PLU is Bottled Water Free
February 22, 2011 Student Resolution 6 was passed by ASPLU effectively banning sales of bottled water on campus. Dining & Culinary Services complied with this and you will not find bottled water for sale in Old Main Market or any of our campus restaurants.
Take Back the Tap is a great campaign on campus and they sponsored the installation of water bottle filling spigots on drinking fountains throughout campus. They encourage students to purchase reusable water bottles and mugs for use on campus. All of the PLU community and visitors are encouraged to use refillable water bottles on campus.
Some Bottled Water Facts:
- It takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water (Pacific Institute). In the midst of a global water crisis in which 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, how can this irresponsible and ineffective use of a natural resource be justified?
- The truth is that tap water generally is just as safe, clean, and healthful as bottled water, and in many cases more so. In fact, up to 40% of bottled water is tap water! The federal government requires far more rigorous and frequent safety testing and monitoring of municipal drinking water (Food and Water Watch).
- As bottled water sales steadily increased in the last 10 years, the federal funding for water infrastructure systematically declined, contributing to poorly funded water systems that can further compromise public confidence in drinking water.
- The manufacture of bottles, water extraction, and distribution amounted to up to 2,000 times the energy cost of producing tap water (Pacific Institute). Where does this energy come from?
- The production of bottled water results in 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year that pollute the air, damaging the ozone layer and contributing to global climate change (Pacific Institute).
- After bottled water is consumed, 80% are not recycled, meaning that billions of plastic bottles are thrown away and end up in landfills each year, where they will never break down (The Story of Bottled Water). Where is away?