Divide in Concord (2014) - full transcript

(MUSIC - "YANKEE DOODLE")

- Yes, I move that the town
vote to ban the sale of water

in plastic bottles in Concord
starting January 1st, 2011.

I want to discuss the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.

- That's way in the Pacific.

We're here in Concord.

Could you go...

- I know, but that's where
the plastic bottles go.

- Yep.

That's where they go.

And could you go on to
the third one, please?



- I've returned with an article
carefully written as a bylaw.

I ask for your
support once again.

- Ms. Hill.

- Good evening.

Two years ago, I
began this effort

because my grandson
Mack told me about

the disastrous
environmental effect

of empty plastic bottles.

- What's the problem
with Concord right now?

- Yeah, there's a woman
in town who has...

for the past three years, she's
been trying to ban the sale

of bottled water.

- Ban the sale of what?

(LAUGHTER)



- I know, I know it sounds
crazy Dan, and I'm with you.

She wants to ban the
sale of bottled water...

- Bottled water?

- Yes, bottled water.

(DOORBELL)

- Hi, would you
sign my petition?

- Oh, I don't agree with that.

- OK.

Well, thanks, anyhow.

Bye.

- I think of all towns where
freedom should be protected,

I mean, Concord is where
it should be protected.

- I'm back with a bottle ban.

People sort of flee
when they see me

because they know they're going
to get a little sermonette.

(DOORBELL)

- Why in a town like Concord...

(DOORBELL)

...when we recycle?

Go find another town
in Massachusetts

where they're not doing
a great job recycling.

Doesn't that make more
sense than removing

the single most healthy
beverage that's contained

in plastic on the market?

- Well, she has twins
and she's pretty busy.

She's probably in the
middle of giving them

one of their snacks.

OK, well, onward and upward.

I consider myself a warrior.

I live in Concord
and I'm trying to get

plastic water bottles banned.

And warriors have to be
prepared for any enemy.

Boy, it's a mess in there.

Looks like someone's
just moved in.

I think I'll skip this one.

- These ideas that
we can actually

have free choice in what
we buy and how we shop,

they're under attack right
now by one bill, one person.

- She's a prophet.

People think prophets are crazy.

But honestly, over
time, you think

they're less crazy
because you realize

they're on to something.

- I'm no prophet.

I'm the right person, and
this is the right time.

- My name is Eric Van Loon.

I'm the elected town
moderator here in Concord.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Concord is a very special
community in American history.

There were lots of reasons to be
attracted to living in Concord.

- This cheese will reportedly
be the largest wheel

of Italian cheese anywhere
in the Western hemisphere.

(CROWD CHEERING)

- We have everything from
Walden Pond and Luisa May Alcott

to Ralph Waldo Emerson
and Henry David Thoreau,

plus the key role that Concord
played in the Revolutionary War

once the embattled farmers
stood and fired the shot heard

round the world at the old North
Bridge a half mile from here.

- I think it really
started in Lexington,

but then it came to Concord.

And Concord was where they
stood up against the British.

"By the rude bridge
that arched the flood,

their flag to April's
breeze unfurled.

Here, once, the
embattled farmer stood...

- Raise arms.

- Raise arms.

- ...and fired the shot
heard 'round the world."

I find that very moving.

To me, it symbolizes the
same thing that I'm doing.

And so it'll be the second
shot heard 'round the world.

That's pretty corny,
but it will be.

I'm doing it because I know
it's right and I know it's just.

- Over here, ma'am.

Have a seat.

- Thank you, sir.

- Yeah, you're welcome.

Take care of yourself.

- I will.

I'm Jean Hill, and
this is where I live.

The address is 24 Concord
Green, Apartment 5.

And I've been living
here quite a long time

and I like it very much.

Here it is.

Oh, I remember this so well.

This is 73 Monument Street,
where my husband and I raised

our four children.

My husband died in '06.

For a year, I was
mourning, but after

that I realized that for
the first time in my life

I was not responsible to
anyone and I could do anything

I pleased.

I didn't have to do any
cooking for my kids,

I didn't have to worry
about my husband.

And I liked that,
but I did find it

necessary to find
some kind of activity.

And that's when
I started working

against plastic bottles.

My grandson, Mack...

(MUSIC PLAYING)

I was visiting their house one
day and Mack said, "You know,

Grandma, there are big bunches
of plastic in the ocean

and it's really terrible."

He was a smart little kid and
he looked it up on the computer.

You're the source
of all this trouble.

Then I started thinking on
it and using the internet

to get information.

This is the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.

There it is.

And it is an amazing mass.

Look at the size of those gyres,
and there are so many of them.

Do you have the
Concord Journal yet?

- Yes, ma'am, right
on the bottom shelf.

- OK.

You have the best
butcher in town.

- Thank you very much.

- Now I need that penny...

- Thank you very much.

- ...because every penny helps.

- Absolutely.

There you go, you
gave me one too many.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Bye, now.

- Bye-bye.

"Bottled water debate resumes."

The more ink you
get, the better.

On and on the debate goes.

- Democracy is alive and well
in Concord, and lots of people

have points of
views on everything

and they're all very articulate.

- As a community, there's no
community in the United States

that's ever made
a community choice

to eliminate a product such
as single serve bottled water.

- People want to drink
water, and as a merchant

it's my job to give
people what they want.

The packaging is not as
important as the product.

- This land has
been in agriculture

back before the
settlers came, and it

seems the Indians didn't have
a very good immigration policy

and they lost the land
to some of the intruders.

And this was part of the land
taken by the King of England

when they came.

76 years I've lived in Concord,
which actually is about

a fifth of the town's history.

I'm opposed to the
bottled water ban,

I think that people should be
able to make their own choice.

I don't drink it, never
bought a bottle in my life.

But I think people
should be able to choose.

- Imagine how our Founding
Fathers would feel now if after

writing the Declaration
of Independence --

which talks about life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness --

if they heard hundreds
of years later,

you wouldn't even have the
freedom to even be able to buy

water.

It's not crack or heroin.

It's water.

Let's keep this in
perspective, OK?

- It's also, I think, a
pretty slippery slope when

you start trying to make
healthy legal items illegal.

I don't know where it
starts and where it ends,

but I think it's a
pretty slippery slope

to start to take away the
freedom of choice for people.

(DRUM ROLL)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- Live free or die,
because death is not

the worst of all evils.

Slavery is.

(GUNSHOT)

(CAR ALARM)

- I'm Chuck Hacala, captain of
the Bedford Minutemen Company.

We are here today for the
Meriam Corner Exercise,

and our company is specifically
invited to this event

because we carry the
Bedford flag, which

was the only flag carried at
the Battle of Concord in 1775.

We have lots of things, lots of
laws that attack our freedoms.

I can't just go out and drive
200 miles an hour in my car.

