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.