Bottled Water Ban at City Hall

This post from the In the Bluff blog got me excited yesterday. Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step towards change!

Even the City Council is trying to get a little greener.

During a parks committee meeting this morning, City Council members provisionally voted to reestablish the City Hall recycling committee.

"This started from a conversation about how can we, as a city, be more green?" said parks committee head Jim Strickland. "This is an easy first step."

Strickland also floated the idea of prohibiting city funds from being used to buy bottled water.

"Why are we buying bottled water when we have the best water in the world?" he asked. "Not only is it wasteful but a lot of green folks think it's heresy."

The idea didn't get much traction — the convenience of bottled water won out — but council members did seem to recognize that Memphis could be more ecologically friendly.

"I see now, after spending a few days in Denver, we don't have a big emphasis on recycling," said council member Barbara Swearengen Ware. "Everywhere you go, on the streets, everywhere, there are recycling bins. It's obvious to me that we have not done a comprehensive job on recycling."