Petition for a Bottled Water Free Campus - Sign Today!

PETITION FOR A BOTTLED WATER FREE CAMPUS

** Please Forward Widely**

TAPthirst, Sustainable Concordia and the Concordia Student Union would like your support in creating a more sustainable campus.

Bottled water is one of the most energy intensive, water intensive, waste producing products on the market. In the majority of circumstances it is completely unnecessary.

The bottled water industry uses massive amounts of fossil fuels in plastic manufacturing, bottling, transportation and waste management. 

The polyethylene terephthalate (PET plastic), of which most single-serve bottles are made of, is derived from crude oil. North American demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually (Earth Policy Institute).

Twice as much water is used in the production of the plastic bottle than what is in the bottle itself (Pacific Institute). When you drink one bottle of water, you are actually consuming three times that amount!

Toxins are emitted during the plastic manufacturing process, contributing to air pollution. These toxins can then seep into the water itself as it sits in the bottle. They also leach into the soil and groundwater as they sit in landfills. According to a report by the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, Quebec is the second-highest producer of single-use plastic bottles in Canada, generating 34,880 tonnes of plastic beverage bottles each year, and recovering just 44 per cent, or 15,264 tonnes. (Montreal Gazette)

For more information on the impacts of the bottled water industry watch this quick (8 minutes!) and exciting animated film: The Story of Bottled Water

 Concordia currently holds an exclusivity contract with Pepsico. This contract terminates in December of 2010. Renegotiation is set to begin mid-June. Concordia has a unique opportunity to negotiate a new beverage contract which will ensure the removal of bottled water from all vending machines and beverage outlets on campus.

Please join us in creating a more sustainable campus – sign the petition today!

 

Sincerely,

Laura Beach

Co-Founder TAPthirst