I would like to have
that freedom, maybe,

but we decide as
a group that, no,

we're going to actually
put in some laws

that limit our
behaviors but in what we

consider a positive way.

So I think, again, it's
up to the people that

want to ban the bottles
to convince the larger

community that this is
really good for everybody.

And if they can
convince enough people,

then I think it's perfectly
fine to ban something

like bottled water.

- Well, what I'm doing is I have
a petition Article, number 32

on the town warrant,
and that is to ban

the sale of drinking
water in plastic bottles

in the town of Concord.

- I don't think we have
that kind of problem.

I think those have
been overblown a lot

in the last several years.

Why put more burdens of
people than they already have?

- Well, because only
20% of the plastic water

bottles are recycled.

- How do we know that, though?

What's our statistics for that?

- You can find out a lot
about all these issues

if you go to Corporate
Accountability

International in Boston.

They have tobacco...

things...

what did you do?

Why did you kill that bug?

Well, I don't want
to argue with you.

- No, I don't either.

- But...

- I would say you're
probably the Goliath

and I think the Davids
are the folks that

are going to probably
want to drink their water.

- No.

- We'll proceed initially with
the discussion of Article 38.

- Hello?

Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

- Hello.

- OK, I guess it's on.

- Please identify yourself.

- I'm Jean Hill, and I
live at 24 Concord Green.

- And I'm Jill Appel, and I
live at 244 Caterina Heights.

- We're a team.

- Thank you very much.

- I'm the perspiration,
she's the inspiration.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

When I first met
Jean, I wasn't really

compelled to think of bottled
water in the way that I do now.

People said, "Oh, bottled
water, bottled water, what

a small thing", and
"You're not going

to make a big difference",
and things like that.

And I have to admit my first
reaction also was, jeez,

what are we talking about here?

You know, water in
plastic bottles?

Come on.

But throughout my
research I guess

I found that bottled water
is really the epitome,

it is the poster child
for unsustainability.

And the more I learned
about the issue,

the more I realized that
she's got something.

It's really important.

Even when you can
make a small change,

that small change could
have a big impact.

- I think Jill realized
that I needed help,

because I'm a loner and she
knows the way the town works.

She's much better at that.

So we make... together
we make a very good team.

- We're both strong women.

When I get out of
line, Jean'll tell me.

And when Jean...

when I need to rope
Jean in, I'll tell her.

So I think there's a
lot of mutual respect.

- Because I have the passion
and she has the know-how,

and that works.

- I think this is a time
where one community can

put its foot down
and say "We're going

to take a stand
against this product

because it's an
unsustainable product."

I think the time is right.

Good morning, Jean!

- Good morning, Jill.

- How are you?

- Here, I'm all set
for the coordinations.

- I heard, I called ahead.

My focus is more at
the community level,

because you have to think global
but work at the local level

to make things happen.

And I guess within
the town of Concord,

I feel there's a
good community that's

supportive of
environmental issues.

This is the kind of
place where we can

get some of this stuff done.

Thank you so much
for coming today.

And thank you for
participating in this,

because I think we
have an opportunity

to really make history here.

The Article that we've got this
year is basically the same.

It still focuses on
single serve bottles only,

of one liter or less.

So the gallon jugs are not
covered by the Article.

There still is an
exemption for emergencies.

The deal on this is
not about the fines,

it's about making a statement
about an unsustainable product

that we would choose not
to have in our community.

So our goal this year is to
really reach out and just get

votes.

- Each person has their
own circle of friends.

And so if you can spread
the word among your friends,

that'll be a big help.

- The idea is that we're quietly
going about gathering votes

from sympathetic people.

We appreciate your
coming tonight

and look forward to working
with you on the campaign.

- One of the key features
of Town Meeting --

and this goes back
in Massachusetts law

and the Constitution for
really hundred of years --

is the right of individual
citizens to bring a measure

to a vote at Town Meeting.

And the bar is very, very low.

10 signatures is all that's
required to get a warrant

Article before the town.

- Well, I'm tickled that
I got so many signatures.

Many more than I need.

The minimum is 10, but I
got much more than that.

Hello, Anita.

- How are you doing?

Nice to see you again.

Stamp them in for you, so that
we know that you've got them

in on time...

- Yup.

- ...by the deadline,
and this looks great.

Best of luck with this, Jean.

- Thank you.

- And it was nice to see you.

- Thank you.

- And happy new year.

- Bye-bye,

- Bye, Arlene.

Well, that's done.

Now I just have to finish it.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- When I think back to
the Founding Fathers

and the radical thought
that was going on there,

these are people who realized
the world was changing.

And they wanted to change
it into a better place.

They were leaving behind
the feudal system,

the absolute monarchal systems
that had dominated in Europe,

and saying "We need
a new world order."

And they were radicals, that's
what they're fighting for.

They were fighting for ideals.

I'm Bob Lawson.

- I'm Bill Turville.

This is our sculpture.

Bob's idea, my assistance
in realizing it.

- My concept of putting
together the sculpture...

right now, it's really
to support Jean's Article

and I hope it helps
that thing pass.

When this is finished, it'll
be comprised of 1,500 water

bottles -- 1,500.

And that's the number
that are consumed

every second in the United
States, just the United States

alone.

Every second of every day, all
these bottles and the ones you

saw on the wall there
came from one family --

one family -- who recycles
them, but I would get to...

I noticed how many they were
getting rid of every week

and I would get there before
the recycling truck came.

And I would just
take their recycling,

and I'd throw them in my thing.

We're not the radicals.

Just like Jean... the people,
Jean Hill, and Jill Appel,

and everyone who's
going to vote for them,

they are not the radicals.

The radicals are
the people who think

that we can alter the chemistry
of our Earth, for profit.

For profit.

This is what this
is, this is profit.

These companies
need to sell more.

They couldn't sell more
Coke and Pepsi and all that,

so they decided to sell water.

- What's the first reason I'm
helping out in the campaign?

Well, the first reason I'm
helping out in the campaign

is because my
mother asked me to.

(LAUGHTER)

People are already dying
from climate change,

and people are already
suffering from climate change,

and it's going to
get a lot worse.

You have to say, when
people talk about choice,

and "I'd like to be able to
go down buy bottled water"...

you don't make a
choice in a vacuum.

- I think we have to have
some component within

the presentation that
talks about litigation...

- Yeah.

- ...and I think we ought to
make it clear to the people

in the room that we
expect to get sued.

(LAUGHTER)

- All right, well, if you are
going to make that point I

think you should not fail to
underline we're being picked

on by a giant bully who's
much more powerful...

- That's right, and Concord
doesn't respond well

to bullies.

- I thought of a visual of the
bottled water industry dressed

in red coats shooting bottled
water saying "Drink up,

Concord.

Or else."

