L’eau and behold!

Published: 8 October, 2010
by TERRY MESSENGER

BUSINESSES in Islington are giving their backing to a pioneering scheme to provide free tap water – instead of selling expensive bottled brands that “damage the environment”.

They reckon the tide will turn against costly products from companies like Evian, Perrier and Volvic.

The scheme is the brainchild of environmental activist Mike Green, who runs a not-for-profit firm, Tapwater.org, promoting products to take advantage of “a backlash against the bottle”.

He wants shops, pubs and restaurants all over the country to offer free tap water to customers – as well as passers-by asking for empty bottles to be filled. 

He is starting his scheme in “green” Islington, where he reckons shopkeepers, cafe proprietors and pub landlords are more likely to be sympathetic.

“Bottled water does tremendous damage to the environment,” he said. “There are 190 billion plastic bottles in landfill sites around the world. Bottles are flown all over the globe for no good reason. And there is a much cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative – tap water.”

Two Finsbury-based companies have already signed up to the scheme and a random sample of five businesses in Islington’s Upper Street were all happy to provide free tap water to Tribune reporters posing as parched passers-by.

Adrian Jones, manager of the cafe Street Coffee in Goswell Road, signed up with Mike, saying: “It will be good for business. It will bring people in and we’ll make more money. But even if we don’t and we lose out on sales of bottled water, it’s not all about money. It’s good for the environment.”

Unpackaged in Amwell Street, which sells unwrapped groceries, also signed up. And Starbucks, the Camden Head pub, upmarket restaurant Pasha, the Body Shop and cocktail bar Keston Lodge all responded kindly to requests from Tribune team, Siobhan Rooney and Terry Messenger.

When asked for “a glass of tapwater, please”, Camden Head barmaid Julia D’Arcy unhesitatingly obliged and offered to fill up an empty plastic bottle as well – all for no charge.

After being told she was the subject of our research, she said:  “Lots of people ask for tap water and we don’t mind. It’s a human right.”

Keston Lodge barman Simon Aukett was equally considerate and said: “I’m always happy to give people a drink of water and never charge.” 

Mr Green, 50, of Rawstorne Steet, Finsbury, made a fortune from property development but now he’s devoting his life to the cause.

Explaining the origins of his enthusiasm, he said that growing up in poverty in Yorkshire his mother refused his demands for lemonade and gave him “council pop” instead – tap water. He has invested £120,000 in products such as stainless steel “bottles for life”, moveable dispensers and a cap that adds a variety of fruity flavours to tap water.

Sales of bottled water dipped in 2007/8 but have now picked up, according to trade body the Natural Hydration Council (NHC). An NHC spokeswoman said: “Some people choose natural bottled water because they want to drink something natural, not chemically treated – it is untouched by humans and its naturalness is a reason why they choose it over chemically treated public water.”

• Additional research by Siobhan Rooney