For a long time, the University has been a leading campus in sustainable thinking and making the community a greener place. From initiatives like planting urban gardens to protesting coal mining companies in Oregon, Climate Justice League has helped lead the way in recent years.@@http://www.climatejusticeleague.org/@@
The fact is, on such a sustainable and environmentally-conscious campus, going bottled water-free is a simple and exciting step forward. Climate Justice League’s Take Back the Tap campaign@@http://www.climatejusticeleague.org/campaigns/tbtt/@@ has made this possible — and it is almost within our grasp.
Bottled water is unsafe, overpriced and a waste of natural resources, whereas Eugene tap water has been named the best in the nation@@http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=20040827&id=iNMzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TegFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4421,6107923@@ by Organic Style Magazine.@@http://www.organicstyle.com/i_461/some_page.html@@ Tap water is free, pure and sustainable, so why not take advantage of it?
The Take Back the Tap campaign has done some big things to get this policy in motion. In the ASUO spring elections, students voted in support of going bottled water-free by more than 72 percent. The Residence Hall Association@@http://rha.uoregon.edu/@@ also voted overwhelmingly in support of University Housing going bottled water-free. Additionally, 85 percent of dorm residents polled expressed their support in a housing survey. And finally, the EMU is fully prepared to go bottled water-free in the fall.
This policy has heavy support, and it is so close to being a reality. All that remains is an administrative stamp of approval from the President’s Executive Leadership Team.@@checked@@
Students have made their voice heard; it is time for them to listen.
Nick McCain @@checked@@
Residence Hall Association President
ASUO Vice President-Elect
Andrew Lubash@@checked@@
ASUO Senate Vice President
Patrick Glang@@checked@@
Residence Hall Association President-Elect
Marina Claveria@@http://rha.uoregon.edu/committees/executive-board/marina-claveria/@@
RHA Vice President of Administration
Will Fitzgerald@@checked@@
Residence Hall Association Vice President of Finance
Minna Kim@@checked@@
Residence Hall Association Vice President of Programming
Programming Representatives of Bean, Hamilton, LLC/Earl, Carson/Walton