And I just...

I like that kind of
visual piece because I

think we have to come
right out and say,

we had some bullies
in here 200 years ago.

All right, do the math.

250 years ago...

- And we'll be firing...

- ...whatever.

- We'll be firing the second
shot heard 'round the world.

- And are we going to
let them intimidate us?

(MUSIC PLAYING)

It's a big industry.

It's a big industry to
try and... you know,

it's David and Goliath here.

- Yeah.

Well, do you look at the
size of their postcards?

Last year, we sent one out.

It was this big.

And their postcard was
this big last year.

Now it's even bigger and
there are three of them.

- This is power.

This is power.

- Yeah, really.

We're big.

We're powerful.

We're going to take
up your whole mailbox.

- And we're going to send
two of them to every...

- It's kind of intimidating.

- Just got this in
the mail yesterday.

And so, they're coming up
with some pretty big graphics

and really trying
to catch your eye.

And that's why I'm trying
to catch some eyes too,

to counteract this.

But this is what we're
dealing with in Concord now.

It's getting hot
and heavy this week.

- But you can see they're
working at every demographic

here.

- Yeah.

- Let's get the...

- Oh, yeah, look at this.

The moms, the soccer
moms, the kids.

- I'm a little alarmed
to see all the ads

that have come around.

Did you see the...

- Well, they always do that.

It's...

- Do they?

The postcards that
came to all of us?

- ...all of it, propaganda.

- Oh my gosh.

It's like 8 and a 1/2 by 11".

- Yeah, it's huge.

- "A ban will cost..."

Oh, we're looking
at the cost angle.

Oh my gosh.

Concord has a history
of not giving in,

as the seat of the
American Revolution.

I mean, the penalty at that
point in time was death.

You know, I mean you
went out with your musket

and you didn't know whether
you were coming back.

And here we're talking
about bottled water,

for crying out loud.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- I think the story concerning
Jean Hill and her request

to ban the sale of bottled water
in the town really goes back

two years, and a Town Meeting we
had two years ago seemed to me

to be very pro-environment.

- I've brought my
own here tonight,

filled from the kitchen tap.

- However Jean's
article, as you know,

had some flaws in
the writing of it

and the Attorney
General of Massachusetts

found that it was unenforceable.

And then in 2011, Jean
resubmitted the article.

The mood of Town
Meeting had changed.

- ...and what democracy
means to me is freedom.

And one of those core
freedoms is for Americans

to be able to choose what it is
they eat, drink, and consume.

- Jean, as determined as she
is, this is her life's work

and this is her
major contribution.

And she's determined
to go back this year.

- Good morning.

Last year, I believe that I
had enough supporters to win.

However the vote was not called
until very late, by which time

my weary supporters
had departed.

- Town Meeting is very
much by the people

and of the people for sure.

It's one of the oldest forms of
government in the United States

and yet, except for
here in New England,

most people don't
really know about it.

On Article 38, the vote in favor
was 265 -- the vote opposed,

272.

So it fails to pass
by seven votes.

(APPLAUSE)

- So I lost by seven votes.

I can remember Jill just... she
was so disappointed she just

ran out.

And I just sat there stunned.

- We can be fierce as
lions if we're challenged,

and we will stand our ground
as we have done in the past,

and we will triumph in the end.

And I just want to
say congratulations

to Jean Hill, who's worked
so hard for so long,

and I hope we see her next year.

Thank you.

- I am going on
this journey again.

Some of these trees or so old.

- Town Manager serves as chief
executive officer for the town,

and I work for a
five member elected,

non-paid Board of Selectmen,
who jointly share executive

authority with the Town Manager.

And I've been in my job here
in Concord for about 18 years.

I have gone back
and forth on it,

because I'm sympathetic with the
local merchants in particular,

and we really want
to try to keep

shopping viable in Concord.

We're a small town.

It's tough for small
merchants to make a go of it

with such a small
population base.

My prediction is -- I
guess if asked today,

five months before Town
Meeting convenes --

that they would probably
be predisposed to say that

we've already discussed this.

We decided last year
we don't want to do it,

and we still don't
want to do it.

- The room across the hall
is the Selectmen's room,

and that's where the
Board of Selectmen

meet and make the executive
decisions on a weekly basis.

Their meetings are recorded
and rebroadcast on TV.

- ...and also our snow and
ice account seems to still be

in good shape.

(LAUGHTER)

- You're not relinquishing
it yet, however, right?

It being a couple of
minutes past 8:00,

I'm going to skip ahead on
the agenda to the presentation

on Article 32 by Jean Hill.

- This year's presentation
will be similar to last year's

and will reflect the
feedback we received.

- You know, I think
the important thing

to know about the Article
is that it's really not

about the fines.

It's really about the
community making a choice

around this product.

- Changing behavior and
changing the culture.

- Changing behavior
with something

that sticks, and
that's meaningful.

- Thank you very much.

- OK, great.

Appreciate your
coming in tonight.

- Thank you very much.

- Thanks, Jill.

- And we will be taking a
position at a future meeting.

- Thank you for letting us come.

- Admire your persistence.

- Look forward to
seeing you again.

- Well I'm 84 and I'm still
going, so I hope to...

- Keep it up.

We appreciate it.

- Time is a winged
chariot at my heels.

(LAUGHTER)

- The industry has been
active yet not visible.

My belief is they're
using our local -- well,

he actually doesn't
live in town --

the owner of our local grocery
store to make their case.

The local grocery store now
has a big bottled water vending

area with cases of single
serve bottled water,

as well as apparently
a big poster

on why people are supposed
to vote against Article 32,

because it's going to
hurt local businesses.

The owner of the
store is Jim Crosby.

The name of the store
is Crosby's Market.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- Hi I'm Jim Crosby, I own and
operate Crosby's Marketplace

in Concord, Mass.

We've been there
for 32 years, and we

appreciate your business.

We're a fairly small store,
so this is pretty much

our water display.

But I mean, everything that
isn't gallons or two and a half

gallons is all single serve.

So basically all of this,
all of this, all of that

would be under one liter.

I'm the chair of the
Massachusetts Food

Association this year.

I'll retire after this year.

Well, it represents really
the entire industry.

And it's a
legislative area where

we'll look for things that
we have a common desire.

Last year, it was increasing
the number of liquor licenses

that were available for food
stores from three to five.

This year, the major focus
is on eliminating the need

to price every single
item in the store.

It's issues like that
that I think we all

have a common desire.

I have mixed emotions of even
getting involved with this,

but I do think that
it's dangerous enough

to try to take a position.

I run a certain amount
of personal risk with it.

- Next on our agenda, we have
response to the plastic bottle

warrant article.

And Mr. Jim Crosby
of Crosby's Market

is here to speak with us.

- Thank you for the opportunity.

