Single-use plastic water bottles are a thing of the past in vending machines and the cafeteria at Vanier College.

Vanier College, an English-language public college located in Montreal, Quebec, has a student population of over 6,000 students.

To celebrate, the college is holding its first-ever Water Week celebration on campus this week.

“The timing was right,” Richard Dugas, the college’s sustainability officer, said of the disposable water-bottle ban the college adopted in late December.

An information booth set up this week in the Student Mall offers students information aimed at raising awareness about the links between global sustainability and water, as well as zero in on the problem of plastics. Students can also take part in a water taste test.

“Water bottle exist because of a manufactured need,” Dugas said. “…our municipal water (more…)

Could New York be finally joining the green urban ranks of eco-impressive cities like San Francisco and Chicago?

Just last week, Governor Paterson, inspired by Illinois’ identical move, announced plans to phase out the purchase of pesky plastic bottled water—and their larger water cooler counterparts—from state-owned agencies over the next six months.

His reasoning was this:

Taxpayers have spent billions of dollars to ensure that we have clean drinking water supplies. If we are going to make such significant investments, we should reap the benefits and use that water. Our efforts will serve as an example for local governments, businesses and residents to follow. (more…)

Grand Canyon National Park recently announced it will shelve its proposed plans to eliminate the sale and use of bottled water at its park stores. Recent news reveals the park’s director was fearful of consequences related to the ban and its largest beverage vendor, Coca-Cola.

Plastics News has the low-down in a recent article:

A just-released email says the director of the National Park Service feared there would be “consequences” from Coca-Cola Co. if NPS went ahead with a proposed ban on the sale of single-use plastic water bottles at the Grand Canyon.

“While I applaud the intent, there are going to be consequences, since Coke is a major sponsor of our recycling efforts,” NPS director Jon Jarvis wrote in a Nov. 22, 2010 email to the regional director of the Intermountain Region of the NPS. “Let’s talk about this before [the Grand Canyon] pulls the plug.”

Three days earlier, Neil Mulholland, the National Park Foundation’s president and CEO, had sent an email to Jarvis saying he had been receiving “strong negative feedback from the beverage industry” regarding the potential ban.

But a Coke spokeswoman said the company never suggested it would reduce or withdraw its support to NPF if the bottled water ban, which was originally scheduled to go into effect this past Jan. 1, became a reality.

“Absolutely not,” said Susan Stribling, director of communications for Coca-Cola Co. North America, which sells bottled water under the Dasani brand.

The NPS emails were released Dec. 2 by Public Employees for (more…)

Join Treehugger at 3p EST today and learn more about our obsessions with bottled water during a unique discussion with author and activist Peter Gleick. Click here to join the discussion.

BookHugger presents Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water by Peter Gleick. Readers can order a discounted copy today and join in a discussion with distinguished urban scholar Peter Gleick on November 17, 2011 at 3pm Eastern.

TreeHugger’s Water Correspondent, Jaymi Heimbuch, has already reviewed Bottled and Sold. Whether you’ve read the book, the review, or just have an opinion on bottled water, Thursday’s live chat will give you the opportunity to ask questions and take part in a discussion on the issue.

And don’t forget, Bottled and Sold is available at a 30% discount to TreeHugger readers. Simply visit Island Press via this link and use the coupon code 2HUG.

This conversation is part of a series of live chats with authors, all part of our BookHugger Book Club. We’ll announce the next book in our series soon, so you can have time to read it before our next chat.

Join the Discussion Now »

University of Toronto students, hot on the heels of the country’s largest university banning the sale of bottled water, recently showed increasing concern for convenient, healthy ways to stay hydrated on campus.

We’ve shown you a variety of ways other colleges and universities have increased accessibility to clean drinking water through the installation of hydration stations or even a drinking water fountain renaissance.

Officially carried out this fall, the ban ensures that water is no longer sold at campus cafés, libraries, and other U of T buildings.

Danai Macridi / Tufts Daily

However, many students are responding negatively to the ban. They argue that there was no adequate transition period that enabled them to adjust to an absence of bottled water on campus.

