Should universities ban bottled water?
This
question has been debated among students, faculty and staff members in
nearly 60 colleges and universities for several years now, and a
conclusive answer is still out of reach. As more and more
schools
increase their efforts to "go green," the issue of bottled water vs.
tap water gets more heated. The intention behind the effort
is,
unarguably, noble, as most people want to do their part to help the
environment. The debate lies in whether or not an all-out ban
is
the answer to the issue of plastic bottled water waste on
campus.
Some argue that the choice should be left up to the
students. With the forbidden fruit principle in mind, some
schools have opted to supply alternatives rather than issue an all-out
ban, with the hope that respecting students' right to choose will
encourage them to choose the healthier, free water option.
Others
argue that banning bottled water is the only way to really make the
desired difference happen.
In a response to
his school newspaper
on the bottled water debate, DePauw University student, Tyler Hess
claims:
"A
campus boycott just isn't practical and wouldn't solve the problem; a
campus ban would. I know students who still drink bottled water daily,
have signed on to the ban, and will be fine not drinking it once it's
actually gone. It's just about continuing our student driven,
economically feasible, factually proven, and environmentally
sustainable movement without being clouded by misinformed journalism."
Many
arguments exist on both sides of the debate. Here is a list
of
five reasons for and five reasons against banning bottled water on
college and university campuses. Consider it an unbiased
effort
to reverse the trend of "misinformed journalism," and hopefully leave
readers with enough information to make the best decision for
themselves.
Why your School should Ban Bottled Water
Protect the Environment
Environmentalists
across the nation consider this one of the most important reasons for
banning bottled water. Colleges and universities that work hard to
promote sustainable efforts present students, faculty and staff members
with countless facts about bottled water, many of which are centered on
the issue of our environment (not to mention, the resource itself,
since two-thirds of the environment is made up of water).
Simply
put, bottled water is bad for the
environment.
According to several sources, only about 20 percent of plastic water
bottles are actually recycled; the rest end up in landfills, where they
take 1,000 years to biodegrade and release toxic fumes if
incinerated. Billions of plastic water bottles are
contributing to
mountains of garbage while space for this waste begins to run
out. In addition, large amounts of other resources, like
energy,
oil and even water are depleted in the bottle manufacturing process and
transporting these bottles long distances burns enormous amounts of
fossil fuels.
Perhaps one of the most disturbing statistics comes from the Evergreen State
College Sustainability
Website:
"The
Pacific Gire, a naturally occurring giant whirlpool in the Pacific
Ocean currently hosts a Texas-sized island of trash in its
center. Water tests from the area indicate there are more
plastic
particles in the water than plankton by a factor of six!"
Reduce Campus Beverage Costs
If
environmental cost is number one, consumer cost falls next in
line. In a recent New York Times article,
The University of California is criticized for its outrageous bottled
water expenditure in spite of recent budget cuts. If the
University can't afford to pay its workers, how can it afford to spend
hundreds of thousands a year on bottled water, for its campuses in San
Francisco and Berkeley? Especially since these two cities boast "some
of the nation's highest-quality drinking water," according to the
article.
Bottled water costs more per ounce
than gasoline and thousands of times more than tap water.
Collectively, Americans spend tens of thousands of dollars on yearly
bottled water expenses, as bottled water companies spend billions on
advertising their brand as coming from natural sources and being
healthier than tap. Clearly, colleges and universities aren't
the
only populations affected. However, perhaps since these are
places that house so many influential young people, a school ban is one
of the most powerful places to start. Students already pay
thousands for tuition. Why should they pay more to sustain
the
bottled water industry through campus vending machines and retailers?
Bolster the University's Image
An
article
in the student newspaper at Washington University in St. Louis,
investigates the bottled water ban as a way to bolster the university's
image. Many colleges and universities are increasing their
efforts to "go green," with sustainability committees that implement
recycling and waste reduction programs. Campus buildings at
many
schools are Green LEED certified. Student environmental
groups
unashamedly voice their passion for protecting our planet.