Basically, being in the
business for 50 years,

I can assure you
that this could cause

some really serious damage
to the local businesses

in Concord.

Water is a huge category
now, and growing tremendously

over the last decade.

It's 30% of the entire
beverage category.

And of the water category, 50%
is in the single serve water

size under one liter.

People in Concord, as you
know, are very active:

They walk, they jog,
they are into athletics,

they march in parades.

And the single serve
water, obviously,

is the most efficient
and most convenient

form for people to hydrate.

I'd ask your consideration
in certainly not recommending

this.

- I'm curious, have
you been approached

by anybody from the
bottle industry on this?

- Well, I am aware of the
International Bottle Water

Association, in terms
of their concern.

You're dealing with some fairly
heavy companies -- Nestle,

Coke, Pepsi, those
particular organizations.

But beyond that, I don't
really have any knowledge of...

- OK, so you're not
speaking for them?

- Oh, absolutely not.

- You're speaking on behalf
of Crosby's Market...

- That's right.

- ...and other local merchants.

- Right.

- I find it amazing
that Jim Crosby

is inflammatory
toward us and we are

so afraid to go back at them.

- Crosby is not the
bottled water industry.

- He is now gone to
the Board of Selectmen,

he's been on the
front page, he's

written a letter to the editor.

- I'm not saying that it's
not appalling that he's...

- He's the front man
for the industry.

- We can't prove that...

- Why else would he come out...?

- ...well, it is going to
be bad for his business.

- Why would he come out
in such a formal way?

Perhaps he's getting a lot of
pressure from the industry.

I mean, it's a very visible
step forward that he's taken.

We never saw him last year.

We never even saw him.

- I'm determined that
this bottle ban will pass.

What happens is that once
we do that, other towns will

say, "Well, we can do it.

If Concord did it,
we can do it too."

And it will spread like
a stone in the water,

and the rings going around it.

Thanks so much for
having this party, Peggy.

- Well, it's fun to
sit on the stone wall

and watch the parade go by.

- Oh I know, and you're
so nice to have us here.

- Well, I'm wishing
you luck on...

- You know what.

- ...down at Town Meeting.

- Well I wouldn't say that
Jean Hill is a typical Concord

resident, but I would
say that there's

a long history of
individual citizens

who feel strongly about an
issue and bringing it forward

to Town Meeting.

And I mentioned
last year, the woman

who brought the right to dry
clothes on a clothesline.

- (SINGING) The answer my
friends is blowing in the wind.

The answer is
blowing in the wind.

Take a picture of my
flag, the tattered Earth.

My name is Peggy Brace, lived
in Concord for about 35 years,

and presented an article at
Town Meeting two years ago

on the right to dry clothes.

And it passed with
flying colors.

Because this is our own
single house, we can dry here.

There's no problem with
me drying my clothes here.

But people who live in condos
or restricted communities can't.

And it seems horrendous
that you're not

allowed to save energy,
against the law to save energy.

I mean, in this day and age,
it doesn't make too much sense.

So this is for other people
who don't have the permission

to hang up.

My grandmother dried
laundry, my mother did,

and I just instinctively
always hung out the laundry.

I think it takes about
a minute and a half

to do a pair of sheets,
and about four minutes

for a big huge
load, so what are we

doing that we can't take
five minutes out of our life

to hang up the laundry?

Here's Betty White
from television,

and Jean Hill who's
into the bottle bill,

and a sketch of me.

The artist had never seen me
and there's no pictures of me

in the paper so I don't know how
they knew what I looked like,

but it's kind of nice haircut
and a nice blue dress.

This appeared in the Sunday
Globe, "Grand Ambitions."

This is somebody who wrote
about Concord ladies trying

to change the world.

- Hello?

- Jill?

- Yes?

- Hi, this is Jean Hill calling.

- Hi.

- I know that your
position in the past

has been in opposition
to my bottle bill.

- It still is.

- And it still is.

Are you aware that the
permafrost in the North Pole

has melted?

- And banning water
bottles in Concord

is not going to cure it.

- Well it's going to help,
because the bottle...

- No, Jean.

We need to do this as a
whole world and nation.

- Well, we do have
to do it gradually.

- Yeah, but I think doing it
in Concord is not my style.

- OK, well that's all right.

I understand.

- Have fun without me.

- OK, happy new year.

- Happy new year.

Bye.

- Asshole.

How do I get the
hell out of here?

Eventually I will.

That's life.

And if you want to do
something worthwhile

you have to expect rebuttals,
and you have to work at it

and have a thick skin.

But my feeling is that
I want to be all used up

before I go on to
another world where there

are no plastic water bottles.

- I like bottled water and I
like having it as an option.

If Jean Hill and
her supporters want

to move our town forward and
attain sustainability, live

a greener life, they should
have figured out a way

to bring us all together in the
circle instead of polarizing

and dividing this community.

- Make sure you use
your table of contents

to sequence the
pages in your binder.

- Can we...

- Get out there and
find some leaves.

- Thank you!

- For the first time
in history, we're

presented with a new
situation happening

in the world's oceans.

There's a new flavor
in the food chain

and it's not too
appetizing: plastic.

In the ocean, there are rotating
ocean currents known as gyres.

But along with these
swirling wonders of the sea,

there's a new resident --
trash, trash, and more trash.

The Great Pacific Garbage
Patch is the main culprit here.

Yes, it's the largest
landfill in the world,

in the middle of the ocean.

And the new meal
in town is plastic,

making up 90% of the
trash in the ocean.

Most of the debris in the
garbage patch is composed

of small plastic pieces
suspended in the upper water

column -- difficult to see,
even with the human eye.

The plastic breaks down
into tiny particles

and then it's consumed
by ocean life.

So what does this mean?

Well, let's just say this
-- A host of other animals,

including humans, will ingest
this trash via the food chain.

So let's remember: just
because it's out of sight,

it's not out of mind.

- Oh, and there's an
environmental club.

That's great!

- So there was a stigma
around using tap water

at the high school, and
the hydration station

has really taken that away.

Here's a hydration station
outside the main office.

It saved the equivalent of
11,545 bottles of water.

And it's chilled
and it's filtered,

and it really changed
the way people

drink at the high school.

- "Trash Talk."

Wow, this school
is really grooving.

They're on a roll.

- The idea is not to redo
what we did last year,

but to have something more
focused, more effective,

to get the votes that we need
at Town Meeting in April.

- And also it's a year later,
so now at least I'll be 18,

and a lot of my friends
will be 18 as well.

So we'll have a little more say
in it and we can now vote, too.

That was really...

- Oh, that's right.

- ...that was really aggravating
because Maggie and I were

so for this Article passing,
but we couldn't actually vote.

- You have four of
them, and that's

where you spent your
money from the grant?

- Mm-hmm.

- Good for you.

