Eugene tap water is among the healthiest, safest, greenest and most affordable in the nation, and it is a smart alternative to bottled water. The University uses more than 350,000 disposable water bottles a year — that’s about a thousand every day, despite the availability of quality tap water.
Tap water is safer than bottled water. Most of the bottled water sold on campus is bottled tap water, meaning that consumers are paying thousands of times the cost for the same product. Bottled water also has limited health and safety regulations. Bottled water is only tested 52 times a year. Independent tests of bottled water have found contaminants such as arsenic and industrial solvents. In 1994, there was a contamination of crickets in sparkling water produced by Texas-based Southwest Canners.
Eugene tap water is tested 85,000 times per year. Eugene’s water department tests water from the pipes on campus several times a month to ensure safety.
There is a policy before the University administration to discontinue the sale of bottled water on campus. Its approval would mean that students and faculty would save money while receiving a better product, and the University would be even greener. Campuses across the country have already done this. University of Portland, University of Ottawa and Stanford all made the switch. This is a fantastic opportunity for the University to show climate leadership, because we would be the first public school on the West Coast to enact such a policy. It would help our green reputation and make it clear that the University is a sustainability leader. In order to stay green and stand up for students, the University should make the move to discontinue bottled water on our campus.
Ben Eckstein
ASUO President
Katie Taylor
ASUO Vice President
Zachary Stark-MacMillan
ASUO Senate President, Climate Justice League Codirector
Emma Newman
ASUO Senate: Life Sciences, Climate Justice League Codirector
Manny Garcia
ASUO University Affairs Coordinator, Take Back the Tap Coordinator
Rachel Lytton
Take Back the Tap Coordinator