With
all of these "green efforts" in place, a school's decision to ban
bottled water may come as no surprise. It paints the
university
in a positive light, attracting more students and boosting
enrollment.
Bolstering the university's image is a good
thing. However, as this article attests, it can't be the
number
one priority. Banning bottled water will have less of an
impact
if other environmental efforts are not implemented simultaneously, as
others might think image, and not environmental health, is the main
concern.
Bottled Water is No Better than Tap
Pictures
of mountain springs surrounded by lush vegetation on the bottles of
many water brands suggests that the source of bottled water is both
natural and less accessible, making it more appealing to
consumers. However, according to an article
in The Heights, a Boston College independent student newspaper, "the
EPA estimates that nearly 20 percent of all bottled water comes from
tap water." In fact, Coca Cola's Dasani, and Pepsi's Aquafina
are
both municipally sourced and filtered. Moreover, plastic
bottles
are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and often contain
bisphenol-A (BPA), both of which are toxic substances that have been
known to leech into the water.
Bottled water is also less regulated than tap. While
municipal sources are subject to strict EPA quality standards, bottled
water is regulated by the less-strict standards of the FDA from which
some brands are even exempt. According to the article in The
Heights:
"The FDA even allows for a small amount of
contamination from E. Coli and fecal coliform bacteria, which may
indicate the presence of fecal pollutants. Tap water, on the other
hand, must be confirmed to have none of these bacteria at all."
Tap
water quality standards are high right now, but if the bottled water
industry takes over, some fear this could change. The University of Ottawa
in Canada argues that, "the more that affluent Canadians rely on
bottled water, the less pressure governments will feel to protect
municipal sources. Those who are less well-off will have no choice but
to drink tap water of potentially diminishing quality."
Water is a Basic Human Right
Why
should we pay for something that's already free? This is the question
posed by students at Penn State University over a year ago in a
campaign against bottled water. If two-thirds of our natural
world is made up of water, then bottled water companies have no right
to convince us that we should pay for it. In an article
in The Daily Collegian, Education professor at Penn State, Madhu
Prakash, compares the purchase of bottled water to the purchase of an
oxygen tank, arguing that if we don't have to pay for the air we
breathe, we should not pay for anything else that we can access
naturally for free.
Those that fear water
contaminants in city supplies, no longer have an excuse on a school
campus where water fountains contain filters. Several schools
have implemented effective reverse osmosis filtration systems, allowing
students to fill reusable bottles at water fountains. Harvard
Law
School's Sustainability Website features a "Water
Map" locating 13 places on campus where students can obtain
filtered tap water.
Why your School should NOT Ban Bottled Water
People Will Turn to Less Healthy Alternatives
A
public ban against bottled water might eliminate one source of plastic
bottle waste, but there are still many other sources to think
about. An editorial
in DePauw University's college newspaper argues that, "an all out ban
on the product seems illogical, as there are numerous other products
sold in plastic bottles." Instead of drinking water, students
may
opt for other less healthy bottled alternatives like sugary soda or
juice, or even flavored water if it is not banned as well.
Moreover, dining halls on many campuses still use plastic and paper
cups, plates, and even Styrofoam, which are just as harmful.
Banning bottled water, as mentioned before, would bolster the
University's image in one area, but if other areas such as these are
ignored, then most people will see right through the
campaign.
Bottled Water is a Practical Emergency Water Supply
What
happens when a boil advisory is issued in your city? An article
in The Boston Globe illustrates the widespread frenzy that occurs when
a city's tap water supply becomes contaminated. In this
article,
it is clear that most residents turned to the bottle for comfort, as
store shelves in Boston ran dry. Although boiling water kills
microorganisms, bottled water is more convenient. Moreover,
when
natural disaster happens, bottled water is often the source for people
who are put out of their homes and don't have access to a boiling
mechanism.
The DePauw
addresses another, similar point. Water is a must-have on a
weekend camping trip, but one bottle is not enough, and there may not
be clean water sources in the wilderness for refilling. Many
people rely on bottles of water to get them through a weekend
expedition. This principle of practicality applies for
college
students that spend endless hours on campus and need a convenient water
option.
