Bottled water giveaway on bottle-free day

A bottled water company chose a novel way to celebrate Bottled Water Free Day on Thursday, inviting Toronto residents to "Get free bottled water today."

Cedar Springs, based in Concord, Ont., gave away four 11 L or 18 L glass bottles of water to people who called and asked for them. The company even offered to deliver the bottles to the callers' homes.

“We wanted to do our own spin on Bottled Water Free Day by sharing spring water with our community,” said Cedar Springs vice-president Craig Hayhoe.

“Spring water is simply the purest and healthiest beverage you can buy and we’re giving it away today for free.”

But the idea of giving away free bottled water doesn't exactly jive with the intended message of Bottled Water Free Day. Organized in Canada by the Canadian Federation of Students, Sierra Youth Coalition and the Polaris Institute, the purpose is to raise awareness about the negative impacts

of bottled water.

“Across the country students are standing up against the wasteful bottled water industry,” Noah Stewart, national deputy chairman of the Canadian Federation of Students, said in a release. “Tired of having to pay Coca Cola, Pepsi or Nestle for a drink of water, we’re calling on schools to ban the

sale of bottled water and re-invest in water fountains.”

Municipalities and school boards across the country have implemented restrictions on bottled water.

“The success of Bottled Water Free Day shows the strength of the back-to-the-tap movement,” said Elly Adeland, water and energy campaigner for the Polaris Institute. “Bottled Water sales in North America have plummeted and across the country Canadians are pledging to kick the bottle, clearly the tap is making a comeback.”