December 12, 2014 - 15:15
I would like to ban bottled water at Bryn Mawr. I was thinking that everyone could receive a water bottle with his or her welcome packet. There is no reason to have bottled water. As I explained, it is expensive, harmful to the environment, and wasteful.
Furthermore, I am thinking of trying to get rid of non-reusable plastic bottles as a whole on Bryn Mawr’s campus. The vending machines could just sell cans of soda or possibly sparkling water or juice.
I also think we should either not have Styrofoam take-out containers from the dining hall or we should get rid of “take-out” all together. People can find ways to either eat more quickly, or allocate their time better, but everyone needs to eat, and I think it should mostly remain in the dining hall.
People are normally initially opposed to change, but I think my suggestions, which are going to become demands through plenary resolutions and talks with administration, are not actually so ambitous or unrealistic.
I was thinking of writing a plenary resolution and talking to environmental groups about how I could accomplish this goal. This a larger, longer goal, but before I graduate college, I hope that Bryn Mawr at least begins divesting from fossil fuels.
I would like to know a little more about where the plastic goes. I would like to know more about how plastic is made and the environmental ramifications of all these non-recycled bottles. I know it ends up in landfills and oceans, but there are some “aways” that I would like to explore more in-depthly and do not know about.
I wish I knew more about the people who made the water bottles, the working conditions of the people who test the water and are involved in the other processes to bring us a water bottle.
I think there is a beauty in invisible connections. We are linked in ways we do not understand. I think through this course and particularly these presentations, I have become so much more aware of my impact and power in influencing drastic changes to the lives of others and the environment we share.
I was particularly impressed with the presentation about how much paper we use. I do not have the answers, but I think we should seriously look into limiting our tree consumption and destruction.