NEW YORK — ABC’s “World News” recently featured a report that looked at the environmental costs of bottled water.

The report, available online in print and video, is part of the program’s “Going Green” series.

ABC News said it “crunched the numbers,” taking into account mileage and fuel requirements, and found that a 1-liter (1-quart) bottle of water imported from France to Chicago consumes about 2 ounces of oil, not including the oil used to make the plastic.

“In addition, the entire process — bottling, packaging and shipping — creates pollution and greenhouse gases,” the report said.

The report included interviews with Chez Panisse General Manager Michael Kossa-Rienzi on that San Francisco-based restaurant’s decision to serve only filtered tap water; Sierra Club’s Ruth Caplan on how many plastic water bottles end up in landfills (four out of five); and Allen Hershkowitz at the Natural Resources Defense Council on “the irony” of bottled water labels.

Stephen Kay, vice president of communications for the Alexandria, VA-based International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), responded to the others’ comments, noting that the bottled water industry has been a good steward of the environment by actively promoting recycling and introducing biodegradable bottles.

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