(LAUGHTER)

- So you just place your
bottle right there...

- And there it
goes, automatically.

- OK, and now...

and I can also not only
get water from here,

but I can get it from here.

It's delicious.

(LAUGHTER)

Best water I've ever had.

The young people
are the ones who

are going to have to
think about the future.

They'll have to take
over from the older folks

to work for environmental issues
and all other things that will

make the world a better place.

- I'm going to go in the front.

Bye, Maggie.

Next year.

- Here we go, off to
town hall to vote.

- So why are you
registering to vote?

- First because I
haven't registered yet,

so I can vote in the primaries
and in the bottled water

banning.

That's why we're here, because
we're informed citizens.

Oh, there it is.

- "Water quality of
Concord Public Works".

OK.

This is the water quality annual
report for Concord's water,

I guess.

There are no violations
in our water.

We're here to register to vote.

- Would it be too late
to switch to Independent

so I can vote tomorrow?

- Please sign here.

- But as of today, you're
registered for Town Meeting.

- Thank you so much.

- You're welcome.

Have a good day.

- Good job!

- So now is everyone going
to vote for my Article

to ban bottled water?

- Heck, yeah!

- Heck yeah, you are!

- Every Town Meeting has
local customs and procedures

that reflect the character and,
yes, sometimes the characters

of your community.

- I'm Ed Newman, the moderator
from Stow, Massachusetts.

In the next few
minutes, we'll learn

about the document used in Town
Meeting called the warrant.

- The basic process is that
individuals submit articles

for the town warrant, and
it's a published document

that is mailed to
every household

within the town of Concord.

So the warrant is delivered
to every home in Concord

by the end of
January, mid-February,

so that people have
a chance to engage

in what is it that's coming
up at April's Town Meeting.

- Once the warrant
article is sent

to every household in Concord,
that's when the dice is cast.

- I wanted to start
off by showing you

this item that appeared in
the Concord Journal last week.

- Oh, good.

- It did?

- And...

yes, yes, "Drink
to Your Health",

how water is really important.

- I didn't even see that.

- Well, I'm hoping
most people didn't.

- Who wrote the article?

- "To learn more about
healthy hydration,

- Oh, give me a break.

- Yeah.

- Do you think they did
that on purpose because they

knew of the stirrings going on?

- Absolutely.

- I want to see that.

I've been trying to do
this for three years.

And I'm not a little old lady...

- We know that.

(LAUGHTER)

- I mean, it was a
seven vote difference.

They had 272 votes last year, so
the question really comes down

to, can they incite any
more kind of response

from this community?

- But it just seems like one
of those crazy ideas that's

not going to get very far.

It's too drastic.

I mean, are people gonna line
up at a hose with a bucket

and get their
daily water supply?

No.

- I just think the
way the world is now,

people want bottled water.

A lot of people don't drink...
they don't want tap water

to drink.

It hurts businesses because
the whole country is like this.

We have bottled water
and that's the way it is.

So unless there's a wholesale
change in people's ideas about

that -- switching over to glass
or some other way to do it --

I mean, it's just going to hurt
businesses that this happens

because everything
will have to change.

The way of life... it's
people's way of life right now.

- My name is Wade Rubenstein.

I'm the owner of Reasons
To Be Cheerful, a dessert

cafe in Concord, Massachusetts.

We use town water.

In an ice cream shop,
you use a lot of water.

We use water to,
obviously, keep everything

cleaned and sanitized.

We also use water
to make our sorbet,

so our sorbet uses town water.

We use water for our coffee.

We use a lot of water, yeah.

And we offer water
to our customers.

We always have a pitcher
or two of filtered tap

water available to our
customers at any time.

It exceeds the EPA
and state standards.

I live in town and I'm
very proud of our water.

- My name's Maggie St. Jean.

I am a senior at
Concord-Carlisle High School.

I have been working with Jill
Appel and Jean on the bill.

Here you are.

And having the sign outside
on a hot day like today,

having free water
refills, I mean,

that's fantastic because we
have such filtered and delicious

water here in Concord, which
is really just a privilege.

I mean, I don't think
there's any necessity

for bottled water at all.

- When I was their
age, bottled water

wasn't an issue because
it didn't exist.

We got water out of the tap, we
got water out of the bubbler.

When I say the word
"bubbler" to my kids,

they look at me
like I'm from Mars.

But we had water fountains.

We had them in school, we
had them in public parks,

and that's where we
turned to for water

when we were thirsty outside.

- All right.

I'm Debra Stark, and I opened
Debra's Natural Gourmet

in 1989.

Well, I was brought
up on natural foods

and natural medicine, and truly
have never known anything but.

So it's always been my passion.

I was always convinced that
if I can convince the world

to eat better or to do things
a little differently, that we

wouldn't be in the mess we are
with the health care crisis.

So that truly has
always been my passion.

So this is all the plastic
water bottles we have left.

There's so many
restrictions out there

that don't make sense to me,
that are supposed be protecting

our health and freedom.

So this is one
that I think truly

would protect our health and
the future of our planet.

And who knows what else
that we don't know about?

That's what worries me.

I don't know what
we don't know yet.

Look at all... every year,
we find out something that we

didn't know.

Although my mother used
to know everything.

(LAUGHTER)

- Next on the agenda
is Article 32,

the article on bottled water.

- Excuse me, I don't know if
this is appropriate or not.

But Mr. Crosby, of
the Crosby Market,

is afraid of losing
business and...

- Jean, excuse me just a minute.

We have citizen comments
later in the agenda.

Would you like...

- I just want to leave this...

- OK.

- It's for your...

and you can read it.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- Jean, would you like
to make a citizen comment

before you leave?

- Yes.

Jean Hill, Concord Green.

- Have a seat, Jean.

- Oh, yes.

- So we can hear you better.

- This letter that I've just
given to Chris explains a way

that might help...
it's to the CEO.

I wrote a letter to the CEO
and made some suggestions that

might help them regain
lost revenue if the bottle

ban passes, and that was
selling reusable bottles

of various sizes.

And that's what my letter says.

- Thank you very much.

Thank you for sharing
it with us tonight.

- You're welcome.

- This is the same board
that was here last year

and we did not take
a position on it,

and I suggest that we not
take a position on it again.

Individually, I think we all
have strong feelings about it,

but I think it's something that
the community has to decide

what they value as a community.

I think the voters have
to make a decision.

- Yeah.

I would say that if I wasn't
sitting at this table,

I would probably vote for it.

- It's just...

it's a little
depressing sometimes

that people don't think
of this as a chance

to step forward and be leaders.

And they don't seem to think.

They think that we're
going to go on the way we

are right now forever.

And I don't think we are.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- I titled this sermon "Earth
to Church: Can I Get a Witness?"

