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EDITORIAL: Drink straight from the tap
Editorial | 9/11/07
Posted online at 8:28 PM EST on 9/10/07
/ Last updated at 12:06 AM EST on 9/10/07
Dasani bottles are everywhere. As part of Aramark's contract with Coca-Cola, our institution sells hundreds of bottles of water a day. Students who choose Dasani over the tap are being duped. Not only is the water they are buying more expensive and more devastating to the environment, it's also just tap water. Unlike companies such as Poland Springs, which bottles water from a natural spring, Dasani simply purifies tap water from municipal sources. Purified or not, the United States, Waltham included, has some of the best tap water in the world and it's time we started using it.
It is our job as a university to lead the way. As Brandeis demonstrates its commitment to the "greenification" of its campus with the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings, now is the perfect time to show that our community, not just our architects, is dedicated to preservation. The tradeoff is easy: Give up the tap water that the Coca-Cola company puts into bottles for you, and drink from your own tap. If it's a purification process you need, get a Brita filter.
Compared to the rest of the world, Brandeis surely is in the top tier of recycling. Not only does the University provide ample recycling bins around campus, but the We Care Environmental Program tries to eliminate human error. Head of Dining Services Michael Newmark says that when bottles end up in the trash, they ultimately find their way to the program's composting facility.
Still, the issue transcends recycling. Sure, there is a mass of plastic twice the size of Texas floating off the coast of California. But even with improved recycling there would be plenty of problems. By supporting Dasani, we support an industry that in order to survive must steal money from the na've population and slowly kill off the environment.
The New York Times reported that to drink eight glasses of water from bottled sources could cost as much as $1,400 dollars a year, as compared to the 49 cents it would cost from the tap. For those who run out of points and Who Cash by the end of the year, bottled water may be the culprit. Also, according to the Times, in order to make water bottles, Americans use 1.5 million barrels of oil, enough fuel for 100,000 cars to stay on the road a year.
It's amazing to think that an act of environmental preservation is as simple as turning on the tap.
It is our job as a university to lead the way. As Brandeis demonstrates its commitment to the "greenification" of its campus with the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings, now is the perfect time to show that our community, not just our architects, is dedicated to preservation. The tradeoff is easy: Give up the tap water that the Coca-Cola company puts into bottles for you, and drink from your own tap. If it's a purification process you need, get a Brita filter.
Compared to the rest of the world, Brandeis surely is in the top tier of recycling. Not only does the University provide ample recycling bins around campus, but the We Care Environmental Program tries to eliminate human error. Head of Dining Services Michael Newmark says that when bottles end up in the trash, they ultimately find their way to the program's composting facility.
Still, the issue transcends recycling. Sure, there is a mass of plastic twice the size of Texas floating off the coast of California. But even with improved recycling there would be plenty of problems. By supporting Dasani, we support an industry that in order to survive must steal money from the na've population and slowly kill off the environment.
The New York Times reported that to drink eight glasses of water from bottled sources could cost as much as $1,400 dollars a year, as compared to the 49 cents it would cost from the tap. For those who run out of points and Who Cash by the end of the year, bottled water may be the culprit. Also, according to the Times, in order to make water bottles, Americans use 1.5 million barrels of oil, enough fuel for 100,000 cars to stay on the road a year.
It's amazing to think that an act of environmental preservation is as simple as turning on the tap.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Lew Friedman
posted 9/11/07 @ 7:39 AM EST
The elimination of Dasani bottled water is an important first step in defending the environment. However, Coca-Cola is also guilty of many other environmental abuses, including overexploitation of water resources in drought-prone areas of India and elsewhere. (Continued…)
james sanders
posted 9/11/07 @ 1:19 PM EST
This has got to be the stupidest editorial (and response comment) I've read in a long time. Lew, If you don't want to drink coke products, DON'T do it. (Continued…)
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