Spring Break
EDITORIAL: Keeping a plastic promise
Editorial | 4/29/08
Posted online at 2:35 AM EST on 4/29/08
When University President Jehuda Reinharz introduced Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) during EarthFest earlier this month, he committed to ridding Brandeis of plastic bottles. Now that Mr. Reinharz has made this pledge, this campus must hold him to his word.
Brandeis has already demonstrated its commitment to the "greenification" of campus with the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings, and the administration must continue that dedication to preservation by eliminating environmentally destructive plastic bottles from campus. EarthFest was an enlightening 10-day seminar on sustainability, but conservation is a daily responsibility that should not be confined to one week. Mr. Reinharz needs to back up his words with action by negotiating with Aramark officials to find ways to substitute other materials for the use of plastic in the University's dining services program.
Before Markey's speech, Mr. Reinharz joked that "Every time I see a plastic bottle somewhere, my blood pressure goes up." The devastation that plastic bottles cause for the environment, however, is no joking matter. Plastics degrade very slowly and create large quantities of chemical pollutants when they are manufactured. Head of Dining Services Michael Newmark has said that when bottles end up in the trash, they ultimately find their way to the program's composting facility, because there are ample recycling bins around campus. But while responsible recycling solves a few environmental problems, recycling only makes matters worse with plastic, a material that can release toxic fumes when burned for recycling. Tap water is actually safer to drink than Dasani water, as the latter undergoes inspection by the Environmental Protection Agency, and Dasani does not.
As part of Aramark's contract with Coca-Cola, our institution sells hundreds of bottles of Dasani water a day. This page urged students last semester to drink tap water instead of buying these bottles, since Dasani bottled water is purified tap water anyway. Still, the only way to rid campus of plastic is for the University to re-negotiate its contract with Aramark. Water should be sold at Brandeis in biodegradable cups made of materials that are more environmentally friendly than plastic.
EarthFest helped make our campus community more aware of environmental issues, but now it is the University's job to be continuously proactive in the fight for sustainability.
Mr. Reinharz must start this process by spearheading negotiations with Aramark. After all, he is the one who publicly took this responsibility upon himself.
Brandeis has already demonstrated its commitment to the "greenification" of campus with the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings, and the administration must continue that dedication to preservation by eliminating environmentally destructive plastic bottles from campus. EarthFest was an enlightening 10-day seminar on sustainability, but conservation is a daily responsibility that should not be confined to one week. Mr. Reinharz needs to back up his words with action by negotiating with Aramark officials to find ways to substitute other materials for the use of plastic in the University's dining services program.
Before Markey's speech, Mr. Reinharz joked that "Every time I see a plastic bottle somewhere, my blood pressure goes up." The devastation that plastic bottles cause for the environment, however, is no joking matter. Plastics degrade very slowly and create large quantities of chemical pollutants when they are manufactured. Head of Dining Services Michael Newmark has said that when bottles end up in the trash, they ultimately find their way to the program's composting facility, because there are ample recycling bins around campus. But while responsible recycling solves a few environmental problems, recycling only makes matters worse with plastic, a material that can release toxic fumes when burned for recycling. Tap water is actually safer to drink than Dasani water, as the latter undergoes inspection by the Environmental Protection Agency, and Dasani does not.
As part of Aramark's contract with Coca-Cola, our institution sells hundreds of bottles of Dasani water a day. This page urged students last semester to drink tap water instead of buying these bottles, since Dasani bottled water is purified tap water anyway. Still, the only way to rid campus of plastic is for the University to re-negotiate its contract with Aramark. Water should be sold at Brandeis in biodegradable cups made of materials that are more environmentally friendly than plastic.
EarthFest helped make our campus community more aware of environmental issues, but now it is the University's job to be continuously proactive in the fight for sustainability.
Mr. Reinharz must start this process by spearheading negotiations with Aramark. After all, he is the one who publicly took this responsibility upon himself.
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