I am deeply concerned by some of the false and misleading arguments used in the staff editorial opinion on bottled water. The main purpose of the anti bottled water petition is to spread awareness of the issues associated with bottled water and collect pledges from students that say they will drink tap water as much as possible. EcoSense recognizes that we cannot force people to stop to buying bottled water, and we are not trying to do that. To my knowledge, no organization on campus is trying to stop the sale of bottled water in the Eagles’ Nest or Box Lunch etc. What EcoSense is doing is trying to encourage people to drink safe, healthy, clean tap water.
Bottled water is such a huge problem not just because of the bottle. Water is a basic human need. Bottling water can deprive local communities of their basic right to water. Unlike Coke or Gatorade, humans cannot live without water. We currently have water filtered and delivered directly to our kitchen for minimal environmental and monetary costs. Water on AU’s campus has been filtered at the tap, and it meets EPA standards. Also, by using bottled water we are costing the city money on recycling and trash disposal, while taking away money from maintaining water infrastructure.
I, along with EcoSense, have been working with the university to promote using filtered tap water instead of bottled water in university offices. These are locations where your tuition dollars are being spent needlessly on bottled water. Using water filters is currently saving AU money and providing water that is cleaner and better tasting than bottled water and tap water. In a capitalist economy, it makes sense to use the lowest-costing and highest-quality option.
Jennifer Jones 2012, College of Arts and Sciences
