This fall, two Minnesota colleges banned bottled water. Read Sunday's article about their reasoning here.
Many students believe bottled water is costly and wasteful -- and a 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office proves them right. A policy at the College of St. Benedict bans the sale and use of school dollars on bottled water. (If a student wants to buy bottled water off campus and bring the bottle to class, he or she is free to do so.)
But is a ban the right move?
Some eco-conscious schools have decided against a ban, promoting tap water instead. Some worry that taking bottled water away as an option in the vending machines might push people toward pop. Or that a ban is the wrong direction, philosophically.
Troy Goodnough, the campus sustainability coordinator at the University of Minnesota, Morris, ended an email to me with this thought:
Students, staff, faculty: What do you think? Should your campus ban bottled water? Promote tap? Why or why not?
