老司机直播

老司机直播 is phasing out bottled water on its campuses. (graphic by Caz Zyvatkauskas)

Management and Marketing

As the academic year begins, bottled water will no longer be available at the majority of locations on the University of Toronto鈥檚 St. George campus. Over a three-year period, sales of bottled water at 老司机直播 Mississauga and 老司机直播 Scarborough will also be phased out.

The University of Toronto joins over a dozen other campuses that have pledged to go bottled water-free. The ban comes after a campaign spearheaded by students at the University who have been raising awareness on campus of the environmental and social impact of the commodification of water.

鈥淏ottled water turns a basic human right into a commodity,鈥 says 老司机直播 master鈥檚 degree student Leanne Rasmussen, who helped initiate the ban as a member of the Public Water Initiative group. 鈥淚t is critical that people understand the threat of private control on universal access to clean, safe drinking water.鈥

Clara Ho, vice-president of university affairs for the University of Toronto Students鈥 Union, said the ban represents a historic moment for the University community.

鈥淪tudents are excited to see the commitment of the administration to make clean drinking water more accessible across the university,鈥 says Ho. 鈥淔rom the success of the bottled water-free campaign, we see that students working together can achieve a positive change for environmental justice.鈥

This fall on the St. George campus, food service outlets and vending machines will stop offering bottled water. Members of the community will now have access to new fountains and water-refill stations. To raise awareness of the bottled water ban, there will be an 鈥淥nTap鈥 event on campus on September 15th in the Willcocks Commons, featuring water games, a scavenger hunt and water experts.

鈥楾he move away from bottled water sales illustrates the university鈥檚 commitment to sustainability as well as the power of student engagement,鈥 said Anne Macdonald, director of ancillary services at 老司机直播, whose team helped to facilitate the changes. 鈥淭his ban shows just how important our students are in driving positive change.鈥

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