23 Comments
One of the amazing things about water bottles are the limited expenses that come along with owning one. Some might actually call this the basis of the water bottle’s appeal: It’s a one-time expenditure, and after you buy one for $5, you never have to pay for water again, as water fountains are conveniently free.
On that note, we ask you to direct a critical eye towards Barnard. In efforts to discourage students from buying bottled water, BC is going to be offering students the chance to refill their plastic water bottles for 50 cents-per-fill with Poland Spring water, effectively capturing about half of the cost and none of the freshness of bottled water.
This filling station trial run will last until the 15th and might culminate with the ousting of bottled water from Java City altogether. The College has already started polling–though only 28 people have participated–the BC student body on the initiative.
The choice between harming the environment and paying for what’s essentially tap water has never been so murky.
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23 Comments
@jac http://yirmiyahu.blogspot.com/2008/03/client-9.html
@ugh I really fucking hate Barnard
@ugh.... And what about this post reinforces your hatred?
@AGREED TAP WATER GOT ON MY COMPUTER AND NOW MY CAPS LOCK KEY IS BROKEN
@Bubbles I wanted to write on behalf of SGA. We agree that the best scenerio for Barnard is one where there is absolutely no water sold on campus. However, we see that to make change on campus things have to happen in baby steps. We are working with Aramark to eventually reach a state where there is no bottled water. However, there are many hurdles to jump until we get there. For instance, there is resistance from food services as bottled water is there number one seller at Java City. Thus, the $.50 refill station serves as a compromise for now. Please understand that this is a two week trial period at the end of which positive response will bring us closer to elminating all bottled water sales on campus.
@FUCK YOU ALL I LIKE MY GODDAM BOTTLED WATER
AND NYC WATER TASTES LIKE NASTY, NASTY CHLORINE
@Daniel Also isn’t tap water more rigorously tested and regulated than bottled water. The EPA regulates tap water and requires that it be tested multiple times per day. The FDA regulates bottled water and only requires that it be tested weekly (see http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/facts/take-back-the-tap)
I applaud the commitment to reducing our ecological footprint, but I think this might miss the mark. I’m not sure I see any problem with a complete abandonment of bottled water sales in campus eateries. After all, it’s not as if bottled water won’t still be available on Broadway and Amsterdam. It’ll just make it a bit less convenient to buy (which seems like a good thing).
@fucking white people http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/76-bottles-of-water/
@... Isn’t the real reason for buying bottled water the convenience? Even environmentalists forget their water bottle every so often and need to buy one.
@... wait, i’m really confused… why are we paying 50 cents for water you can get from a drinking fountain? shouldn’t it be free? is it easier to fill your water bottle at one of their stations? i mean, let’s not pretend that there’s a diffrence between poland spring and tap water.
@Well, Poland Spring usually does have that wonderful plastic taste, but I suppose that’s lost in this case. So, yes, there is no difference.
@... Also, constantly reusing plastic bottles is bad for you, as the plastic deteriorates
@meh Drink tap water!!! NYC water is very good, cheap, and doesn’t waste a butt-load of plastic. However, please clean out your water bottle occasionally as it is a great breeding ground for bacteria.
@invisible_hand there is a whole ‘nother problem here: the fact that the water of northern maine, which is a public resource, is being bottled and sold by a private corporation.
all this when nyc’s tap water is some of the best in thee world!
@agreed I’m not certain I’m remembering this correctly, but I think they were doing the same thing in Michigan.
@yup Aquafina water comes straight from the Detroit River.
Aquafina: taste the bodies.
@its so true. i’m from detroit and aquafina is terrrrible. its like the fumes, exhaust, and dead bodies all bottled up for your drinking pleasure.
@huh? i don’t understand. rephrase please!
@no. i ask you to direct a critical eye toward your writing.
@yuck you try to hard Learn to write!
@aaaaa i read this post twice and could not understand what angle the author was coming from. really bad sarcasm on this one or what? either way, i think this is a great idea, bottled water is a ridiculous way to destroy the environment and poland springs (probably) isn’t tap water. but seriously, can someone figure this shit out? really convoluted post.
@XJE This is a nice gesture by Barnard, but it seems ineffectual. My guess here is that the sales people at Poland Spring pitched this as a great enviro-friendly solution and someone at Barnard Dining went for it.
Yes, the manufacture of disposable bottles wastes energy and materials and contributes to the waste stream. It’s a good idea to try to make and therefore use less of them.
The real problem with bottled water is that it is a complete waste of energy to transport it. Poland Spring is tap water from Maine. Whether it comes in a 40 little bottles or one 5 gallon bottle, it weighs the same (minus, admittedly, the weight of the extra containers) and travels the same distance on the back of a truck.
As other commenters have pointed out, NYC has some of the best tap water in the world, and the system is solar/gravity powered.
@Ron Why don’t they just put regular tap water “filling stations” (i.e., water fountains) everywhere? I guarantee this will cut down on water bottle purchases.