to 30%.
The increases are on average by 5.9% while for one bottle 0.5 litres you get to 13.9% more. The elderly and children are among those most affected, given their frequent need to drink. Possible solution to this problem could reach from projects such as those of Italian towns of Foligno and Spoleto, which since 6 May have inaugurated the first public fountains of the Umbria Region and throughout the month provided free sparkling water: afterwards one and a half litres of sparkling water will cost 5 cents to citizens.

The project, analogous followed by municipalities of Rome and Pistoia, falls on "Percorsi innovativi di riduzione alla fonte"(Innovative Paths of reducing waste at source), the experimental project promoted by Umbria Region to limit the impact of waste on the environment.
Such initiatives are a strong response to the high cost water affecting various regions and should compel manufacturers of bottled water to revise their business strategies. Raising people to a responsible use of water resources, making them closer to nature to combat waste and save money: water is an asset that must be safeguarded and respected very carefully and thrift and, above all, it must be affordable for everyone, even at the light of the recent Italian law decree for water privatisation, spectrum that threatens to raise the costs of water that flows from our faucets.