Bundanoon, a sleepy little tourist village in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia is making news in its attempt to go bottle free. The campaign is being run by local bike shop owner Huw Kingston in response to Norlex, who plans to pump 9 million gallons of Bundanoon's ground water per year and truck it to Sydney for bottling.
Kingston's plan urges local businesses to stop selling bottled water and replace it with a reusable 'Bundy on Tap' bottle for sale. Like TapIt, Kingston believes that businesses are the key as they have tap water readily available to fill reusable bottles.
Bundanoon has been fighting against the pumping of its spring water since 1994, arguing that pump sites are too close to heritage buildings and that 3000 truck movements per year through the center of town is dangerous for the tiny village where local children roam and tourists come for peace and quiet. But whenever the town celebrates a win in court, Norlex lodges an appeal or a new development application, prompting residents to ask, should there be a limit on the legal action a developer can take to defeat a community?
Lets hope that Kingston can get local businesses involved in his campaign and drive home the message that in Bundanoon, community is king! And, if you're ever in the Southern Highlands, stop into Wild Horizons, Kingston's store and hire a mountain bike to take in some of the beautiful Highland trails.
Photo: www.highlandsnsw.com
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