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PWI has put together a map of where you can access public water on campus (ie where you can fill up a reusable bottle).
Access the PDF here: PWI U of T campus fountain map (Sept 2010)
Please feel free to print, forward, and distribute widely!
Note: the map is not exhaustive. If you’d like to help add to it, or want other volunteer opportunities, contact pwi.uoft@gmail.com
This Friday, PWI will be doing its world-famous water taste tests at the UTSU clubs fair!
Come out between 10 and 2 to Hart House Circle to see if YOU really know the difference between the bottle and the tap!
…but thankfully, the resolution passes anyway.
Earlier today, the UN voted 122 in favour, and 41 abstaining, for a resolution making water an internationally recognized human right.
The Canadian government did little/nothing to further this effort, declining to vote over fears that this would endanger Canada’s water supply. Along with the government, many Canadians fear that if water is recognized as a human right, we’ll be obligated to export our water to other countries.
This is FALSE.
Just like with other human rights, Canada is only obliged to provide this right to its own citizens. Not to others.
The resolution calls on developed countries to help developing countries increase their capacity to provide public water services, but it does not require water-rich countries to ensure others have access to water.
Maude Barlow, chairwoman of the Council of Canadians and former UN senior advisor on water issues, provides her sober, thoughtful commentary on this and other related issues in the article below: http://www.canada.com/health/declares+water+sanitation+human+rights/3332789/story.html
There’s also a Toronto Star article, from just before the vote: http://www.thestar.com/article/840582–un-to-vote-on-right-to-water
Check out this excellent article from the COC, giving 5 reasons to switch to the tap.
It gives a great overview of some of the social justice problems associated with bottled water, problems which can be harder to understand than environmental issues. For example, water is recognised as a human right around the world, yet bottled water undermines this right.
http://www.canadians.org/water/documents/WWD/2009/WWDFS-0309-5Reasons.pdf
Last year, UTSU designated Clubs Day and Orientation as bottled water-free. While UTSU successfully adhered to its own policy, many other colleges and campus groups failed to live up to it.
Having the entire Orientation bottled water-free can seem a little daunting – after all, it’s still really hot at the beginning of September, and Orientation events often move around campus to areas where fountains might not be available. But it really shouldn’t be that hard to do.
The main solution is for colleges to invest in large water coolers, and have those on hand at events instead of bringing cases of bottled water. Plus, at large events like UTSU Clubs Day, the Toronto water truck is usually there. It’s up to us as students to remember to bring our refillable bottles. Disposable cups can be a last resort. (All new students typically get a refillable bottle in their Orientation kit.)
Many people just assume that going bottled water-free would be logistically impossible. But, if we can carry around cases of bottled water, we can carry around water coolers. Besides, it’s only been about the past 10 or 15 years that bottled water has been really popular – what did we do before then?
To make going bottled water free even easier, PWI is developing a campus map of where we can refill our reusable bottles. Stay tuned to find out where you can pick up the map once it’s finished!
Plus, before you pick up a bottle of water, keep these few things in mind:
- PET plastic in water bottles is made from chemicals derived from crude oil. These chemicals can seep into the water, especially when bottled water is sitting around in the sun and heat.
- Because bottled water is untreated, it can contain high levels of bacteria, which can multiply even after bottling. Again, this is accelerated by the sun and heat.
- About 50% of water bottles in Canada are not recycled. This plastic takes thousands of years to decompose.
- Bottled water produces 150x the greenhouse gases of tap water.
A few weeks ago, scientists discovered alarming amounts of bacteria in 70% of Canadian bottled water brands tested.
Because bottled water is untreated, this bacteria can multiply rapidly after the water is bottled, posing potential health risks. It’s unclear whether these bacteria can cause disease.
The CBC article below highlights the problems with bottled water regulations in Canada, and provides yet another reason to be choosing the tap over the bottle!
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/05/25/con-bottled-bacteria.html
Last Thursday, PWI joined with Ryerson’s Green Action Group to support MPP Peter Tabuns’ new bill to restrict Ontario’s spending on bottled water.
Entitled the Bottled Water Spending Act, this bill would eliminate government purchases of bottled water in all Ontario government facilities where potable (drinkable) water is readily available. If passed, it would make Ontario the first Canadian province to restrict bottled water, following the dozens of municipalities who have done so already (over 40 in Ontario alone!).
As part of our support for this bill, PWI, Green Action Group, and Polaris Institute launched the “Message in a Bottle” campaign, where we mailed each Ontario MPP a “message” inside an empty plastic water bottle, urging them to support the bill. These are the bottles covering the table in the picture above.
You can watch the press conference on YouTube, where we explain the problems associated with bottled water, and the reasons why everyone should support this bill! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V__lILen7c&feature=autofb
You can also read the CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/29/water-campaign.html
Please encourage your MPP to support the Bottled Water Spending Act!
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*Please take note of two common misconceptions about this bill:
-This is NOT a ban on the right to carry, consume, or even buy bottled water in provincial buildings. It only restricts government spending. Individuals are still entitled to purchase bottled water where available, or bring their own.
-In areas where water is unsuitable to drink (ie in buildings with lead contamination), bottled water would not necessarily be removed.
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Visit www.insidethebottle.org for more information.
PWI will be tabling alongside other environmental and social justice groups this Wednesday, at the Hart House 5 Buck Lunch.
The lunch is held in the Great Hall, in Hart House at 7 Hart House Circle, between 11:45 and 2pm.
Come to learn more about the campaign and what you can do, or to pick up a reusable metal bottle for only $8.00! And of course to enjoy the delicious lunch!!
Hosted by Oxfam and the Campus Agricultural Project, this week’s lunch will feature an all-local menu, including beef curry, vegetarian chili, beet salad, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Come see us on Thursday at the Environment Week/Earthcycle Eco-fair. We’ll be there 12-5 in Sid Smith (St George Street, just south of Harbord/Hoskin).
We’ll be selling our reusable bottles….so bring $8.00!!
For more info on all the events going on, see http://www.earthcycle.ca
PWI will be holding a general members meeting on Tuesday Sept 22, at 7pm.
We’ll be in room 415 (4th floor) of the Sussex Clubhouse, 21 Sussex Ave @ Huron St.
Come to find out how you can get more involved, to learn more about PWI’s work, or to ask us any questions you may have. Light refreshments will be provided.
Everyone is welcome!
email pwi.uoft@gmail.com if you need more information.
the Public Water Initiative at the University of Toronto 