Bottle It Up

Over 98 brands of bottled water are sold in the U.S., a country that has some of the most reliable, sanitary, and clean tap water in the world. Do we really need to be purchasing these bottles? A growing movement on college campuses nationwide claims we do not, arguing against the bottled water industry and calling on universities across the country to ban the product’s sale on campuses.  By replacing bottled water with public reusable-water-bottle filling stations, colleges are making it easier for students to quit their habit. We believe that Harvard should join the movement.

Those promoting the ban are correct to label disposable bottles as detrimental to the environment. They produce large quantities of unnecessary waste, and reports suggest that over 68 percent of recyclable bottles are not recycled properly. Despite appearances, bottled water is often merely normal tap water that has been filtered through a process called reverse osmosis, which can require almost 10 gallons of water to purify one gallon. Such waste is simply unnecessary.

Additionally, packaging and transportation produce carbon emissions that could easily be avoided. Considering that the tap water available in our faucets is already filtered and of high quality, buying a bottle provides negligible benefits while contributing to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. By banning the sale of bottled water on campus, Harvard could do its part to decrease these harmful emissions.

That is not to suggest, however, that merely installing water-bottle filling stations is the perfect answer. Nalgenes and other reusable water bottles cost more than disposable bottles, and universities like Harvard should provide discounted reusable water bottles to make sure all students have access to them.

Beyond the ban, colleges should continue to seek opportunities to be environmentally responsible, and, of equal importance, engage and educate students about the steps they are taking so as to change student behavior. While ideally measures like the ban would yield life-long habits, even reducing students’ waste for their four years on campus would be beneficial. We commend Harvard for its open dialogue about environmental initiatives and hope that the University continues to inform its students about the ways on campus that they can already make responsible choices. Moving forward, adopting the ban would serve as further evidence that green truly is the new crimson.