Joyann Callendar / en Management and Marketing /news/canadas-largest-university-goes-bottle-free <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Management and Marketing</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2011-09-13T08:46:27-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 08:46" class="datetime">Tue, 09/13/2011 - 08:46</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">91³Ô¹Ï is phasing out bottled water on its campuses. (graphic by Caz Zyvatkauskas)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/joyann-callendar" hreflang="en">Joyann Callendar</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Joyann Callendar</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As the academic year begins, bottled water will no longer be available at the majority of locations on the 91³Ô¹Ï’s St. George campus. Over a three-year period, sales of bottled water at 91³Ô¹Ï Mississauga and 91³Ô¹Ï Scarborough will also be phased out.</p> <p>The 91³Ô¹Ï joins over a dozen other campuses that have pledged to go bottled water-free. The ban comes after a campaign spearheaded by students at the University who have been raising awareness on campus of the environmental and social impact of the commodification of water.</p> <p>“Bottled water turns a basic human right into a commodity,†says 91³Ô¹Ï master’s degree student <strong>Leanne Rasmussen,</strong> who helped initiate the ban as a member of the Public Water Initiative group. “It is critical that people understand the threat of private control on universal access to clean, safe drinking water.â€</p> <p><strong>Clara Ho</strong>, vice-president of university affairs for the 91³Ô¹Ï Students’ Union, said the ban represents a historic moment for the University community.</p> <p>“Students are excited to see the commitment of the administration to make clean drinking water more accessible across the university,†says Ho. “From the success of the bottled water-free campaign, we see that students working together can achieve a positive change for environmental justice.â€</p> <p>This fall on the St. George campus, food service outlets and vending machines will stop offering bottled water. Members of the community will now have access to new fountains and water-refill stations. To raise awareness of the bottled water ban, there will be an “OnTap†event on campus on September 15th in the Willcocks Commons, featuring water games, a scavenger hunt and water experts.</p> <p>‘The move away from bottled water sales illustrates the university’s commitment to sustainability as well as the power of student engagement,†said <strong>Anne Macdonald</strong>, director of ancillary services at 91³Ô¹Ï, whose team helped to facilitate the changes. “This ban shows just how important our students are in driving positive change.â€</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/waterbottle_ban_11_09_13.JPG</div> </div> Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:46:27 +0000 sgupta 2830 at