Student Action

Canada: Putting a stop to thirst for bottled water

- St . Cathernies Standard. By Samantha Craggs -

A campus group at Brock University wants to put an end to students’ thirst for bottled water.

OPIRG-Brock (Ontario Public Interest Research Group) raided campus recycling bins last week to build a large sculpture illustrating the 57 litres worth of bottled water an average Canadian drinks each year, said program co-ordinator Mike Smith.

The group also offered a “taste test” in a well-travelled hallway that showed nearly half the students couldn’t tell the difference between bottled water and tap water.

“You can look around and open any kind of recycling bin and you can see huge bags of (empty bottles),” Smith said. “We do consume a lot of bottled water and that number is only getting higher every year.”

Students should carry reusable bottles and fill them up at drinking fountains, Smith said.

“That water is as high quality as what you’re paying $1.75 for.”

Close to three in 10 households primarily drink bottled water, according to a 2006 survey by Statistics Canada. In Niagara, 41 per cent of households listed bottled water as their primary drinking source.

The bottled water industry argues that the product replaces sugary, high-calorie portable drinks rather than tap water