Mission
Beyond the Bottle is devoted to reducing the supply and demand of bottled water on Brown’s campus because drinking tap water is a safe, easy way to be socially and environmentally responsible.
Motivation
Bottled water is an environmental and social problem. Many are familiar with the issue in terms of environmental impact. A staggering 17 million barrels of oil are consumed in the production of bottled water alone, in addition to all of the transportation costs. After consumption, million single use plastic bottles are sent to our landfills annually. Less well publicized, is the socials issue with the project. Water privatization around the world leaves cities and countries drought stricken while their precious water is trucked away to be sold elsewhere at exorbitant prices. To learn more about the issue, check out The Story of Bottled Water, a seven-minute film detailing thie history of bottled water.
History
Beyond the Bottle was formed in February, 2009, when a few members of emPOWER Brown, partially inspired by the bottled water ban at Washington University in St. Louis, decided that going bottle-free was a worthwhile campaign.
Over the past two years, Beyond the Bottle has worked hard to educate the students, faculty, and staff about the issue of bottled water. On the student side, we have organized large scale events including screenings of bottled water documentaries tapped and Flow, as well as a panel about the issue and how it is being addressed at Brown. We also started the sale of reusable bottles on the student meal plan. On the administrative side, an ad-hoc task force was set up to bring together students, faculty, and staff from around the university to address the issue on a big picture level. In Fall 2010, Brown University discontinued the sale of bottled water at retail on campus eateries, a large victory for the group. Bottled water usage at large events, like Commencement, has been greatly reduced. The group has also increased access to tap water through the installation of water filling stations in the Campus Center as well as at many events.
Projects
The group is currently working on eliminating bottled water from large university events including Orientation, Parents Weekend, ADOCH (a weekend for admitted high school students), and Commencement. We are also working to improve access to tap water throughout the campus by fixing and upgrading current water fountains and sinks. On the educational side, we continue to promote tap water through student outreach events.
Contact
To contact Beyond the Bottle, email beyondthebottle (AT) gmail (DOT) com.
Links
- Beyond the Bottle’s website
- Australian Town Bans Bottled Water [BBC, 8 July 2009]
- Venice, City Known for Its Water, Turns to Tap to Cut Trash [NYT, 11 June 2009]
- How To Promote Tap Water, Tokyo Style [Treehugger, 8 May 2009]
