The soda water fountain in Paris
How would you like your water fountain — still or sparkling?
The city of Perth in Western Australia has approved a three-month trial of the country’s first sparkling water fountain that adds a bit of fizz for its users, reported The Australian.
Citizens can pay for the sparkling water with a smart card, the newspaper reports. The high-tech fountain, manufactured by the ProAcqua Group, also displays advertisements via an LED screen and uses solar power to chill the water.
(MORE: Sparkling Water on Tap: Even French Water Fountains Are Classy)
Such drinking fountains are already popular in Europe. A small town south of Milan installed sparkling water fountains — case dell’acqua, or “houses of water,” in 2009. France,the world’s eighth largest consumer of bottled water, introduced the first sparkling water fountain in Paris in 2010 in an attempt to wean its citizens off the landfill-clogging bottles. According to the Guardian, Parisians greeted the fountain, La Pétillante — “she who sparkles” — with enthusiasm.
Perth mayor Lisa Scaffidi told The Australian that she hoped the high-end water fountain would help reduce the amount of water bottles used in Perth as well and bring a “small revenue stream” over time.
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