PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rachana Shah, Co-President of Beyond Plastics Queens
3:45:44
·
133 sec
Rachana Shah, Co-President of Beyond Plastics Queens, strongly supports Intro 900 for installing public drinking fountains in New York City. She emphasizes the importance of easy access to water for public health, environmental sustainability, and climate change adaptation.
- Shah highlights her background as a zero waste consultant and her experience studying pro-environmental behavior change since 2009.
- She argues that installing public drinking fountains would reduce barriers to using reusable water bottles and decrease reliance on single-use plastics.
- Shah connects the need for public water access to climate change impacts, such as hotter summers, and emphasizes the foresight of implementing this plan for future disaster preparedness.
Rachana Shah
3:45:44
Yeah.
3:45:45
That's okay.
3:45:46
That's okay.
3:45:47
So, yes, my name is Roshneshah.
3:45:49
I'm the co president of Beyond Plastics, with Queen's chapter, a chapter of the larger national Beyond Domestic Organization.
3:45:58
We strongly support INT number 900, and we consider installing public drinking fountains essential to public health.
3:46:07
Before I go on, I just want to explain my background.
3:46:11
I'm here canvassing in Kalihai County in Pennsylvania, trying for the election.
3:46:17
And I'm saying that because as a 0 waste consultant by profession.
3:46:24
I've studied behavior change around pro environmental behaviors since 2009.
3:46:29
And I've learned one of the biggest barriers to adapt reuse systems is access, There's less incentive to bring a clunky water bottle like this.
3:46:39
If there is a large barrier to refill it, the current options are you can go into a bar or a restaurant and ask them to do it, which they have no obligation to do.
3:46:48
Or to go and find a public water fountain in a public place, which is not really easy.
3:46:54
So it's imperative we believe that New York City makes water, which is a human right available to all New Yorkers.
3:47:01
A related consequence of a warming planet is hotter summers that will require easy access to water to prevent thirst and debt.
3:47:08
And I think it would be a sign we think it would be a sign of great foresight for New York City legislators to implement this plan with an eye to rapidly band in the near future, making our city ahead of the curve on future disasters that threaten human health.
3:47:22
It would also show foresight to make systemic and infrastructural changes that allow us to rapidly reduce the amount of single use plastic we dispose of in New York.
3:47:32
I mean, the fact that part of this bill is referring to flooding in Southeast Queens.
3:47:37
It just proves that not addressing climate issues results in more time and money having to be spent to analyze the damage, and that cost New Yorkers a lot of time and energy.
3:47:48
So creating solutions that allow us to rapidly decline the use of single use plastics has major climate mitigation impacts.
3:47:56
And I I guess I'll end there.
3:47:57
Thanks.
