Wesleyan College
Bottled Water Policy
Jan 2013
Overview
Wesleyan College has adopted a policy to reduce the consumption of single-use bottled water containers.
College funds shall not be used to purchase bottled water in single-use containers. College departments
shall avoid the purchase, distribution, and/or sales of bottled water in single user-containers. The College
will discourage the purchase, use, distribution, and sales of such containers at all college functions by any
groups affiliated with the College. The College will make every reasonable effort to provide alternative
potable water sources and promote container recycling for all campus facilities and events.
Purpose
As a signatory to the Association of College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC),
Wesleyan College is committed to reducing its environmental impact by all reasonable means. Use of
plastic water bottles constitutes a major source of landfill mass and a major unnecessary drain on energy
and financial resources. In the U.S. alone an estimated 40 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills
each year. Water bottle production requires 17 million barrels of oil annually – enough to heat 190,000
homes. Single-serving bottled water also costs as much as 1000 times more than potable tap water.
Restricting the use of bottled water is a simple and practical way in which the College can reduce its
carbon footprint while realizing significant monetary savings. This Bottled Water Policy supports other
initiatives such as the Responsible Purchasing Policy and the Recyclable Food Utensil Policy in
promoting sustainable environmental practices at Wesleyan.
Scope
With respect to bottled water in single-use plastic or glass containers Wesleyan College expressly forbids
purchase by any College Department using College funds,
distribution by College departments at College events and meetings,
sale on campus by any group associated with the College,
sale by the College Bookstore; and
sale in vending machines on the Wesleyan campus.
The College will provide alternatives to single-use bottled water in all buildings and for all collegesponsored events. Such alternatives may include but are not limited to
potable tap water drinking fountains;
multiple-serving water dispensers; and/or
“water-cooler” type dispensers using bottled water in 5 gallon or larger recyclable/reusable jugs.
The College will promote the sale and use of reusable individual water containers and/or supply washable
or recyclable cups for water consumption, as appropriate, for all College-sponsored functions.
The College will additionally make every effort to provide reasonable access to and encourage the use of
plastic bottle and cup recycling containers
in all College buildings,
for all College functions involving 20 or more participants,
for all College-sponsored public events involving 50 or more participants, and
if requested, for any meeting or event sponsored on campus by an outside group.
Wesleyan College will encourage all individuals and groups using the Wesleyan campus to adhere to the
practices outlined in this policy. However, this policy does not preclude the rights of individual members
of the College community or outside groups to purchase and transport bottled water onto campus. It also
does not preclude the rights of outside groups to use, distribute, or sell bottled water on campus, e.g. at
the Wesleyan Market or at group meetings or events.
Source:
Bottled water statistics were obtained from http://www.treehugger.com