The average person in France consumes about 40 gallons of bottled water each year. That means they're buying and throwing away a lot of plastic. But what's the alternative when they demand sparking water?
Well, you make sure free sparkling water flows from public drinking fountains. This week, we got news that Eau de Paris, the public water company, has set up a new water fountain in the Jardin de Reuilly, a park in eastern Paris, that chills tap water and then injects it with carbon dioxide “to make the bubbles thin and tasty,” as one Eau de Paris spokesman described it.
It's an experiment (Italy already has these), but if the sparkling water fountain proves popular, Eau de Paris may set up more around the city. Let's hope champagne bottle waste becomes a problem soon.
Image from Eau de Paris
