Restaurants Ban Bottled Water

Environmentalists claim credit; industry blames economy

(NEWSER) - Bottled water sales are sinking, and environmentalists point triumphantly to their hard-fought campaign against the wasteful industry. Consumption is expected to drop 2% this year, following a 3.2% drop last year, MSNBC reports. But industry executives say it’s just a natural result of the economic downturn, noting that sales of soda and other drinks have seen even worse declines. More»

Creatures' movements may carry carbon dioxide to ocean depths

(NEWSER) - Jellyfish may be secretly affecting the climate of the oceans: Their movements appear to help change the balance of carbon in the atmosphere, NPR reports. Many jellyfish hide from predators deep underwater during the day and head to the surface at night for a snack, says an oceanographer. When they return, a study in Nature says, they may be carrying carbon dioxide dissolved in surface water down with them. More»

Green-friendly company admits water-wasting practice is 'not acceptable'

(NEWSER) - Ben & Jerry’s locations around the world are wasting nearly 300,000 gallons of water per day, a News of the World investigation finds. The whimsical ice cream maker, famous for its green ethics and environmental activism, requires employees to wash scoops in sinks under constantly running water to hinder bacterial growth. But even Ben & Jerry’s is now saying the “dipping well” policy is “not acceptable.” More»

(NEWSER) - A small New South Wales village has become the first community in the world to ban the sale of bottled water, the BBC reports. Bundanoon officials, who say bottled water wastes huge amounts of resources in packaging and transportation, were moved to act when they realized a bottled water company planned to tap the town's underground reservoir, bottle the water hundreds of miles away, and sell it back to them. More»

Is unplugging the fridge and fueling up on vegetable oil eco-friendly or just nuts?

(NEWSER) - How far would you go to reduce your ecological footprint? Would you run your car on waste vegetable oil? Use your lawn as a bathroom to save water? Huddle for body heat? Unplug the fridge? Some 7% of the population is “dark green,” the New York Times reports, though the jury’s still out on whether the so-called "carborexics" are eco-heroes or borderline obsessive-compulsive. More»