2012-2013 DICKINSON COLLEGE STUDENT SENATE
Author(s): Tracy Wolf ‘15, Eller Mallchok ‘15
Co-sponsor(s): Madison Beehler ‘15, EarthNow
A resolution to approve the purchase of water filling stations
WHERAS
Last year Student Senate endorsed the transition of Dickinson College from
a campus that consumes bottled water to one that uses clean local tap water
instead (See Addendum A);
WHEREAS
Dickinson College has seen a significant decrease in the sale of bottled
water since the installment of the HUB water filling station at the beginning of the
Fall 2012 semester. (See Addendum B);
WHEREAS
EarthNow and Take Back the Tap have been in communication with President
Durden, facilities, dining services, and the Devil’s Den about the issue of selling
water bottles on campus;
WHEREAS
Dickson College’s Facilities Director Kenneth Shultes envisions the installation
of at least ten new filling stations by the beginning of the Fall 2013 semester (See
Addendum C);
WHEREAS
In the future, college administration plans to place a one dollar surcharge on the
sale of all bottled water on campus. EarthNow and facilities would like to ensure
that students have proper water filling stations before this is done;
WHEREAS
Facilities has enough funding for a limited number of these stations, and the cost
of installing them is minimal and would help to change Dickinson’s campus
culture concerning the use of bottled water.
LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Dickinson College Student Senate:
1. Allocates $15,000 from the Student Senate Sinking Fund for the purchase of water
filling stations for installation in locations to be decided by the Dickinson College
Student Senate.
Addendum A: Take Back the Tap Resolution Spring 2012
2011-2012 DICKINSON COLLEGE STUDENT SENATE
Resolution Number:
Introduced on February 28, 2012
Author(s): Eller Mallchok ’15, Timothy Damon ’12, Margaret Price ‘14
Co-sponsor(s): Matt Michrina ‘12
A resolution to express Student Senate support for a Dickinson campus that reaps the economic,
social, and environmental benefits of not using bottled water.
WHEREAS
Dickinson College currently consumes 45,024 bottles of water per year;
WHEREAS
at the Dickinson sale price of $1.50 per bottle, this amounts to $67,536 spent each
year;
WHEREAS
the Borough of Carlisle’s municipal water treatment facility was the first in
Pennsylvania, and only the eighth in the country, to receive the Excellence in
Water Treatment Award from the Partnership for Safe Water;
WHEREAS
the standards for water quality are less stringent for privately bottled water than
for water provided by public utilities;
WHEREAS
using clean local tap water instead of bottled water would have numerous social,
economic, and environmental benefits (see Addendum A);
WHEREAS
coursework from ECON 222 Environmental Economics supports this proposal
(see Addendum B);
WHEREAS
over 700 students have signed a petition in support of ending the sale of bottled
water on the Dickinson College campus.
LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Dickinson College Student Senate:
1. Endorses the transition of Dickinson College from a campus that consumes bottled
water to one that uses clean local tap water instead.
First Reading on February 28, 2012
Addendum A
The benefits of switching to clean local tap water over bottled water from afar:
Social Benefits:

Higher health standards

Water is available to students at significantly lower cost (more equitable)

Shows support for the Carlisle community
Economic Benefits:

The College saves money that can go to other things students want

Students themselves save money and can spend it on other things

Greatly improves resource efficiency
Environmental Benefits:

The College will produce less waste

Less pollution from manufacturing and trucking bottled water

Promotes utilization of local resources and clean water sources
Other College-Specific Benefits:

Boosts Dickinson’s reputation for sustainability (good for Admissions, everyone)

A step toward commitment of becoming “carbon neutral”

