Student Action

EDUCATION: University of Winnipeg bans bottled water

The McGill Tribune. By Theo Mayer -

Phase-out will be offset by the installation of more water fountains

Following a recent student body vote, the University of Winnipeg has begun phasing out bottled water sales on campus, encouraging students to use water fountains instead. The university will be the first in Canada to get rid of bottled water completely

According to University of Winnipeg Students' Association President Vijay Iyer, the decision to phase out bottled water was inspired by a similar initiative at Washington University in St. Louis, which stopped selling bottled water in January. The UWSA had originally thought that the University of Winnipeg needed to catch-up with other schools in implementing sustainable practices.

"It actually came as a surprise to us when we found out that we were the first university in Canada to do this, because we thought we were already so behind," Iyer said.

Though the ban is being instituted by the University of Winnipeg administration, the UWSA Board of Directors first proposed the ban of bottled water on campus. Undergraduates voted on the proposal two weeks ago.

"At our general elections, which were held from March 12 to March 16, we had a referendum question, sort of a plebiscite, gathering students' opinion on what they thought about this issue," Iyer said. "Over three-quarters of the voters voted in favour of eliminating bottled water sales on campus."

The proposal is controversial, however. According to Elizabeth Griswold, executive director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association, bans on bottled water are largely symbolic. Griswold called bottled water an "easy target," and argued that removing the beverage is not an effective move towards sustainability, because bottled water is a substitute for other bottled beverages, like soda, rather than for tap water.

"[The University of Winnipeg is] going under the assumption that bottled water is used in place of municipal tap water, and surveys that have been done by third parties show that bottled water is consumed in place of other packaged beverages-not as an alternative to tap water," Griswold said.

Iyer acknowledged that the proposal was somewhat controversial, but maintained that phasing out bottled water won't increase sales of sweeter beverages.

"We do have some backlash," he said. "People do argue-especially bottled water companies-that if bottled water sales are eliminated, people will buy sugary drinks. But I absolutely do not think that's the case. As long as there's clean, safe water available around the campus-and I assure you that there will be-I'm pretty sure that water drinkers will keep drinking water."

When Washington University eliminated bottled water sales in January, university officials actually saw a drop in the sale of other beverages. Iyer attributed this to students realizing that free hydration was readily available.

The University of Winnipeg administration has hired a third-party organization to conduct a "water audit," in which the company tests the quality of the university's drinking water. To compensate for the lack of bottled water, the administration plans to install more water fountains on campus.

Iyer said that University of Winnipeg President Lloyd Axworthy and the rest of the administration had been very receptive of the UWSA's proposal.

Students' Society of McGill University Vice-President University Affairs Nadya Wilkinson said that she hopes McGill students can work with the university administration in the future to institute a similar policy.

"I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon, but I believe that that kind of co-operation can happen," she said. "So I think that it would just be up to the people in charge to make that choice."

Wilkinson expects work on such a phase-out to begin next year.