Communities and campuses, including Brock, will mobilize on March 10 for Bottled Water Free Day.

Brock staff, faculty and students all have their own goals for the second annual day.

Iain Glass, director of food services, said Brock Dining Services plans the following initiatives:

• Customers who come in with their own cups (16-24 ounces in size) will get a further discount of 50 cents on the already reduced combo price, which includes fountain beverages.
• The reusable Brock Dining Services stainless steel water bottle will be sold at a 25 per cent discount when purchased with a chef’s feature entrée for that day.
• The Market will feature water dispensers with fresh lemon/cucumber/orange slices. Customers can fill their own containers or their purchased stainless steel containers.

Bottled Water Free Day is co-ordinated by the Canadian Federation of Students, the Polaris Institute, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Development and Peace and the Sierra Youth Coalition.

Some participants are seeking a complete ban of the sale of privatized bottled water on Canadian campuses. They are asking college and university administrations to promote investment in accessible public water infrastructure.

In Canada, more than 81 municipalities, seven school boards and nine campuses have committed to ending the privatization of water and phasing out the provision and sale of bottled water.

In February, the University of Canberra became the first university in Australia to ban bottled water sales. It has a campus population of almost 13,000 students and staff.

Richard Mitchell, associate professor of Child and Youth Studies, is a proponent of banning plastic water bottles at Brock. He is the academic co-chair of Brock’s Sustainability Co-ordinating Committee and a researcher with the Brock Environmental Sustainability Research Unit (BESRU).

“I support the ban of plastic water bottles on campus and will continue in my role with both of these Brock groups to achieve this,” said Mitchell.

“While I speak only in terms of my own research activities and perspectives, and not on behalf of either of these larger Brock entities, I support a full plastic water bottle ban in the same way as Memorial and Ryerson Universities, U. of Winnipeg and U. of Ottawa have already achieved.”

Meanwhile, the Brock University Students Union (BUSU) is throwing its support behind the day’s initiative.

“Our businesses will participate in a one-day ban (of bottled water),” said Nazir Khamis, BUSU general manager.