Etc.
Addendum B
Take Back the Tap: Improving Dickinson’s Economic, Social, and Environmental
Sustainability
A Proposal by Timothy Damon ‘12
ECON 222: Environmental Economics
Professor Sebastian Berger
February 23, 2012
Goal: To transition Dickinson from a campus that consumes bottled water to one that uses clean
local tap water instead, thereby providing a range of economic, social, and environmental
benefits for the College.
Rationale: This project has its roots in principles from ecological economics perspective. All
human activity transforms natural resources into waste products to provide economic goods and
services. Since natural resources are limited by quantity and rate of availability, the human
economy must consider the optimal scale for its activity, while seeking to do so as equitably and
efficiently as possible (in that order).
The case of bottled water: Bottled water requires the use of plastic made from non-renewable
oil stocks. Oil is essentially solar energy that was trapped (through photosynthesis) as organic
matter millions of years ago, thus its use has allowed human activity to consume energy at a
much faster rate than what the sun provides annually. Consequently, making bottled water not
only depletes an irreplaceable resource but is also one of countless examples of humans living
beyond their natural means (a lifestyle that is rapidly burning through all the savings in our solar
bank account). Studies have also found that bottled water is not free from contamination (as
many believe) and its quality standards are actually less strict than those that regulate public
water utility.
The case of Dickinson: Dickinson consumes over 45,000 bottles of water each year. In addition
to the bottles themselves, this activity consumes resources for shipping (more oil) and generates
pollution during both production and disposal – even recycling bottles consumes more energy,
which mostly comes from fossil fuel sources. Spending money for bottled water is absurd when
one considers that the College has locally available water of nationally-recognized quality right
here in Carlisle.
The benefits: Switching to clean local tap water will, inter alia, save money (for both the
College and students), reduce Dickinson’s environmental impact, conserve natural resources,
promote the local community, improve water quality, and boost the College’s reputation for
sustainability.
Conclusion: This project is entirely a matter of policy. While there are complementary
improvements that could be made to the physical infrastructure of the campus, taking back the
tap is primarily about awakening to the reality of the implications associated with where we get
our water. The clear choice is to move in the direction of greater economic, social, and
environmental sustainability.
(See graphics below)
Compare, if you will, the Bottled Water System Dickinson currently has with the Tap Water
System it could have. Which would you prefer?
Addendum B: Water Bottle Sales in the Devil’s Den
Bottled Water
Sales/September, 2012
(With Filling Station in HUB)
Bottled Water Sales/April, 2011
(Pre Filling Station in HUB)
Deer Park 16.9 Ounce
Deer Park 1 Liter
Deer Park 1.5 Liter
Deer Park 3 Liter
812
1326
454
109
Deer Park 16.9 Ounce
Deer Park 1 Liter
Deer Park 1.5 Liter
Deer Park 3 Liter
703
928
562
127
Pure Life Gallon
262
Pure Life Gallon
221
Smart Water 20 Ounce
Smart Water 1 Liter
378
508
Smart Water 20 Ounce
Smart Water 1 Liter
179
459
Dasani 20 Ounce
Dasani 1 Liter
143
143
Dasani 20 Ounce
Dasani 1 Liter
140
177
Aquafina 20 Ounce
Aquafina 1 Liter
101
23
Aquafina 20 Ounce
Aquafina 1 Liter
59
15
Totals:
4259
Difference of 689 water bottles
3570
Addendum C
In an email confirmation from the director of facilities Ken Shultes, facilities plans on doing the
following:

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

Placing a $1.00 sustainability surcharge on all water bottle sales in Dining Services
locations, Devil’s Den, Vending Machines. They plan on initiating the program at the
beginning of the Spring Semester.
They will not initiate the surcharge until we add water fill stations in strategic locations.
They will continue to add fill stations over time as budget permits.
If Student Senate is able to fund some of the fill stations, that would be terrific.
We seek endorsement of the plan from Senate, Earth Now, Idea Fund
Sample location options for indoor water filling stations:
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HUB lower level
Library (Biblio area)
Rector Atrium Area
Quarry
Adams
Drayer
Morgan
Kline Fitness Center
Davidson-Wilson
Baird
Library Basement
Library Upstairs
Bosler
Denny
East College
Locations for outdoor water filling stations:
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Academic Quad
Quad Dorms Area.
Morgan Field
Sample Outdoor Water Filling Stations
A resolution to approve the purchase of water filling stations
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