New York City is a city of wonder.  The City of all Cities.  The millions of tourists that visit each year substantiate this fact.  This past scorcher (92F) of a weekend, tourists from Spain, France, Russia, England, China, Korea, Japan and many other countries were on the streets, in the stores, taking selfies, at the top of the Empire State Building, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, and waiting in line for the Statue of Liberty.  They spoke different languages, dressed differently, walked differently, laughed differently and seemed to be enjoying themselves, but one element bonded these peoples from far and wide.  They all tended to utilize plastic water bottles.  The amount of water bottles for sale on the street and in the stores was astounding.  These plastic apparatuses made it into the overflowing trash cans, in the subway stops, and in the Hudson River.  Plastic was everywhere.

Some hotels in the city offer hydration stations on site.  There are green businesses involved in trying to make New York City a less polluted place. We must do something about this issue.  Tourists, because they do not know where to get water, tend to overuse the water bottles and locals tend to refill their canteens in water faucets and sinks.  And although they are doing the right thing, filling one’s canteen in a dirty men’s bathroom is not what should be happening in the City of all Cities.  Tourists and locals must have options in order to avoid this wasteful practice.  World Progress Now is working toward filling the need for a Responsible Tourism Infrastructure.

Club Quarters Hotel, World Trade Center in New York offers guests the option of sparkling or still water to refill their canteens.