The Globe and Mail reports today that, “Bottled water is being allowed in (to Olympic sites) as long as its manufacturers seal is intact, (says Constable Mandy Edwards, spokeswoman for the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit). Personal water bottles or any other liquid will be confiscated at the gate.”
While it is being presented as a security measure, it certainly benefits Coca-Cola, a major sponsor of the 2010 Games and stymies those who want to bring their own water from the tap because they do not want to support the bottled water industry.
Coca-Cola plans to sell 7.5 million beverages at the Winter Olympics.
For bottled water, it takes 3-5 litres of water to produce a 1 litre plastic bottle. For the soft drink, it can take 9 litres of clean water to make 1 litre of Coke.
Multiply the water consumption above by the 7.5 million beverages Coke intends to sell and it’s clear that Coke fails any ‘environmental call to action’ with respect to water use.
More on the Olympics at http://canadians.org/olympics/.
