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Water filling stations like this one are deployed across Grand Canyon National Park.
Activists concerned that Coca-Cola might be influencing National Park Service policy were breathing a bit easier Tuesday after the Grand Canyon National Park announced it would eliminate the sale of bottled water inside the park within 30 days.
"Our parks should set the standard for resource protection and sustainability," John Wessels, regional director for the park service, said in a statement. "I feel confident that the impacts to park concessioners and partners have been given fair consideration and that this plan can be implemented with minimal impacts to the visiting public."
The move came after activists on Dec. 2 released an email from National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis in which he stated that "while I applaud the intent (of the ban), there are going to be consequences, since Coke is a major sponsor of our recycling efforts."
Coca-Cola is also a major vendor of water and other drinks throughout the parks system.
The email disclosure was followed by Jarvis on Dec. 14 directing parks to implement a policy to reduce and recycle disposable water bottles. Included was "an option to eliminate in-park sales" if the regional director so approved and "following a thorough analysis of a variety of factors ranging from the cost to install water filling stations, to the cost and availability of BPA-free reusable containers, to potential effects on public safety," the park service stated.
The group that obtained the email, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told msnbc.com that while it considers the decision a victory it still has concerns.
"While we are happy that Director Jarvis has reversed course, the record clearly shows intense public scrutiny forced this abrupt U-turn -- it did not result from a dispassionate or open decision-making process," PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch said. "We hope this episode will limit the role of corporate donors in park management decisions."
Ruch said PEER still questions several provisions that he called "bureaucratic hoops" -- including ones that require any park seeking to ban plastic bottles to run it by the NPS health office and take annual surveys on visitor satisfaction and sales revenues.
"While Grand Canyon National Park has apparently met these requirements," he said, "another dozen parks, including Yellowstone and Death Valley, that had been considering bottle bans when Jarvis issued his system-wide moratorium may be deterred."
Grand Canyon National Park estimates that the waste associated with disposable bottles makes up 20 percent of its overall waste stream and 30 percent of its recyclables. It has also "experienced increasing amounts of litter associated with disposable plastic bottles along trails both on the rim and within the inner canyon, marring canyon viewpoints and visitor experiences," the park service stated.
Coke, Grand Canyon bottled water controversy gets murkier
"We want to minimize both the monetary and environmental costs associated with water packaged in disposable containers," added Grand Canyon Superintendent Dave Uberuaga.
Visitors instead are encouraged to bring or buy reusable water bottles, which can be refilled for free at stations throughout the park that use spring water.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Whatever happend to a canteen? What did you before bottled water? Get back to the basics, life will be easeir!
I prefer a bota bag myself - packs better and takes up a lot less space. But your essential point is a good one.
I must have water with me at all times. I have been to the canyon many many times in my long life. It get HOT and dry. If you walk any place, you NEED water. I have never littered in my life, not even a cigarrette butt or small piece of paper. I carry everything out, as that is how I was raised many years ago. Pump up the fines for littering but don't cut off water! Or get something else to carry water in. I will have to stop going if I can't have water with me. And no, pop doesn't serve the purpose water does. And anyone that has lived in AZ KNOWS you have to have water available at all times. My niece also had to have water with her, even in her classroom. It was medically ordered.
sandyv - I applaud you for your awareness of keeping our parks and planet free of litter. However, I think you may want to read the article about the ban at Grand Canyon again. The park is not banning or cutting off the water - just the sale of bottled water.
I was completely taken aback by your statement, "I will have to stop going (to the canyon) if I can't have water with me."
Do you think the parks new policy is saying, "You don't need water in the blazing desert heat. Start your death march and when (if) you make it out of the canyon alive, you will have earned the right to buy the coveted t-shirt, "I hiked The Canyon and Still Have My Kidneys!"
There is potable water from taps all over the park, including in the inner canyon. These are available to all visitors and the water is free!
So before your next visit to the canyon, check out these nifty things that you can buy in just about any store called "water bottles". They come in cool colors and different sizes, some have pictures, some are plain, they are made out of a variety of nontoxic materials, inexpensive and light weight. Not only that, you can reuse them - over and over again.
I don't mean to be rude with my statements. It is just that this is a perfect example how stories get started about the Big Bad Park Service doing one more thing to make our lives miserable. Trust me, the rangers at Grand Canyon have enough to keep them busy, scraping people off the trails everyday because a hiker got themselves in over their heads. Many of those in need of help didn't bring enough water or didn't bother to drink the water they had.
As a long time Grand Canyon hiker, I should think you would have immediately questioned the "cutting off" of water as being a totally ludicrous statement and investigated further before posting your comment.
Two things that our schools are obviously failing to get across:
1) Envrionmental awareness
2) Reading comprehension
As do we all - water is essential to human survival. But how far do you want to take this?
- I'm paralyzed in both legs. Why doesn't the National Park Service provide motorized wheelchairs for park visitors?