Some students criticized U of T for not installing enough water fountains and water refilling stations to accommodate the lack of bottled water.

Third-year student Supriya Joshi spoke against the inefficiency of the university’s decision. “You have to ensure the necessary accommodations before you get rid of water. It’s like writing an essay before you do the research,” she said.

“I feel that it’s a decision that was made as a feel-good project because it has made no difference. There’s not less plastic, there’s just less water,” she continued.

Joshi described the inconvenience of travelling to off-campus locations for bottled water and resorting to bottled juices from the university’s vending machines when thirsty.

Coincidentally, she wasn’t alone in her disapproval of the (more…)

The University of Toronto, Canada’s largest university, recently announced efforts to stop the sale of bottled water on campus.

As the academic year begins, bottled water will no longer be available at the majority of locations on the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. Over a three-year period, sales of bottled water at U of T Mississauga and U of T Scarborough will also be phased out.

The University of Toronto joins over a dozen other campuses that have pledged to go bottled water-free. The ban comes after a campaign spearheaded by students at the University who have been raising awareness on campus of the environmental and social impact of the commodification of water.

“Bottled water turns a basic human right into a commodity,” says U of T master’s degree student Leanne Rasmussen, who helped initiate the ban as a member of the Public Water Initiative group. “It is critical that people understand the threat of private control on universal access to clean, safe drinking water.”

Clara Ho, VP University Affairs for the University of Toronto Students’ Union, said the ban represents a historic moment for the University community.

“Students are excited to see the commitment of the administration to make clean drinking water more accessible across the University,” says Ho. “From the success of the bottled water-free campaign, we see that students working together can achieve a positive change for environmental justice.”

This fall on the St. George campus, food service outlets and vending machines will stop offering bottled water. Members of the community will now have access to new fountains and water-refill stations. To raise awareness of the bottled water ban, there will be an “OnTap” event on campus on September 15th in the Willcocks Commons, featuring water games, a scavenger hunt and water experts.

“The move away from bottled water sales illustrates the university’s commitment to sustainability as well as the power of student engagement,” says Anne Macdonald, Director of Ancillary Services at U of T, whose team helped to facilitate the changes. “This ban shows just how important our students are in driving positive change.”

[via U of T News]

The California attorney general’s office on Wednesday sued three companies over allegations they misled consumers by marketing plastic water bottles as biodegradable.

The lawsuit – said to be the first government action to enforce the state’s environmental marketing law – accuses ENSO Plastics of Mesa, Ariz., of falsely claiming their bottles would biodegrade in less than five years, leaving behind no harmful materials.

It is illegal in California to label a plastic food or drink container as biodegradable when such materials can take thousands of years to break down, if at all.

“Californians are committed to recycling and protecting the environment, but these efforts are (more…)

Maryland’s state government recently announced plans to move away from bottled water, saving the Old Line State over $200,000 a year for tax payers, in addition to encouraging sustainability at government facilities.

The O’Malley administration has decided to stop buying bottled water for state facilities where tap water is available, saying it’s striking a blow for frugality and the environment at the same time.

The state’s “Green Purchasing Committee,” formed last year to steer the government toward buying more healthful and environmentally friendly goods and services, voted Thursday to phase out the use of bottled water in state offices and other facilities, officials said.

The move was hailed by environmentalists, who said Maryland’s was the sixth state government to “kick the bottle,” as they put it, joining Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Colorado and Illinois.

“During these tough economic times our government should be spending scarce public dollars on projects that provide vital public services and grow the economy at large, not just the coffers for a handful of private corporations,” Kristin Urquiza of Corporate Accountability International, said in a statement announcing Maryland’s action.

The Boston-based group has been campaigning for years to wean people from bottled water, arguing that buying the essential liquid in non-reusable plastic containers is wasteful and undermines public support for maintaining municipal drinking-water systems. In doing so, activists have squared off against corporate water purveyors like Nestle, which sells the clear stuff in a variety of familiar labels, including Perrier and Deer Park. (more…)