Student Action

Canada: Canadian schools tap out water bottles

Canwest news service. By Tiffany Crawford -

But Griswold argues that more attention should be placed on recycling programs. "Schools are losing out on a real opportunity to teach students about recycling."

Universities, often considered hotbeds for social change, have also joined the effort to get rid of the bottle.

Memorial University in Newfoundland, Thompson Rivers University in B.C., the University of Ottawa and the University of Guelph are just some of the campuses that now have what students call "bottle free zones."

"The idea is to get rid of bottles one space at a time," said Harden-Donahue, who runs a campaign to lobby schools to join the program.

The United Church of Canada is also urging its 590,000 members to stop purchasing bottled water, calling water a "sacred gift for all life."

Lynn Scott, chair of the Ottawa-Carleton School District said the idea has gained momentum but added that parents have concerns that would need to be addressed before they move forward.

"There are a lot of issues," said Scott. "For example in the debate there was quite a lot of attention paid to the fact that not all our schools are on wells."

Putting water coolers in portable classrooms and encouraging students to bring their own cups to school are some options educators will consider.

Scott said schools would also have to look at existing contracts with vending suppliers and how they will make sure kids stay hydrated at sporting events.

The main issue, she says, is in what kind of message they are sending to their students.

"We have a long record of working with environmental issues," she said. "Conservation and care for the environment are very much embedded in our curriculum."

Statistics Canada says nearly one-third of all Canadian households are choosing bottled water over tap water and the data indicates those numbers are on the rise.

Gordon Dewis, a research analyst for the federal agency, says 16 per cent of households preferred bottled water in 1994. That rose to 22 per cent in 1999 and then to 30 per cent in 2006.

"There could be any number of reasons why people might be drinking more bottled water from marketing, to perceived negative incidents like Walkerton. We don't know why those people chose to drink bottled water."

Last week both London, Ont., and the southeastern B.C. city of Nelson voted in favour of banning the water bottle in all city offices, parks and other recreational areas.

Charlottetown decided to stop buying bottled water in 2007.