Campuses Banning Bottled Water

Parents Forum
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<p>One might think that a decision to no longer sell bottled water would be non-controversial, but, </p>

<p>"…students at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, protested in favor of water bottles on campus. The campus’s college Republicans protested to bring bottled water back, even handing out bottled water when their school administration decided to rid the plastic containers from the vending machines. Instead, the campus decided to install 31 “hydration stations,” costing the institution $20,000. Their goal was to make it easier for students to refill their reusable bottles. Chairman of the Minnesota College Republicans, Ryan Lyk, released a statement to the press that said, “Just as the government should not ban plastic bottles in America, a school administration should not ban the sale of plastic water bottles on their campus.”</p>

<ul>
<li>[College</a> Republicans protest water bottle ban | StarTribune.com](<a href=“http://www.startribune.com/local/129773508.html?refer=y]College”>http://www.startribune.com/local/129773508.html?refer=y)</li>
</ul>

<p>I’m still trying to figure out when bottled water, compact fluorescent light bulbs ([Despite</a> GOP opposition, light bulb standards will phase in on Jan. 1 - The Hill’s E2-Wire](<a href=“http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/201687-despite-gop-opposition-light-bulb-standards-to-phase-in-on-jan-1]Despite”>http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/201687-despite-gop-opposition-light-bulb-standards-to-phase-in-on-jan-1)) and fuel-efficient cars ([Fox</a> News Debunks Right-Wing Lies About Chevy Volt: It’s ‘An Anti-Terrorist Weapon’ And ‘The Safest Car On The Road’ | ThinkProgress](<a href=“http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/03/27/451932/fox-news-debunks-right-wing-lies-about-chevy-volt-anti-terrorist-weapon-safest-car-on-the-road/?mobile=nc]Fox”>http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/03/27/451932/fox-news-debunks-right-wing-lies-about-chevy-volt-anti-terrorist-weapon-safest-car-on-the-road/?mobile=nc)) became partisan issues.</p>

122

<p>^Wow. Trying to figure that out. Are the Republicans so in bed with the coal/petroleum industry that they’re against ANYTHING that might hurt sales? </p>

<p>Oops, this is not the politics forum, may it RIP.</p>

<p>Because it’s not partisan. I fear we as humans are constitutionally incapable of doing the right thing for the long term, for the earth and for our grandchildren. If it inconveniences us today, we’re against it.</p>

123

<p>It appears that some so-called conservatives have gotten the idea that anything that involves conserving resources is an example of government nanny-statism, when they forget that conserving resources is conserving money, something that otherwise seems near and dear to the hearts of many so-called conservatives, especially in terms of conserving their money against taxes.</p>

124

<p>It called freedom folks. If I want to spend .00001% of my money on legal bottled water or vodka it really is nobody’s business. If that annoys some people, tough. I’m, sure you annoy me too.</p>

125

<p>But then why should it bother you if the college chooses not to sell it (like it chooses not to sell lots of other legal products)? You can always buy it elsewhere if you really want to.</p>

126

<p>It’s not a legal issue. No one is banning you from buying it. The universities are simply choosing not to sell it. You are welcome to get some at the local gas station. Campuses don’t sell alcohol, at least none that I know of, but no one seems to have an issue with that.</p>

127

<p>You are still free to buy it off campus at these locations and walk it across the street. Problem solved. Or better yet, drink at home :D</p>

128

<p>my respose was to ucb whose post was more specific about saving me money–whether I want to or not. Private colleges can do as they please. Publics it gets less clear. If an independent entity like say the bookstore chooses to sell it can they be stopped by that rule if they sell other beverages from Coke to Gatorade all of which have dubious “value”. ? Or other independent facilites on campus such as student unions, hotels, etc.</p>

129

<p>Just want to point out that these are student driven initiatives. Students have every right to present their objections. I’m not sure why anyone would be worked up about it if he or she were not a student at that school.</p>

130

<p>At most schools such efforts and student government are usually controlled by a small minority of students. Most don’t care and just want to go about their business. So you tend to get a small activist group making these decisions for all.</p>

131

<p>^ And how is that different from the US voting public? It isn’t as if the students are not able to vote or have a say in representative government. </p>

