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…)

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]

Ban the Bottle congratulates the Concordia University administration for taking this important step towards a more sustainable and just campus. A special applause goes to the students who organized the successful TAPthirst campaign that was instrumental in this incredible outcome.

By phasing out the sale of bottled water from vending machines on the Loyola and Sir George Williams campuses and by committing to upgrade drinking fountains to accommodate reusable drink containers, Concordia University is making a serious commitment to responsible environmental practices.

Concordia is the 13th Canadian university, and 4th so far this year, to take this significant action to curb the sale of bottled water in campus buildings. Bottled water free campuses are important for fostering support and confidence in publicly delivered tap water. If young people develop the habit of refilling water bottles for free instead of paying inflated prices for privatized bottled water, Canada’s important public water systems will benefit.

Concordia University’s announcement shows that the campaign to curb the sale of bottled water in Canada’s institutions of higher learning is gaining momentum in the face of unprecedented pressure from the bottled water industry to block and overturn these initiatives.

Congratulations and cheers to the tap!

Source Polaris Institute

Today, people across the United States and Canada are choosing to give up bottled water and drink tap water when available. People are taking a stand in support of public water and against the privatization of our water resources. It is time to unite and ban bottled water.

Join the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Sierra Youth Coalition, Development & Peace, the Polaris Institute, and Ban the Bottle in the countdown to Canada�s second Bottled Water Free Day! On March 10 2011, communities across Canada and the world will be mobilizing to take action to ban the bottle and reclaim public water.

History of the Event

Bottled Water Free Day originated in Canada and was organized in March 2010 by the Canadian Federation of Students, Sierra Youth Coalition and the Polaris Institute, as a response to a growing movement of back-to-the-tap practitioners across Canada.

The first ever Bottled Water Free Day was a huge success drawing thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to participate in events that highlighted the negative impacts of bottled water. In the end more than 60 universities and campuses organized events, there were over 60 media stories covering the day, and nearly 4000 Canadians signed a personal pledge to not drink bottled water.

The movement continues to gain momentum as countries around the world are joining organizers in Canada for Bottled Water Free Day in the fight to end the corporate control of water!

What You Can Do

Whether you can contribute 5 minutes or a lifetime in the fight against the privatisation of our public water resources, there are tools for you to take action. Take a look through the website to find out about the issues and get the tools you need to take action.

Talk about it!

Talk to your friends, parent, community members, and classmates about the problems associated with bottled water. In order to win this fight we need to get people talking and build support for our cause. It’s as easy as turning to the person next to you in a class and asking them if they know about the environmental impact of bottled water. So learn the facts and get out there!

The government in Nova Scotia is taking serious steps help curb the sale of bottled water by committing to ban the sale of bottled water in provincial facilities.

The Polaris Institute notes:

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter used the annual convention of CUPE Nova Scotia to announce his government is committed to a ban on the sale of bottled water in all provincial facilities that have potable water.

Dexter told convention delegates he has asked the Department of the Environment to develop a policy that commits his government to this new practice.

The premier also said he expects to announce the details of pilot projects in the very near future.
Reacting to the announcement, CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says, “This makes Nova Scotia the very first province in the country to commit to ending this environmentally unfriendly practice. It also tells Nova Scotians that this government is committed to promoting safe, clean, municipal drinking water.

“These are services that are provided by CUPE municipal workers across the province and something we are very proud of,” says Cavanagh.

“We are also proud to be part of the ‘Turn on the Taps and Ditch the Bottle’ Coalition that has been working to raise awareness on the issue of bottled water in Nova Scotia,” he says.

Across Canada municipalities and school boards, universities and colleges, faith-based organizations and restaurants are standing up for public water by taking out the bottle.

On September 1, 2010 the University of Ottawa, in collaboration with the Student Federation (SFUO), will be the first University in Ontario to put a complete and immediate stop to the sale of bottled water on its campuses. This is only one of many sustainable development initiatives undertaken by the university in recent years.

Students, faculty, staff and other members of the uOttawa community are encouraged to find other ways of quenching their thirst for water throughout the day, such as filling up cups, glasses and re-usable bottles at the nearest fountain or tap on campus.

Since 2008, the University of Ottawa has invested over $100,000 to revitalize its water fountains and an additional $75,000 will be invested next year.

The improvements include gooseneck fountains for quick and easy filling of re-usable bottles, new fountains near food service outlets, upgrades to existing fountains, wheelchair accessibility, stronger pressure and better refrigeration.

�Our green initiatives have had an impact on our students and community in two important ways. First, our initiatives have resulted in a cleaner environment for our community. Equally important, we’ve taken the $31 million in energy cost savings and invested the amount directly in education, support services and research � things that matter to our students, our faculty and our community,� stated Allan Rock, president of the University of Ottawa.

[via Inside the Bottle]

Hamilton, Ontario, a city with nearly 700,000 residents in Canada is considering banning the bottle. Well not quite. But the city is at least trying to start campaigns aimed at curbing bottled water sales.

The strategy is aimed at encouraging Hamiltonians to tap into the city water supply as much as possible while reducing reliance on bottled water.

Bottled water is big business in Canada. Sales of bottles of water less than 18 litres in size have soared to $430 million in 2006, up from $280 million in 2002.

But to address environmental concerns over waste and the loss of confidence in municipal tap water, some 39 Ontario municipalities have posted restrictions on bottled water in municipal facilities.

As well, in cities such as Toronto and London, Ont., where bottled water is banned from municipal premises companies have found a way around the prohibition by selling flavoured water products instead.

Read the full article here: http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/751866