Choosing tap water saves money and helps the environment
By Jackie Zimmermann, Staff Writer
January 23, 2008 | 11:15 a.m.
While walking from class to class, stopping at a vending machine to get a bottle of water doesn’t really seem like a bad idea when it’s convenient and easily disposable. However, according to Envirostats, 86 percent of plastic water bottles are not recycled, so the stop at the vending machine not only costs money but also severely affects the environment.
In an attempt to try to convince students to avoid purchasing water, the Green Network, an open coalition of students and student organizations that care about self-sustainability and the environment, spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon selling Sigg brand re-usable water bottles in Baker Center.
Sigg water bottles are good for the environment because they are not toxic to produce, Sustainability Coordinator Sonia Marcus said. The bottles are long-lasting, stylish and eco-friendly.
For those students who think they are on “team tap” by using their sporty and almost fashionable Nalgene bottles, think again.
“Nalgene bottles are really toxic to the environment to produce,” Marcus said. “They also go through a process called ‘leaching,’ which causes chemical substances to get into the water inside.”
Unlike the Nalgene bottles, Sigg bottles are entirely environmentally friendly and do not affect the liquids inside of them. The water bottles were available for $13, but the Green Network’s initiative, “Think outside the bottle,” was less about selling bottles and more about warning students about the negative effects of always purchasing their water.
“This is not a bottle-selling campaign,” Marcus said. “Our specific goal is to get people committed to making a change.”
In order to provide a long-lasting reminder to commit to tap water, students were encouraged to sign a pledge denouncing bottled water. By signing the pledge, students have a constant subconscious reminder to stay away from bottled water, Marcus said.
“It creates a kind of cognitive dissonance when someone thinks of buying their water,” she said.
By noon on Thursday, the group had already succeeded in getting about 75 people to sign the pledge, and Marcus, who has a lot of faith in pledge drives, believes that they will remain loyal to their cause.
“It has been very well documented that pledges do have an effect,” she said. “This is a way for people to publicly declare their commitment to this specific issue.”
If interested in buying a Sigg water bottle but missed the table at Baker, The Village Bakery on E. State St. sells them in multiple colors and sizes.
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Envirostats Web site: EnviroStats.info