<p>Seriously, as long as water can be purchased somewhere, it isn’t a freedom issue. Convenience, yes, but not freedom.</p>

132

<p>Bottled water is bad for the environment, yeah. The transition may be tricky to pull off though.</p>

133

<p>Wow…you’d think bottled water was akin to handguns. Have to pry it from your cold, dead hand. :D</p>

<p>Communities can ban plastic bags. They can ban the sale of bottled water. Deal with it.</p>

134

<p>They do not ban the sale plastic bags. They ban giving them out with purchases. I can still go to any store in Seattle and buy 100 plastic garbage bags on a roll. I can have of them put my groceries in my own plastic bag. But just for that reason I avoid shopping in such places.</p>

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<p>I am sure there are many many things much worse for “the environment” whatever that really means than water in bottles.</p>

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<p>Sure, but lots of them would cost a fortune to replace (like millions of uninsulated windows) or don’t have any replacement that offers anything like the same benefits (like airplanes or hydraulic fracking). In this case, every place that is limiting the sale of water bottles makes free drinking water available, so you are getting an indistinguishable product at a lower price without going out of your way. This is really low-hanging fruit in that sense – the cost to consumers in convenience and choice is so minimal that a moderate environmental benefit strongly outweighs it.</p>

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<p>^^^ yes ^^^</p>

138

<p>Ironic that many students want to earn the Coca Cola Scholarship to pay their way through school, yet want to restrict the company’s product on their campus.</p>

139

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<p>Oh, I don’t know. There are lots of companies that sponsor scholarships and make their money making or selling things that can’t be sold on many campuses—alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and lottery tickets, to name four, yet nothing stops you from going across the street to get them if they’re that important to you. Is that a restriction of your freedom, or of the rights of those companies, that you can’t buy their products from the campus store, or from campus vending machines? Is it a restriction of my freedom, or of the rights of the Pepsi-Cola company, if my university grants an exclusive franchise to Coca-Cola to sell its soft drinks in all campus vending machines, dining halls, and cafes, to the exclusion of Pepsi and other competitors? I really don’t think so. It may or may not be sound policy on the university’s part, but it’s not a “freedom” issue; if I prefer a Pepsi, I can just go across the street, or bring one from home. Truth be told, I much prefer a particular brand of flavored sparking water from a local bottler to any Coke or Pepsi product and I wish it were available in the campus vending machines, but I’m not such an a** as to think my “freedom” is being infringed because I need to go off-campus to get it. Nor do I think my “freedom” is being infringed when I need to go across the street to get a Jimmy John’s sub which I much prefer to Subway, yet Subway seems to have locked up all the strategic spots in on-campus food courts in what is almost certainly an exclusive deal. Too bad. If you don’t like what’s sold on-campus, go elsewhere. If that’s too inconvenient, go to another school. Colleges and universities, public or private, are under no obligation to provide all consumer products to their students, faculty, and staff; nor are they under any obligation to provide all competing brands of the products they do make available.</p>

<p>Besides, I really don’t think the curtailment of on-campus bottled water sales is aimed specifically at Coca-Cola, even though they, along with Pepsi and Nestle, have been among the first and most successful to cash in on the inanity of consumer purchases of water, of all things, in a high-priced bottle when it’s routinely made available free around the corner. </p>

<p>And have you ever thought it more than passing strange that in campus vending machines a bottle of plain water often sells for exactly the same price as a bottle of that same water to which an exotic mix of artificial and natural flavorings, colorings, sugar, and carbonation have been added? Are all the added ingredients and extra processing costless? Or are we being ripped off by paying that much for water when we can get water of comparable quality for free at the water cooler right around the corner?</p>

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<p>Seriously? Could you kindly provide links to scholarships comparable to the Coca Cola Scholarship that are provided by ATF companies? That would be most interesting to see.</p>

<p>It is not a matter of whether the items can be purchased elsewhere. Its the irony of actively working to prevent the sale of the items on campus while benefitting from the company’s bottom line and accepting their scholarship money. I would hope that someone so concerned about the impact of plastic containers or sugar water would have the scruples to be consistent and not accept any funding from such companies. </p>

<p>Ands as an aside, I repeat that its relaly important for students and othes to be better at recycling.</p>