Tremont 647 Shuns Bottled Water as Part of Statewide Initiative

Starting this month, you won’t find bottled water on the menu at or its sister restaurant next door.

Chef/owner Andy Husbands has banned the bottles from his restaurants as part of a statewide initiative to encourage Governor Deval Patrick to reinvest in Massachusetts’s public water systems.

“We feel that taking steps to be green is important to our guests, neighbors, community and all of the staff at Tremont 647,” Husbands said. “Along with recycling, lowering our bottle usage is an integral piece in reducing our carbon footprint.”

Over 50 Boston business owners have signed on to the initiative, led by Corporate Accountability International’s Think Outside the Bottle program. A letter from the establishments was delivered to the Governor in August, urging him to cut state spending on bottled water, which totaled nearly $450,000 in the last fiscal year, according to a press released from the Think Outside the Bottle campaign.

“Government should be spending scarce public dollars on projects that provide vital public services and grow the economy at large, not just the bottom line for a handful of private corporations,” said Think Outside the Bottle Director Kristin Urquiza.

“Investment in public water is one of the wisest investments the state can make.”

In 2010, Patrick committed $185 million to expand and repair the state’s water infrastructure, according to the campaign, but the nation’s public water system still faces an annual $23 billion investment shortfall.