An article I read this morning...

University of Winnipeg first in Canada to ban sale of bottled water on campus

Mon Mar 23, 5:19 PM

By Chinta Puxley, The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG - The University of Winnipeg says it is taking a stand against water for profit as well as plastic containers that end up in landfills by becoming the first campus in Canada to ban bottled water sales.

The decision announced Monday follows a referendum last week in which three-quarters of students who voted said they were in favour of ditching the 38,000 bottles of water sold on the downtown campus each year.

The University of Washington was the first to ban bottled water sales in the United States and Winnipeg students say they are now blazing the same trail in Canada.

The bottled water industry argues bans simply drive students to buy unhealthy drinks. But Lloyd Axworthy, president of the Winnipeg university, said the ban is part of a growing global awareness about the importance of accessible water.

"We're talking about 35,000 bottles that would be saved from going into landfills, which is a substantial contribution," Axworthy said in an interview. "It also draws attention to the fact that fresh water from taps is something that can be utilized and we encourage the use of tap water as a safe way of drinking."

Bottled water is to be phased out from campus cafeterias and vending machines over the next few months, while the university installs more water fountains for thirsty students. An audit of the water system will ensure tap water is safe.

Every first-year student will also get a free, reusable water bottle when they begin classes in the fall, said student president Vinay Iyer.

"Water should not be commodified," Iyer said. "Water is a basic right and it should be free. Bottled water has really undermined public faith in public water. Public water is absolutely safe, clean and healthy."

Where municipal water is tested daily - often every few hours - for contaminants, some bottled water plants are only inspected every three years, Iyer pointed out.

But beyond those concerns, bottled water is a multibillion-dollar industry which is hurting the environment, he added. Only 12 per cent of plastic bottles are recycled, Iyer said.

"The rest of the bottles end up in places where they don't belong like landfills and oceans. We're letting students know that bottled water is just a fad and tap water is very, very safe."

Elizabeth Griswold, executive director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association, said a ban is not the way to go. Universities are "closed communities" and restricting water sales will only force students to buy sugary drinks still on offer, she said.

"Bottled water is not a competitor to tap water," she said. "Our competition is other packaged beverages."

Bottled water is being vilified because people don't like the plastic packaging, Griswold said. That is less of an issue when there is good recycling, she said.

"Bottled water is the easy target."

Still, some experts say bottled water is a completely unnecessary and wasteful extravagance in most communities where tap water is clean and safe. William Rees, professor at the University of British Columbia's school of community and regional planning, said people have been "conned" into thinking that tap water isn't pure.

"It's ridiculous when you think about it," he said. "Water, which comes to us freely and pure from rain, requires minimal processing and treatment to make it potable.

"And we're willing to pay a dollar or two for a half-a-litre ... People like it for its convenience. I say, get yourself a stainless steel jug and get it out of the tap."