Let's become "Golden
Rule" activists

as we move into new behaviors,
consuming less, sharing more,

curbing our desire to acquire
by expanding our inner world.

And on this new Earth,
we must recognize

that future generations are no
less our neighbors than those

seated next to us in the pews.

You might think of this
as Golden Rule 2.0.

- Please, be seated.

- You know, the...

it's time to start
villainizing bottled water.

So I'm Adriana Cohen.

I'd consider myself a good
person and a good mother.

That's not all I
do is mothering.

I do have a career.

I am a philanthropist, I
am politically engaged.

I have a business
background, PR and marketing.

I also have a strong
fundraising background.

I do a lot of very
effective fundraising

for very famous successful
politicians, and charities,

and nonprofits.

- This is just a small
shot across the bow

of the bottled water industry.

I'm Mary White.

I've been living in this
neighborhood in Concord

for 36 years.

My first real activism
was in the 1980s.

- Water is a legal product, and
I think it's wrong for people

to impose and inflict their
own personal political agenda

on the entire community because
they're anti-corporation.

- I see this issue as a
juxtaposition of two freedoms:

the freedom to buy what we want
regardless of the consequences,

or the freedom to choose
not to do that in order

to protect the
freedom of communities

to control their own
natural water resources.

What happens if a water company
drains the water in an area?

They simply move
on to another area.

- I can't believe someone
would be against that.

Corporations -- I don't
care who they are --

they're job creators.

They create opportunities for
people so that they can live,

they can feed their families.

- One of the major problems
with private possession of water

is it leaves Nature
high and dry.

Nature cannot defend itself.

- I mean, what's going to happen
next year at Town Meeting?

Are residents -- tax paying
residents who contribute

so much to the community
in so many ways --

going to be ticketed for buying
a product these eco-groups

don't like?

I mean, that's not right
and it's not American.

- Americans buy enough bottled
water in the United States

in one week to circle
the globe five times.

40 years ago, this
industry barely existed.

And that whole industry, which
did not exist 40 years ago,

is now the third largest
industry in the world

only behind electricity and oil.

(CHATTER)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- (SINGING) Got the sugar blues.

Oh, the sweet sugar blues...

I love my gal, sweet chickadee.

Cluck on, gal, and
cut the blues on me.

I'm going to Heaven,
I'm going to bed.

I'm going to lay down tonight.

Now I'm all confused...

- There's still question about
whether or not the bottle

itself is a hazard...

- Right.

- ...the chemical
compound of the bottle.

- It would be really
great if Boston

had more fountains in the
same way that Paris does,

if you've ever been to Paris.

- If you're going to take away
the bottled water convenience

-- if you're going to walk in
the convenience store and grab

a bottle of water
because you're thirsty --

you need to provide
an alternative.

In America it's
about convenience,

so we're very used to being
able to go anywhere and grab

what we want.

This town government is trying
to accelerate the behavior

by forcing the issue, saying,
"You know what, we're not

going to sell it anymore.

You guys are going to
change your behavior.

Now."

(APPLAUSE)

- They're all ready
for Patriot's Day.

- I think I'm a little nervous
that some weird stuff is going

to happen and we're
going to have bad luck

and we're going to lose.

And I hope that's not the case
because this is definitely

our last chance.

It's not going to
happen again next year.

As an activist, I deal with
disappointment every day.

You know that.

- I know, I know.

- You absolutely know that.

- I do.

- Yesterday, I didn't
get the support...

- Same thing for ministers.

- ...of the League
of Women Voters,

and they supported us last year.

My astrological forecast
told me that good fortune

was heading my way, but
I had to be pushing it.

(LAUGHTER)

So I think I've
been able to make

some inroads with some groups.

I tend to be action oriented.

The only way you achieve
meaningful change in society

today is to get involved
in the political process.

- And you believe
that, but how would

you inspire them to
join you in that belief?

- How do you open
up closed minds?

I mean, really...

- That's not very
appreciative of you.

(LAUGHTER)

- I know.

- How do you increase
flexibility in tight minds?

- Well I think you
work incrementally, OK?

But you push for
something more that's

outside of their comfort zone.

So yes, seek first to understand
then to be understood.

But the big issue
really is sometimes

people just need help to get
out of their comfort zones.

- These are all quotes
from Henry David Thoreau.

- The final quote over
there is Thoreau's.

"Can there be any greater
miracle than for an instant

for us to look through
each other's eyes?"

- Right.

- And I think that's
the essence of this.

There is a water bill to pass.

There is a huge
environmental opportunity

in passing that bill.

- Right.

- But there's just as much
of an opportunity for Concord

to recognize the diversity
within the community,

to be able to look at that issue
through someone else's eyes.

There's that tension,
being able to stand up

for what you believe in,
make room for the other.

And I don't know,
there's a miracle

waiting to happen there.

- We are the home of
Henry David Thoreau.

He's the original
environmentalist.

So he's my favorite
environmentalist.

This is a guy who truly loved
the environment and nature,

but wasn't profiting off of it.

- I think if Thoreau
were alive today,

he would be my
number one supporter.

- Amazing fellow,
Henry David Thoreau.

- "Heaven is under our feet
as well as over our heads." --

"Walden" by Henry Thoreau.

Hi, I'm Tom Blanding, I'm
a local Thoreau scholar

and I've spent my life
studying Henry David Thoreau.

He's what I like to call our
"philosopher of balance".

And sometimes we
think of Thoreau

as being very radical
in his thought,

but he's calling for a
balance between civilization

and nature.

So if he seems extreme
in his position,

it's because we've become
so extreme in ours.

He's best known for
the work "Walden,"

which describes his two years,
two months, and two days

he lived at Walden
Pond in a little house

that he built for himself.

Thoreau affected many
aspects of world culture

through his writings.

Martin Luther King
Junior had said

that Thoreau's ideas are more
alive today than ever before.

Mahatma Gandhi said that
Thoreau had a great influence

on his movement in India.

I think what appeals to
me most about Thoreau --

in broadest terms -- would
be his overall worldview,

his view that this world is
composed of a universal soul

and nature which expresses
that universal soul.

- Well of course, the
big thing of his life

was simplicity,
simplicity, simplicity.

You should your
count your projects

in one hand, keep
your life very simple,

which of course none
of us do nowadays.

Cluttered up.

But it's a nice
concept to think about.

(CHATTER)

- You damn rebels.

Disperse!

Disperse, I say!

Damn you, return to your homes!

Are you deaf?

(CROWD ARGUING)

- They poured their
generous blood like water

before they knew
whether it would

fertilize the land of freedom,
or the land of their bondage.

The war for American
Independence had begun indeed.

The Regulars will continue
their march to Concord,

eight miles west.

At Concord, they will be
forced to begin a rapid retreat

as colonial opposition stiffens.

- Fire!

