Group Seeks to Reduce Plastic Water Bottle Use

By: Elizabeth Anderson

Posted: 2/19/08

The Trinity College community consumes many plastic water bottles every day. Most of this plastic is never recycled and inevitably ends up in the trash. In response, Trinity students have started a campaign to completely phase out water bottles on campus.

Maggie Thomas '10 came up with the campaign as a component of her current ConnPIRG internship. She has been circling a petition that reads, "I support Trinity College's effort to help decrease our carbon footprint by providing every member of the Trinity College community with reusable aluminum bottles to replace bottled water in the Cave and the Bistro. This effort will also fight the privatization of public water." It encourages students to reduce their water bottle consumption and also promises a free, reusable aluminum water bottle to all signers.

This is not to say that students will be forced to buy their water elsewhere, but rather encouraged to acquire it in a more eco-friendly manner. Thomas and other interested students have been petitioning students through "tabling" and "dormstorms" to join their cause.

Some students have been reluctant to sign the petition and are wary of the complete eradication of bottled water on campus. Some students are skeptical because of the convenience of bottled water as well as the wide-spread belief that it is safer. However, this does not appear to pose a problem for the plans to move forward because enough students and faculty are in support of the project. It appears that the transition will be smooth and the reusable bottles will be effectively incorporated. If successful, the project, entitled BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle), will not only reduce the amount of waste on campus, but also serve to improve the health of students. Additionally, it will attempt to stop huge companies from buying public water, bottling it, and making profit on a public good.

The plastic used for bottling water such as Aquafina is actually proven to be harmful to health. The composition is such that carcinogenic chemicals can leach into the water. What's more, it is actually a fallacy that bottled water is purer, and thus safer than tap water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests tap water at least once every day, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is only required to test bottled water supplies on a weekly basis, and is never forced to share their findings with the general public or the EPA.

Additionally, over 40 percent of bottled water is actually tap water that has been filtered or otherwise treated. In a blind taste test conducted by BYOB outside Mather during dinner one evening, most students reported no notable difference in the quality of the Hartford tap water and the Aquafina bottled water.

The campaign hopes to work with Chartwells and begin the process of phasing out bottles. Chartwells will hopefully alter its contract with Pepsi, the company that manufactures and distributes Aquafina, so that as time goes by, fewer bottles are purchased for re-sale in the Cave, Bistro, and vending machines. This means that the presence of bottles in the refrigerated cases will slowly diminish so that, eventually, there will be none available for purchase. The switch will come as a small financial cut to Chartwells. However, the campaign hopes that they will understand that the environmental impact of bottled water outweighs the profits generated from the product.

In facilitating this project, BYOB is working out the details so that students still have easy access to water. Students are permitted to refill their bottles with water from any of the soda fountains, provided the bottle is clean. Further, the water that comes with the $5.75 meal combination will most likely be supplemented by an additional bag of chips or piece of fruit. The $3,000 granted by the Student Government Association (SGA) and Trinity College Athletic Council to BYOB will go towards the purchasing of reusable bottles. The first 500 students that signed the petition earlier this semester will receive a bottle in their mailbox, and the remaining bottles will be distributed by other means.

Members of the campaign hope that this project will be a positive step for Trinity. The school has been charged by many as taking inadequate actions towards sustainability and falls behind many other comparable institutions, such as Wesleyan University, in this field. BYOB reports that both the administration and Chartwells have been extremely cooperative, and the organization is very appreciative. For more information on getting involved, contact Thomas at frances.thomas@trincoll.edu.