| The arrival of autumn 2010 in the City of Light brought with it a bold public experiment in the form of a new drinking fountain in the Jardin de Reuilly. As with other public drinking stations in Paris, this one connected to a well-maintained system of water sourced from underground wells and the Seine and Marne rivers. But it had a twist: With the press of a button, visitors were treated to a stream of chilled H2O infused with carbon dioxide, providing a steady supply of sparkling water. The concept of what locals call la fontaine pétillante didn't originate in this corner of Europe; sparkling water fountains first surfaced in Italy around 2009. Yet the idea certainly seems tailor-made for France, the country of origin for popular mineral water brands such as Evian and Perrier. Paris is also home to famed water-spouting structures such as Fontaine Saint-Michel and Fontaine des Mers. Several sparkling water fountains can now be found throughout Paris, and the city has the ultimate goal of installing at least one in each of the city's 20 arrondissements. From an aesthetic standpoint, the sparkling water fountains are hardly on par with the ornate older fountains; one reviewer recalled a graffiti-tagged fountain as seemingly "designed to troll visiting fantasists with its simple look and battered condition." Yet this same reviewer described the fountain's cool, bubbly water as "utterly delicious." Considering that the water is free, and that an estimated 12 pounds of plastic waste per year is saved when a family of four ditches plastic bottles for tap water, this citywide initiative should do its part to help keep Paris relatively clean and affordable. | 
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar