NEW PALTZ- As part of its pioneering effort to become the first New York State-Certified Zero Emissions Community, the Town of New Paltz enacted Local Law #3 of 2022 forbidding the sale and consumption of carbonated water within the town.
“This was not an easy decision,” said councilperson Jay Roberson. “Many of our residents consume a lot of seltzer. It will be a big adjustment.”
Roberson said a study commissioned by the town with local engineering firm Brinnier & Larios at a cost of $1.3 million found that the town was consuming approximately 23,000 fl. oz. of seltzer water per capita annually, amounting to about 8,625 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
“Once we saw the numbers, it was a no-brainer,” said councilperson Epinephrine Moon Shadow, who also chairs the town’s Committee on Climate Justice. “We are living in the midst of a climate genocide which is having a disproportionate impact on marginalized groups, including Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Transgender members of our community. Our message to the privileged residents who have objected to this common-sense reform? You can live without bubbles in your water.”
The ban on seltzer follows previous Climate Justice measures that limited the town to a single trash hauler to reduce the amount of miles driven by garbage trucks, banned plastic straws, and set a renewable energy supplier as the default for all ratepayers. Further plans call for bans on non-local, non-grassfed meat in local restaurants and supermarkets, wood-burning fireplaces, natural gas stoves and gas stations.
