The University of Vermont will implement a ban the sale of bottled water on its campus at the beginning of the year. Students and officials celebrated the change at a campus event Wednesday afternoon.
UVM says about 50 colleges across th country have imposed full or partial bottled water bans, but it is the first public university in the country to end the sale of bottled water. On Wednesday afternoon, a retirement party for water bottles was held in the Davis Student Center. Vermont Students Toward Environmental Protection Co-President Mikayla McDonald was among the students who initiated the move to impose the ban.
The event at UVM featured the unveiling of a sculpture made from 3,000 empty water bottles, designed by artist Beth Haggard. She wants her 11-foot tall piece titled “Inherently Unstable and Prone to Collapse” to be a symbol.
UVM Office of Sustainability Director Gioia Thompson says they began installing refill, or hydration, stations a couple years ago.
Lobbyist Andrew MacLean represents the Beverage Association of Vermont and the International Bottled Water Association.
The University of Vermont’s ban on bottled water sales takes effect on January 1.
According to Food and Water Watch municipal tap water is the source for almost half of bottled water, and tap water is more stringently regulated than bottled water.