Bottled Water is Convenient
The
convenience of bottled water is, perhaps, the biggest reason college
students would not support a ban. If a student is sitting in
class and gets thirsty, rather than making ten trips to the water
fountain within a single hour, doesn't it make sense for him to just
buy a bottle of water?
Some argue that a bottled water ban will
not decrease bottled water waste on campus. In fact, in the
name
of convenience, a ban might actually have the opposite
effect. An
article
in the Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom states that, "even
with the changes, faculty, staff and students still will be allowed to
bring their own bottled water to campus." Many schools have
adopted this model, banning the sale of bottled water on campus, but
not banning its presence altogether. They are hoping that
students will choose to bring reusable containers, but without policing
them, there is no way to be sure. It is likely, according to
many
arguments, that students will seek bottled water off campus and bring
it to school with them, which uses more energy and still contributes to
waste. For this reason, some argue that a complete ban that
does
not allow any plastic bottled water on campus could be the most
effective measure.
Campus Tap Water Sources May Not Be Clean
Students
may fear unclean tap water sources. This is an issue,
particularly, at older schools with old pipes, or in cities that don't
rate high for clean water. Students face the risk of
contamination from lead and other heavy metals.
There is
also the highly debated issue of fluoride. Though scientists
claim that fluoride is good for dental health, ingesting too much can
lead to dental fluorosis and possibly even bone cancer. Some
people do not want their water fluoridated, and since many bottling
companies use high tech filtration systems that filter out the
fluoride, bottled water becomes a preference over tap, especially since
not all schools have implemented such high-level filtration systems.
Consumers Have a Right to Choose
As
mentioned earlier, water is a basic human right. However, so
is
the consumer's choice. Banning bottled water will reinforce
the
fact that water should be freely available, but at the same time, will
take away the consumer's freedom to choose.
In an article
in The Eagle Online, American University argues that:
"students, as members of an economically free society, should be able
to purchase
any product they so choose within the bounds of the law. It's not right
to restrict students' consumption choices in this way, especially when
there's nothing being said regarding the removal of less healthy
substitutes."
Some schools opt to provide alternatives without
issuing an all out ban. In 2009, A.S. Chico University
participated in a nationwide "Take Back the Tap" campaign and passed a
measure to install filtration systems in school fountains as well as
water bottle filling stations near school retail locations where
bottled water is normally sold, in order to give students the
option. Students could then choose to bring a reusable bottle
to
campus and refill it with filtered tap water. Giving students
this choice, rather than enforcing a ban, according to an article
in The Orion, the
school's independent newspaper, will
likely encourage them to take advantage of the free water available.
Additional Sources
F.A.Q. on Bottled Water"
Belmont Goes Greener - Belmont University Sustainability Website
Pacific Students Want
Water Bottles Banned
From Campus" - The Forest Grove News-Times paper
Students 'Take Back
the Tap'" -
Portland Tribune
University of
Winnipeg: Case Study of a
Campus Bottled Water Ban" - Inside the Bottle
WSU Campaigns to Ban
Bottled Water"
- Post Bulletin
Water Bottle Ban Won't
Break Habit"
- Baylor University Lariat
Kalamazoo College
Reduces Bottled Water on
Campus" - Kalamazoo College
University of Alaska
Anchorage Considers
Banning Bottled Water" - University
of Alaska Anchorage
St. Michael's Students
Launch 'Kick the
Bottle' Group" - The Echo, St. Michael's College
University of Vermont
Students Petition to
Ban Bottled Water" - University of Vermont
Oberlin Student Senate
Passes Bottled Water
Ban" - The Oberlin Review
The New School Bans
Bottled Water"
- The New School, Parsons
Cornell discusses
Bottled Water Ban"
- Cornell Sun
Colgate University's
Green Summit Includes
Bottled Water Ban" - Colgate University Newsletter, Spring
2010
Creighton Green Jays
Encourage Students Not
to Purchase Bottled Water" - Creighton University
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