Huzzah!

- OK, right here, right
now, I think we're

trying to start a conversation.

To me, if we do this now,
if we pass this thing now,

what happens versus
if we don't pass it.

And if we don't pass it,
nothing is going to happen.

- I'm calling you in support
of the local bottled water ban

article that's coming
up before Town Meeting.

- Take care, bye-bye.

I think I'm going to die.

- Hi I'm Steve Weezer, I work
with the Metrowest Daily News.

This is where we print
the Concord Journal.

(RINGING)

- Today's worry is what's coming
out in the Concord Journal,

and what's going to hit us.

Because I know there's
a bunch of stuff

that will appear in the
Concord Journal today.

And I wrote a guest commentary.

I think that's
pretty good, but I

know that there
are two other guest

commentaries that are opposed
to the bottled water bylaw.

And so part of what I
have to do is stop myself

from freaking out and
saying, oh my god, we're

going to Hell in a hand basket.

- I was going to do
"Prohibition is back."

That was going to be my title.

"Capping our freedom.

Prohibition is heavy
handed and goes too far.

If you don't like the idea of
bottled water, don't buy it.

Enough is enough.

This ban is not an
appropriate avenue

for attaining sustainability
and infringes on our rights.

When this issue comes
to a vote in April,

I hope each resident
of Concord will

come show their support
for basic civil liberties

and common sense and
vote against the ban

on bottled water."

- That's great.

- Thank you.

I've gotten really
great feedback on this,

a lot of people.

How Jean Hill wants to
do it and Jill Appel,

heavy fisted with
the prohibition...

- Right.

- And what my fear is
that if Concord passes

this bottled water
ban, then there'll

be all these copycat towns.

- If you just logically
plod through what

is going to happen as a
result and go then into that,

it's like a tree.

You go up the
branch, go over here,

and there's going
to be... it just...

- All these different...

- You have to look at
all the limbs of what's

going to happen
as a result of it,

and then see where you are at
the top of the tree at the end

of the day.

- Maybe it's OK that
Concord is the place where

it gets talked about
and the pros and cons

are really laid out there.

So that everybody in the
country gets educated.

But if it passes,
that is the wrong...

- It is.

- It is the wrong thing.

- ...message.

And it's ineffective.

- I'm quoted
everywhere in the media

because people respect my views,
and they want to hear from me.

And so I appreciate the media
giving me that opportunity

to express my views.

I'm going to be
going on CBS again

on Monday to talk
about the bottled water

ban and next steps.

- We fight against
political correctness

here on Nightside
at so many levels.

- The smartest guy on radio.

- And I want to welcome Adriana
Cohen, a business executive,

public relations specialist.

And you are the proud
mom of three kids.

You don't look like you're
old enough to have three kids.

- I'm a lucky lady.

- Wow, you're busy,
busy, busy, busy.

We heard about this
battle in Concord,

and I quite frankly
didn't understand.

I am a huge supporter of
extending the bottle bill.

Are you familiar with the
bottle bill in Massachusetts?

- Well, yes...

- Yes, it applies...

- But it only has
a $0.05 deposit.

And that's not enough.

- Well, you know what, Jean?

You're wrong on that because
the recycling of beer bottles

and beer cans and carbonated
beverages in Massachusetts

has been a huge success.

And all we have to do
is apply that to the...

I'm with you on applying it
to water bottles, and sports

drinks, and iced tea,
and everything, Jean.

- I can't...

look, I'm 84 years old.

- Right.

- I can't fight the
whole bottled industry.

- Well, Jean, I
will stand shoulder

to shoulder with you, Jean,
and I will be there with you.

I will be there with you.

But to focus just on
water bottles, to me,

is discriminatory.

- I agree, it's very
short-sighted because what

about all the other dozens and
dozens of beverages that are

contained in plastic?

I mean...

- May I say this, Adriana?

I assume this is Adriana.

- Yes, it is.

- And this is Dan.

(LAUGHTER)

- And Dan.

May I say this?

What people drink,
what children drink

is determined by
parental guidance.

They want their
children to be healthy

and they don't want them
to drink sugary drinks.

- And you want to take
water away from them, Jean.

You want to take water.

You want to take water.

- You can...

Concord tap water...

- You want to take water.

You want to take water,
the source, the life

spring of the world, away
from young children, Jean.

I don't understand this.

- Oh, give me a break.

You don't know what
you're talking about.

- I think I do.

You know what we
could do maybe, Jean?

We could have you and Adriana
back in studio together,

and we could have a
whole hour debate.

Would you like to do that?

- I don't want to have
anything to do with Adriana.

- Oh, well that's
impolite, Jean.

- That's not nice.

- I think...

- That's not nice.

That is not nice.

- Oh, Jean.

- You know,Jean, you can't
go around disparaging people,

you know.

- Well, you know what?

Jean, if you don't want
to come in and share

the microphone with
Adriana, there's

nothing more that I can say.

Unfortunately, the one
next thing I have to do

is say goodnight, Jean.

OK?

- All right, good night.

- Have a great
night, good night.

If you weren't on Adriana's
side before that call,

you have to be now.

We'll be back after this.

- Oh, boy.

I think I really screwed up.

(RADIO PLAYING)

- Nobody has a sense of urgency
on this environmental stuff.

You know, the nature of pushing
the edge of the envelope

is that is you're
invariably disappointed.

This is a perfect way to
respond at a community level

to the power of corporations.

Perfect.

They can't f------ get
out of their own way.

(CHATTER)

- But this is the big
warrant for tonight.

- Yes, let's just focus on this.

- How do you do, Nora?

It's nice to meet you.

- OK, good.

- All right, Jill.

Don't worry.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BELL RINGING)

- Good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to the third night
of Concord Town Meeting.

This is the 376th
consecutive year

that the citizens
of Concord have

met in the spring for
annual Town Meeting.

I see that a quorum is
present, and I do so declare.

We have a pre-scheduled
item of high interest.

Ms. Hill moves that the
town take affirmative action

on Article 32 as
printed in the warrant.

- The Board of Selectmen did
not reach a consensus regarding

Article 32, and is
therefore not making

a recommendation tonight.

Our job is to think about
what's best for Concord,

whereas in many ways Article
32 is concerned about what's

best for the world.

Further, if Article
32 passes, there's

a good chance that
the town would

be sued on constitutional
and other grounds

by organizations representing
bottling interests.

In such litigation,
it's likely to be...

to make the cost of
defense so expensive

that Concord and other towns
would be cowed into submission.

Whether we want to
enact a ban, and see it

through to its
conclusion, depends

on what we value as
citizens of Concord.

- Certainly nothing
wrong with plastic.

And in my impression, there's
nothing wrong with water.

But plastics not going away.

And what we really
have to do, I think,

is continue to encourage people
to recycle and educate more.

