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 College of St. Benedict used to like bottled water enough to affix its logo to the plastic and hand it out at alumni events. Macalester College did the same.

But bottled water isn’t welcome anymore.

This fall, the Minnesota schools are joining a national movement to ban disposable Dasani and its ilk from campus cafeterias and admissions offices. St. Ben’s recently became the first school in the state — and the ninth in the nation — to ban the sale and purchase of plain bottled water on campus. Macalester will start a similar policy Sept. 1.

No bottled water sold at soccer games or in vending machines. No bottled water given out at staff picnics or on campus tours.

These campus bans are part of a broader eco-unease with the $11-billion U.S. bottled water industry. Dozens of cities, including San Francisco and New York, have banned bottles of water from being bought with city money. Others have considered banning it from being sold within city limits.

Today’s college students believe that the water is costly and wasteful. As Macalester senior Clare Pillsbury put it: “We don’t buy bottled water.”

For the College of St. Benedict, the decision was based as much on Catholic Benedictine values as environmental concerns.

“Most people jump right to the environment,” said Judy Purman, director of sustainability. “More importantly, though, I think (more…)

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

The Ban the Bottle Movement is spreading – this time to the Ivy League.

Cornell University last week passed a resolution to phase out bottled water sales on campus. Cornell joins fellow Ivy Leaguers’ Dartmouth, Brown, and Harvard in passing resolutions to ban some bottled water sales on campus.

Resolution 35 was presented by Take Back the Tap — a campus group devoted to the issue — with support from other student organizations and administrators such as Kyu Whang and Kent Hubbell ’67.

Although several Student Assembly (S.A.) members voiced concerns about logistics, most agreed with Resolution 35’s sentiment and said they admired the current progress.

Some S.A. members expressed fear that the University may charge students to make up for lost revenue from bottled water sales and the costs of structural changes to tap water systems.

Kristen Loria ’11, a member of Take Back the Tap, said that even if the cost per student was as high as $65, buying bottled water would still cost more over time. (more…)

Sam Schleich wants to show students drinking water doesn’t need to come in little plastic bottles.

The Illinois senior is president of Take Back the Tap, a new registered student organization started at Central Michigan University after an internship she had with Food and Water Watch in Chicago. Schleich wanted to stay involved in the company’s efforts to providing safe and affordable water for everyone.

With two Nestle nearby, both of which distribute bottled water, Central Michigan University was the perfect place to begin, she said.

“It is important to bring the fight to where it’s happening, and college campuses are where change begins,” Schleich said.

The ultimate goal of the organization, which is part of a nationwide movement, is to eliminate the sale of bottled water at CMU. Schleich said they are not only harmful to the environment and people’s health, but they also take away sources of water from those who need it.

“If anything, we want to educate CMU students of the benefits of tap water and the risks behind bottled water,” Scleich said. “There is no good reason to have bottled water on campus.”

Krista Testolin, an Iron Mountain freshman, is a member of Take Back and feels passionately about helping the environment. She said water bottle production lacks regulation, which leads to issues in health and various ecosystems.

“We want to raise awareness and get the word out there about our cause,” Testolin said. “It may seem like a small step in the grand scheme of things, but eliminating water bottles would make a huge impact.”

Some students across campus are beginning to support the idea out of economic as well as ecological concerns.

Dustin Goncharoff said it takes relatively little effort to help the cause. The Dearborn junior uses a CamelBak, a refillable backpack with attached straw used to store drinking water.

“The water we get from the tap is reasonably good, and there is no need to waste money and effort on bottled water,” Goncharoff said.

Erika Schrand, a sophomore from Avoca, said she was enthused by the organizations’s efforts.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Schrand said. “Water bottles are so unnecessary and they usually end up in the garbage anyway.”

via [cm-life.com]

Students, staff and faculty at the University of Ottawa will no longer be able to buy a bottle of water to quench their thirst.

Starting today, the university has stopped the sale of bottled water on campus.

The university is encouraging members of its community to find other ways to quench their thirst for water, including filling up glasses and re-usable bottles at the nearest fountain or tap on campus.

The University of Ottawa has invested over $100-thousand to revitalize its water fountains, and will spend an additional $75-thousand next year.

The U of O is the first campus in Ontario to ban the sale of bottled-water.

Way to go U of O!

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]