At the venerable Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Calif., customers can indulge in baked quail, grilled squab and wines from around the world.

But if bottled water -- a fine-dining fixture -- is your libation of choice, you're out of luck.

"For us, it's about doing the right thing," said Chez Panisse general manager Michael Kossa-Rienzi, referring to the restaurant's recent decision to serve only filtered tap water.

Watch Eric Horng's report on the criticism of bottled water tonight on "World News." Check local listings for air time.

The eatery is joining a growing list of restaurants kicking the bottle for environmental reasons. And some city governments are getting into the act as well.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom last month signed an executive order prohibiting city departments from buying bottled water, saying the move would save taxpayers money and be good for the planet.

"Each year, people are drinking 30 billion throwaway bottles of water," said the Sierra Club's Ruth Caplan. "If you put them end to end, it would go around the world more than 150 times."

Caplan said four out of five plastic water bottles end up in landfills, but even before they get there, they've taken a toll on the environment.

To get to a store shelf in Chicago, for instance, a bottle of water from France must first travel more than 5,000 miles on ships and in trucks. And because water is heavy, transporting it requires a lot of fuel.

ABC News crunched the numbers -- taking into account mileage and fuel requirements -- and found that even before you drink that one-liter (or a 33.8 ounce) bottle of French water in Chicago, you've already consumed roughly 2 ounces of oil. And that doesn't include the oil used to make the plastic.

In addition, the entire process -- bottling, packaging and shipping -- creates pollution and greenhouse gases.

"It's ironic that on some of the labels of the bottles, you see snow-capped mountains and glaciers when in fact the production of the bottle is contributing to global warming, which is melting those snowcaps and those glaciers," said Allen Hershkowitz at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

shanti0608 said:

I usually do not buy bottled water but I do buy food/drinks in plastic containers. I recycle them but never really thought too much about the oil that is used to make the plastics and to transport the goods to the stores.

The tap water we have here is just as good as bottled water, if not better.

KoolEaze said:

Yes, and if you filter it too, even better.

MissMe said:

That is what I do. Where I used to live we were on a well and our water tasted better than any bottled water. Now I am on city water so I filter it

London tap water is the best If you want to grow a spare limb or sumfin'

*Spit!*Spit*

Let's not allow water to become a commodity primarily owned by corporations, dependent upon the oil industry.

If your water is skankity, buy a Brita pitcher. Use it to refill your Nalgene bottle (the things last forever and don't get smelly).

HereToRockYourWorld said:

senik said:

Well I guess I better pack my Brita water filter when I move abroad.

shanti0608 said:

Better than a Brita Filter is a supply contact from oop norrf, areas like the Lake District and such. The damn H2O from there is the next best thing to Volvic

Oh sweet Jesus, is this a recycled thread?

Imago said:

I thought you would say....

what kind of peace lovin' hippy bullshit is this?

Chez Panisse is a fantastic restaurant. I've been there on several occasions. It is consistently rated one of the best restaurants in the United States and is known as the birthplace of "California Cuisine"....

Any locals should check it out - an amazing restaurant experience.

I'd like to take amorbella there.

Ptownhood said:

shanti0608 said:

It's all true.... I love the restaurant and I really like amorbella.

KoolEaze said:

yep, that's right. I keep five jugs in my frig (I drink alot of water) when I empty one I refill it an put back in the frig.

I know who's behind this one ...





... those dastardly villains!!!

Ptownhood said:

I know

KoolEaze said:

Ours is too

I had it tested and it's as good a quality as bottled water

added a couple filters anyway gotta love crisp clear mountian water

for when i go to the gym, i will buy one big bottle of really schmancy water and re-fill the bottle with water from my brita tank until the bottle gets uber-skanky, then i replace it.

Anxiety said:

that's what i do too.

Stax said:

all the bottles say "do not refill" and that worried me for a moment, but of COURSE they'd put that on there. they wanna sell more damn bottles!

senik said:

Tap water in London is the worst!! I remember clearly, and it's been a few years since I've traveled there.

Anxiety said:

my bottled water has a use by date, still not figured out why?

Anxiety said:

this is going to freak you out, a bit.

so, my friend is buyer for safeway and every now and then she has to go on some factory tour to see how food and beverage manufactures make stuff.

anyhoo, she was at this water bottling factory in California a few weeks ago. I can't remember the name of the company, but they make the Kirkland water that they sell at Costco and the like.

SO, the factory manager tells her that they are the only watter bottling company in the US that also makes their own caps. As a result, they are the only water bottling company that can make caps that thread so perfectly that they do not need to use a sealant to ensure air tight closure.

All of the other water bottling companies (Dasani, Aquafina, Arrowhead, etc.) all buy their caps from a different source and, therefore, have to apply a sealant to make the bottles air tight.

Guess what the sealant is?

A film of animal fat!!!


So, my friend asks if they market their water as a vegan alternative. The factory manager told her that it never occurred to him and that he was going to bring it up with his marketing team.

Anyway, ANIMAL FAT!! I can't believe more people don't know about this.
[Edited 7/9/07 7:13am]

jami0mckay said:

Because the bottles start to degrade pretty quickly.

Genesia said:

ahh so its the plastic not the water, thanks

jami0mckay said:

Yup -- that's why it's a bad idea to refill them, too. Once they've been opened, they start to break down inside and out.

I'm pretty sure that's why Perrier's never used plastic -- even though the shipping costs for glass bottles would be much higher.

Genesia said:

thats really interesting, i shall add you to my list of orgers i can trust now !