Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has reported that it has reduced its use of bottled water as part of the club’s 10:10 commitment. 10:10 is the climate change campaign which encourages individuals, organisations and governments to pledge to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% during 2010.
The Premier League club had already installed mains-fed Tana Water coolers in its restaurant, medical centre, coaches’ area and education centre. The plumbed in coolers purify the local tap water and reduce limescale to improve the taste, thereby reducing the club’s requirement for deliveries and disposal of plastic bottles. 10:10 signs are displayed to remind staff, players and visitors of the pledge
“There are 160 new recycling points for fans to use, bottled water has been largely eliminated from the ground, and all directors now travel to away matches on public transport,” says Donna-Marie Cullen, executive director of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. “One of the most dramatic things we’ve seen is a culture change among staff.”
Nick Heane, managing director of Tana Water UK, manufacturer of plumbed-in water coolers states: “10:10 is all about making small changes to our lifestyles to reduce our carbon footprint. We are delighted to see such high profile organisations changing how their drinking water is supplied as part of their 10:10 pledges. When you’re talking about providing restaurants, offices and training areas with a sustainable supply of palatable drinking water, filtering and chilling tap water is just common sense.”
According to food and drink industry research firm, Zenith International, there were 628,000 water coolers installed in the UK at the end of 2009. Plumbed in water coolers now represent 42% of the install base, having increased from 18% in 2004.