Highland Fling 2009 Was Bottled Water Free

The Wild Horizons Highlands Fling is a challenging mountain bike event, for all levels of cycling enthusiasts, as it winds through farmland and forest. The weekend of cycling events attracts over 1,800 riders, plus friends and family. Local community groups often raise over $40,000 by participating in the weekend event.

As a supporter of the Bundy On Tap initiative, the 2009 Highlands Fling went Bottled Water Free. (and will again in November 2010.)

At the 2009 event Culligan Water set up a mobile water refill station, supplying filtered tap water for riders to top up their reusable drink bottles.

Bundanoon Is Brigadoon. And Brigadoon is Bottled Water Free

The famed Bundanoon Highland Gathering, known affectionately as Brigadoon, is going bottled water free for 2010. One of the world's largest highland gatherings (over 20,000 visitors) Brigadoon will again show a reverence for all things Scottish, on Saturday, 17 April 2010.

The Bundanoon Highland Gathering Committee have taken the step of advising visitors of their bottled water free actions via the event's website:

"• WATER - PLEASE NOTE: The Bundanoon Highland Gathering fully supports the "Bundy on Tap" proposal for stopping the sale of bottled water in Bundanoon, and therefore there will be NO bottled water for sale at the gathering.

• Water Bottles will be available for sale at the Village or the Gathering

• There are FREE water stations in town and facilities at the oval to fill reusable water bottles.

Either bring you own Water bottle or purchase a Bundy on Tap bottle in the Village or a reusable water bottle at the oval."

2010 Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival To Be Bottled Water Free

The stall application form for the popular Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival informs stallholders that, "All packaging and utensils must be recyclable or compostible. Bottled water is not to be sold, in accordance with the Kangaroo Valley sustainability program. Chilled water is available for free at the bar."

The Festival will be held 22 to 24 October 2010 and supports the Kangaroo Valley Carbon Neutral Program, an initiative of Kangaroo Valley Tourist Association.

Huw Kingston Nominated for Wingecarribee Shire Citizen of the Year

The Southern Highland News summarised Huw's nomination as:

"Huw Kingston actively promotes the Highlands as a destination for cycling. He organises the annual Highland Fling mountain bike event, attracting thousands of competitors and spectators to the southern villages.

Mr Kingston instigated the “Bottle-free Bundanoon” campaign, encouraging visitors and residents of Bundanoon to drink tap water instead of bottled water."

However, at an Australia Day ceremony held at Berrima, it was announced that Gordon Lewis was to be named Wingecarribee Shire Citizen of the Year. Congratulations Gordon.

Sundance Film Festival Offers Bottled Water Alternative

Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival, 21 -31 January 2010, is again teaming up with Brita Filters and Nalgene water bottles in the FilterForGood campaign to reduce bottled water use and waste at the festival.

A media release for the project quotes Sarah Pearce, Director of Festival Operations, "The Sundance Film Festival is committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and reducing bottled water is one of the simplest ways to do that."

When the campaign was run in 2009 festival attendees could purchase FilterForGood reusable Nalgene bottles for $10 USD, which they could then fill at Brita Hydration Stations. This reduced the need for 50,000 bottles of water that Sundance had distributed at previous Film Festivals.

British Pubs to Provide Free Tap Water to Patrons

The news service Reuters reports, that new legislation being introduced in the United Kingdom, aimed at curbing a culture of heavy drinking, requires that, "publicans will have to ensure free tap water is made available to revelers."

New Refillable Bottle Info at Bundy On Tap

Many friends and supporters on the Bundy On Tap campaign have asked for detailed information about the two refillable water bottles that BOT selected. In order to better answer those questions we've put up a new Bottles page up on the website.

Hopefully we've covered most of the queries people had about our bottles.

London Follows Bundanoon's Lead

The Guardian Newspaper reports that London is looking to follow the Bundy On Tap model and install water fountains and refill stations in the British capital.

Thames Water will install refill stations (capable of refilling a 500ml bottle for 20p) in two high traffic locations that are frequented by about 4.4 million people annually.

If successful the refill units will appear at public transport stations across London in time for the 2012 Olympics.

The article also notes that Hyde Park also scored its first drinking fountain in 30 years.

Momentum is gathering.

Congrats Jon Dee, NSW Australian of the Year

Jon Dee, co-founder of environmental advocacy groups Planet Ark, and more recently Do Something! was in mid November 2009 named NSW Australian of the Year.

Bundy on Tap publicly, and belatedly, congratulates Jon on this recognition of his achievements, over almost twenty years of active campaigning for a better world.

Jon Dee, through Do Something's Bottled Water Alliance project, worked very closely the Bundy On Tap committee to help bring our project to realisation. His industry contacts and media savvy were a significant part of the success of Bundy on Tap. Thank You, Jon.

And all the best on chances of now being named Australian of Year, on Australia Day, 26 January 2010.

BundyOnTap Blogs

Well, here we are. On the blogsphere.

The Bundy On Tap website will remain our central repository of information about Bundanoon, Australia's First Bottled Water Free Town, but we will use this blog to add news as it comes to hand.

Welcome.