Thanks to the combined effort of non-profit campaigns like ban the bottle and the students that support them, the use of bottled water is slowly disappearing from college campuses all around the U.S. Corporate Accountability Internationals campaign Think Outside the Bottle used on various campuses declare that more then twenty schools have banned, or at least partially banned bottled water because of environmental and health concerns.

Last September California’s Humboldt State University and the Macalester College in Saint Paul Minnesota already imposed campus-wide bans, and earlier this year the University of Vermont announced it will no longer buy bottled water from Dasani bottler Coca-Cola.

Not only will they remove all the bottled water from vending machines, cafeterias and stores, students have also pushed for distribution of reusable bottles, water fountains, and filling stations. This way they are trying to make it part of the student culture to carry their own reusable water bottle.

The bottle water industry was good for a staggering $10.6 billion in revenue for 2010, and the International Bottled Water Association has launched a video on YouTube Video to oppose the “misinformation” that has turned many college students against the use of bottled water on campus.

The IBWA video suggests that the good cause is unworthy of the students' energy. The video claims that using bottled water is a good alternative to the sugary beverages served on campus and that it’s to recycle the water bottles than other packaged drinks. The IBWA also argues bottled water is safer than tap water.

Students and many water experts and authors however disagree with most of these points. They say that empty water bottles add up to a lot of waste, and that the companies have privatized a commodity that should essentially be free.

The war against bottled water is also slowly spreading beyond campuses. Several major cities have stopped using public funds for purchasing bottled water. Grand Canyon National Park announced that it will stop selling water in containers smaller than one gallon.

External References

• Ban the Bottle Campaign
• Think Outside the Bottle
• International Bottled Water Association