Would you prefer a restaurant that uses bottled water or one that pours tap water in your glass?

Tap water in Vancouver is tested 25,000 times in a year, according to Metro Vancouver’s Web site, and is probably one of the best in the world. On the other hands, the downsides of using bottled water is obvious. Millions of them are going into the natural landfills, oceans and lakes. Obviously, some of them are recycled, but recycling cannot compensate the total expenses, both commercially and environmentally.

While many of people have given up using bottled water, restaurants continue using them. However, the tide is turning. Motivated partially by consumer requests, and partially by the cost of bottled water, some restaurants are giving you the option of drinking the tap water. Bistrot Bistro is one of them. Some other restaurants are using locally produced filtered water to reduce the environmental footprint. Some others, like the 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters café or even the recently opened Voya Restaurant in the Loden Hotel, are using on-site filtration system.

Finally, everything is up to you. You are the customer. You will decide what is good enough to be served for you.

See also:

Vancouver restaurants turn on the tap water – Straight.com

Fighting the Tide, a Few Restaurants Tilt to Tap Water – The New York Times

The new snob appeal of tap water – Slate Magazine