The BCGEU is teaming up with Toxic Free Canada, a labour-environmental alliance, whose latest campaign is to get people to pledge to reduce their use of bottled water. Check out their pledge form here [1].
Their ‘Getting off the Bottle' campaign says it is time to think differently about the enormous increase in use of bottled water. It is environmentally unfriendly - manufacturing bottles has a heavy carbon footprint, sourcing the water can have severe environmental impacts, and discarded bottles are filling landfills and oceans with waste.
"We need to think carefully about whether the products we buy have negative environmental or health consequences," says BCGEU President Darryl Walker.
"This Toxic Free Canada campaign fits well with other important work on consumer product labelling. For example, our union and Toxic Free Canada both support federal MP Peter Julian's Toxic Substances Labelling Act."
This act was introduced this year as a private members bill by the MP for Burnaby-New Westminster. If passed, this important bill will provide for mandatory labelling of hazardous ingredients in consumer products and help Canadian consumers make more informed decisions about what they buy.
Toxic Free Canada brings unions, environmentalists, advocates, educators, and activists together to promote healthy workplaces, homes, and communities. The BCGEU, BC Federation of Labour, and other unions are represented on Toxic Free Canada's Board of Directors. Toxic Free is also advocating for the adoption of important Right-to-Know legislation, and puts out the popular consumer guide CancerSmart.
To find out more about Toxic Free Canada click here [2].
To get more involved in our union's environmental work, please contact Marj.Owen@bcgeu.ca [3] and ask about our Cool Communities campaign.
