I tried calling in these thoughts to The Rant, but they never got published. So this is a second try to get across and I don’t care whether it’s published or not.
First, I want to say that the Rants column is super. Where else can you read unvarnished comments from the people on the street, however irreverent or illiterate? That column should be moved up to the front of the paper, as it is the first thing that I and many other readers look for. Perhaps it could be juxtaposed with Read This First. The paper really doesn’t need a second index up front. And, if the Editor feels the urge to contribute something every week, that could probably be said on an editorial page like every other paper. Also, the pejorative heading, "Read This First," should be given a decent burial.
Keep up the good work.
Dan Sweeney
Keswick
Browning the water
Nestle Waters shares Mayor Brown’s concern about the environment ["City considering cutting out bottled water," Government News, August 28, 2007]. We are doing our part with our new eco-shape one-half-liter bottle, which contains 30 percent less plastic than most other half-liter beverage containers, and the lightest one-half-liter plastic bottle currently on store shelves. Furthermore, plastic water bottles account for less than one third of 1 percent of municipal waste in the U.S. Still, we advocate stronger recycling programs that would recycle more plastic food and beverage containers, whether they contain ketchup, peanut butter or water.
We regret that the health benefits of bottled water were ignored in the article. Bottled water is a healthy alternative to sugared beverages. On average, Americans get 226 more calories a day from beverages than they did a generation ago and the number of overweight and obese children is up 360 percent. Clearly, Americans need to drink more water—whether bottled or tap.
Therefore, Mayor Brown’s proposal not to drink bottled water can have negative health impacts, especially when most of what Americans drink comes in bottles or cans.
Jane Lazgin
Director, Corporate Communications
Nestlé Waters North America