Sign the Petition here @ Credo Action

Nearly 30% of waste discarded in the Grand Canyon is plastic water bottles. Tired of the litter, Park officials decided late last year to ban the sale of plastic water bottles inside the Grand Canyon, and $300,000 was spent to install “refilling” stations for reusable water bottles. The plan was based on a similar, highly successful one that had already been instituted at Zion National Park, and was championed by the top official at the Grand Canyon himself, Stephen Martin.

But after all this work, the plan was scrapped just two weeks before launch, after Coca-Cola registered “concerns.” Coke, owner of the leading bottled water brand “Dasani,” had donated millions to the National Park Foundation. Shortly thereafter, the plan was scrapped by Martin’s superior, Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots:

Mr. Martin, a 35-year veteran of the park service who had risen to the No. 2 post in 2003, was disheartened by the outcome. “That was upsetting news because of what I felt were ethical issues surrounding the idea of being influenced unduly by business,” Mr. Martin said in an interview.

“It was even more of a concern because we had worked with all the people who would be truly affected in their sales and bottom line, and they accepted it.

This is outrageous. Write Jon Jarvis today, and tell him to put the plan back on track. The Grand Canyon is a national treasure, and it’s outrageous to let corporate pressure trump an effective plan for dramatically reducing unnecessary plastic waste.

Reference Link – New York Times