- I'm on supplemental oxygen. Why doesn't the National Park Service provide supplemental oxygen bottles for park visitors?
- I'm blind. Why doesn't the National Park Service provide service animals and white canes for park visitors?
- I don't speak English - I only speak Urdu. Why doesn't the National Park Service provide signs in Urdu for park visitors?
- I have a bad heart. Why doesn't the National Park Service provide paramedics, doctors, nitroglycerin, and a full surgical suite for park visitors?
The authorities and their supporters should assume the responsibility of providing available tap water that is safe, pure and free of additives or hormones.
That is what bringing your own H2O is all about - be self-reliant, not reliant on government.
not everything is about money. it is about the plastics and the dependency we have on single serve. we used to do just fine with "canteens". remember those? get used to it. it is a small step towards a cleaner less poluting generation. the trend is one we HAVE to embrace and re-teach our future generations. The efforts are global- re: sailorsforthesea.org
Good for them - it is about time a government organization set the standard to control the "litterbugs" in our national parks. If a person wants water, then bring a reusable container when hiking or rafting. I recently took a trip to Tennessee where I hiked Bay's Mountain - in a short 1/2 mile trek I picked up 7 empty plastic water bottles tossed into the forest. The slobs that left them have no environmental ethic whatsoever. If a person cannot self-regulate their actions, then outside forces must ensue.
Great of you, Jermo. BTW, Bays Mtn. is a municipal park, but some of the National Parks in Tenn. have been horribly littered. We need a culture change.
Is that right, some of the National Parks in Tennessee are horribly littered? I need to get around more I guess, I only know of one NP here in Tennessee and that's Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I've never been there but I might agree that it's littered because it's supposed to be the most visited NP. Lots of people equals litter. If you've been there what's your take on Land Between the Lakes and Big South Fork? I've only been to Land Between the Lakes and it seemed clean. Well, it really comes down to how we perceive things as individuals. I might see a couple of empty bottles and not think anything of it while someone else sees the same thing and goes on and on about how filthy and littered everything is.
Land Between is fairly well maintained. Other than it and the Smokies, all of the other NPS sites are Civil War-related: Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Stones River. Stones River is fairly badly trashed but I suppose this is to be expected is it is on the outskirts of a burgenoing metropolitan area (Murfreesboro). Shiloh has some issues, could be worse. Ft. Donelson got better when they started levying the entrance fee; not sure if they still have it and some of the sites are outside the gates. You are obviously quite knowlegable of the Trace and have visited what are probably the very best sites. Haven't been to the completed final end in Natchez since it was built out but I love the rest of it very much.
Stupid stupid stupid is this decision. Is soda pop being banned?? Nope. Why not? Lots more plastic comes from its sales!! As for me - I don't drink any soda pop - what I want is bottled, pure, reverse-osmosis water and I am willing to pay for it!! Who tf knows what's in "spring" water - it could come from anywhere, maybe even downstream from manure/sewage dumps!. GIVE ME MY BOTTLED WATER!!!!! Or make this ban fair and eliminate ALL bottled drinks, not just water!!!!!
To eliminate just bottled water and no other drink that comes in plastic is incredibly stupid; if the goal is to get rid of plastic containers then stop selling any drink in plastic containers. In fact I was surprised they hadn't already banned bottled soda.
But the other part of your statment I simply don't get. What is the problem with bringing your own water? A lot of people here seem to think they're banning water; nothing could be further from the truth. If you don't like the water at the Canyon (which was actually quite good when I was there) simply bring your own in.
Wow!
This smacks of somebody getting their pockets lined.... "I'm sorry sir, you are not allowed to take that bottle of water (that you paid $0.89 for) with you on the trail, as it might become lost and interefere with the beauty of the park. However, for a mere $8.99, you can purchase a refillable (souvenir!) water bottle from the park to take with you everywhere you go! Thank you for your understanding!
Or, you can plan ahead and bring your very own bottle or two from home! When something good is trying to be accomplished and it doesn't fit some people's agenda's, why does it always become about money?
Lol, the option of bringing your own refillable bottle won't work, not with folks who are bored and come online to piss and moan over something, and, "It's all about money" seems to work for a lot of people.
Germany may be a leader in recycling but have you been to Berlin lately? Graffitti on everything. It is a mess. Mayby thats their way of recycling paint and markers. I live in Nevada and I can tell you that the desert is becoming a garbage pit. Go on a hike in the Grand Canyon, other parks or just out into the desert and civilizations garbage is everywhere. Seems like junk takes forever to biodegrade in the dry climate.
So how much litter do you bring back when you go for a hike?
Litterers suck! But Environmentalists (Activists) suck worse!
Isn't it against the law to litter? Why don't f'n park officials enforce the damn law. Furthermore, not to defend putting your trash on the ground but I have been to many parks where the trash recepticles are overflowing and look as though they have not been emptied in months.
So, now because of stupidity on both the part of visitors and staff all must suffer.