I mean, basically, Concord is
the place where it all started,

where freedom is perhaps
the most important thing.

I simply hope that
those freedoms

would be maintained tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

- As I said before, there's no..

no demonstrations of
clapping, or hissing.

Either way, this is a
deliberative body and not

a pep rally.

- Mr. Moderator,
ladies and gentlemen,

I stand alone, but confident.

I've kept an open mind and
I do speak from the heart.

The whole country
is watching us now.

Watch out, watch out.

- And I'm a fascist.

- As a lifetime
Concord resident,

my husband and I
are both strongly

against passing this article.

My strong opposition stems from
the lack of a true cost benefit

analysis of the
proposed restriction.

I encourage everyone to
oppose this well-intentioned

but largely unwise,
ill-conceived

and potentially harmful bylaw.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

Ms. Cohen?

- I am against...

- Hi.

I'm against the bottle water
ban because it is prohibition.

Perhaps you've forgotten the
Declaration of Independence.

I'd like to recite a line from
the Declaration of Independence

to you.

"Man has certain
unalienable rights

to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness."

When a person no
longer has the liberty

to decide for themselves
and their children

what products they're
going to put in their body

and what products
they're going to buy,

we no longer live
in a free society.

This reminds me of a country
where dictators dictate...

- Oh, come on.

- Please be in order.

- ...to the masses what
they're allowed to buy.

I encourage you to think very
carefully about your vote

tonight because it
infringes upon our freedom.

- If we could go to
the cafeteria, please.

- The Declaration
of Independence

was referenced tonight.

Clean air and clean water, those
are inalienable rights too.

We have to make a stand
against this kind of stuff

at some point.

In 15 years, in 20
years, communities

all across the world
are going to be

doing what we're proposing
to do here tonight,

because it's the right thing to
do, it's the only thing to do.

There have been
allusions tonight

to the revolutions in Concord.

And those are not out of place,
and I know maybe some of us

may have heard that tonight
and thought, "Oh, this

isn't as big as the
American Revolution",

or "This isn't the
Literary Revolution."

But you know what?

We're in the midst of an
environmental crisis right now,

and here is a chance to
do something about it

right here in Concord.

Thank you.

- Thank you, Mr. Goodman.

And again, please keep your
reactions between your ears.

Microphone number two.

- We have a chance here in
Concord to send a message that

if our legislatures
cannot get the job done,

we can act locally.

We can show the way, set the
example, shame the legislators,

maybe provoke them to act.

- Thank you very much.

- In my 11 seconds left...

- Well we've got so
many people waiting,

and you had such a
powerful wind up.

(LAUGHTER)

If we could go to the
cafeteria, please.

- These corporations
are drilling

for water that otherwise
would be flowing for free.

They're spending a lot of
money to tell us how to vote.

Let's not do it their way.

- The spirit of April 19th
lives on in this town,

the spirit of creating a
new, more rational and more

just world.

Democracy is not just
about consumer freedom,

it's about responsible
self-governance.

(BELL RINGS)

Perfect!

(LAUGHTER)

- I am a senior at
the high school and...

- I...

just to clarify, Mr. Beezey,
are you a registered voter?

- I am a registered voter, yes.

- Excellent, thank you.

- And I'd like to
remind you guys

that you guys will not
see the repercussions

of these carcinogens coming
through our children.

They will be through my children
and my generation's children.

And so I'd just like you
to hand down Concord to us

in a safe, better
organized town.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you.

- We are in the midst of a
major global water shortage.

The industry is gaining
control of water resources

at an unprecedented rate.

This article is revolutionary.

But Concord, we have
revolution in our genes.

- To be clear -- if you are in
favor of the citizen petition,

please rise and hold the
ballots up if you would, please.

Thank you.

And all who are opposed, please
rise and hold your ballots

high.

- I don't think I can
stand it if we lose.

We won't lose.

- It could happen.

- What do you think?

- I think there are a
lot of young parents,

young 30-somethings that showed
up here who don't want anybody

telling them what
they can't buy.

And that they
don't care, really,

about what they're
leaving their kids.

They care about...

- Convenience.

- They want to choose
what's on the shelf.

- Yeah, yeah.

They feel privileged.

- Yeah.

I've lost all my fingernails...

except for that one.

It's just that it's
been a bad week.

- Really?

(LAUGHTER)

You've done
everything you could.

I've done everything I could.

- Yeah.

- If it loses, at least
we fought a good fight.

- Yup.

- And I'll be back next
year, if it does lose.

- Well I won't be
with you, dear.

I've got to something
different next year.

- I know.

- Let's win this year, OK?

- Yeah, I think...

I think that would
be the best solution.

(BELL RINGING)

- Could I have your
attention please?

In a vote by the moderators
in each of the three rooms,

and in some case with two
separate counters where

the counters reach the exact
same number, Article 32 --

403 Yes', 364 No's -- passes
by a margin of 39 votes.

- Yeah!

(APPLAUSE)

- Oh, thank God.

Oh, Jill...

- All right.

Good job, dear.

- Well, listen, I
couldn't have...

I wouldn't be here without you.

You know that.

- Well, I wouldn't be
here without you, honey.

This is a mutual admiration.

You're the lefty,
I'm the righty.

You're the creative idea girl...

- You got the ball rolling...

- ...I'm the practical,
get-it-done girl.

- She's the one...

- We're a perfect match.

- I know, we're a team.

- You got the ball rolling, and
she grabbed it and ran with it.

- Yeah, that's right.

- Oh my gosh, it's a good
thing I had some free time.

(LAUGHTER)

- Well, what are
you going to do?

Go to Italy with your boyfriend.

- Oh, all right.

Well, I've got to
play golf tomorrow.

And then I've got
to bike on Friday.

So those are my
next appointments.

- Well, I think you don't
get enough exercise.

- Yeah, you think?

I haven't recently.

- Well...

- All right, let's go.

- Well, I have to
get disconnected.

- Oh, OK.

- So I'm supposed to...

Cut!

- ...Concord Town Meeting, they
voted now to ban plastic water

bottles.

Are you kidding me?

Nope.

Took them three years, but
apparently they have convinced

everybody, yes, this is
the scourge of the Earth

and it'll be banned -- at least
until somebody a little higher

up than the Concord Town
Meetings members says "No,

that's absolutely crazy."

Andrea Cohen has been involved
in this since day one.

Andrea, good morning.

- Hi, Jeff, how are you?

- I'm doing well, and yourself?

- I'm doing great.

Yeah, actually not doing
great because I'm bummed out

that this ridiculous,
overreaching bottled water ban

took place in
Concord last night.

- "On September
5th, 2012, Concord

became the first
community in the nation

to approve a ban on
plastic bottles."

We made it to Wikipedia.

(MUSIC PLAYING)