Student Action

The real truth about what you drink at school and on campus...

“The name of the game is to create a Coke or Pepsi drinker in the 6-to-24-age group. If the pop kings can create brand loyalty at that stage of life, chances are they will have nurtured a new crop of lifetime consumers of their products. For both Pepsi and Coke, the place to start is in schools, colleges and university campuses. Their strategy: an ingenious marketing tool called the ‘exclusive beverage agreement’”

Students across Canada and the US are increasingly challenging the presence of the cola kings Coke and Pepsi at their schools and campuses for a variety of reasons, such as corporate misconduct and the commercialization of public space.
This webpage is designed to support these campaigns and foster activism in schools and on campuses that exposes bottled water for what it truly is; a trend based on consumer manipulation, environmental degradation and the expansion of corporate control of a precious, life-sustaining common resource.

This webpage provides a space to connect student grassroots activism, sharing of campaign tools and experiences, and coalition-building amongst student campaigns. It is part of Polaris Institute’s ‘Inside the Bottle’ project – an awareness to action campaign focused on saving our water systems.

Student Action

Articles

US: Welcome, students. Now watch it.

Posted: August 30, 2007 The New York Times.
It’s the time of year when the streets of Morningside Heights, Greenwich Village and a few other neighborhoods are...
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US: Sponsorship deal at UTSA draws scrutiny

Posted: August 30, 2007 San Antonio Express-News. By Melissa Ludwig -
In the lobby of the multidisciplinary building at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a...
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US: Solve drinking water woes, help the environment recover

Posted: August 27, 2007 The UTD Mercury. By Kim Felder -
Walking down the drink aisle at the grocery store I'm bombarded with options. Images of bubbling mountain...
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Student awareness to action kit PART 1
A tool kit to challenge the bottled water industry and beverage exclusivtity contracts at school and on campus
Find part 1 of the kit here

Student awareness to action kit PART 2
Find part 2 of the kit here

US: Schools look for alternative to the bottle

Posted: August 15, 2007 psfk.com Ideas, Trends and Inspirations. By AmyD in Food & Drink, Ethical Consumerism -
Last month Aquafina finally agreed to re label their...
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US: Students embrace treated water

Posted: August 5, 2007 The Orange County Register. By Alex Baron
Kids drink the reclaimed and purified liquid without a shudder as they visit a plant that will...
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US: The secret is out - bottler gets its water from the Missouri River

Posted: August 5, 2007 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By Michael D. Sorkin -
Following pressure from activists, Pepsico disclosed last week that its Aquafina bottled...
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US: US protest questions human rights abuses by Coke

Posted: July 30, 2007 Press Release
Over a hundred protesters gathered at the New World Of Coke museum in Atlanta - the hometown of Coca-Cola - to question the...
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Utility Calculator for Vending Machines Calculate the energy consumption of your institution's vending machines
Find calculators here

Canada: student action update - student forum July 14th-15th in Ottawa

Posted: July 18, 2007 The student forum held in Ottawa at Carleton university July 14th-15th was a success! The forum was attended by enthusiastic student activists...
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US: U pops the age-old question: Coke or Pepsi?

Posted: July 16, 2007 Star Tribune. By Jeff Shelman - In 1996, Coke offered $28 million for exclusive pouring rights on the Twin Cities campus. The contract is again...
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US: Goodbye Bottled Water?

Posted: July 16, 2007 Scholastic News Online. Did you know that you could be harming the environment when you drink a bottle of water? It’s estimated that 30 billion...
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Canada: Guelph students vote to switch from Coke to protest alleged human rights violations

Posted: May 31, 2007 The Gazette, University of Waterloo. BY Jennifer Davidson - Nearly 65 per cent of University of Guelph students recently voted in favour of...
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US: We need to water down the bottled water industry

Posted: May 31, 2007 Oregon Daily Emerald. By Nick Schult - In 1973, the United States faced a consumer crisis of immense proportions. When the OPEC nations placed an...
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US: If Coke can’t be humane to workers, it has to go

Posted: May 31, 2007 Chicago Maroon, Online Edition. By Shira Tevah - Students at the University of Chicago are calling for the removal of Coca-Cola from campus dining...
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US: Questions about Coke’s abuses still outnumber answers at shareholders’ meeting

Posted: May 31, 2007 Corporate Accountability International Press Release - WILMINGTON, DE–Protests inside and outside of Coke shareholders’ annual meeting at...
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Canada: Students spill Coca-Cola's profits

Posted: May 31, 2007 The Tyee. By Eric Szeto - Protesters at recent shareholders meeting. Campus deal costs killer soft drink giant millions. When governments cut...
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US: In water test, taste isn't everything

Posted: May 31, 2007 The Austin-American Statesman. Claire Osborn - Some students took a few sips and were baffled. Others immediately could tell a difference. The...
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Canada: Battling the Coca Cola industry in India

Posted: May 31, 2007 The Charlatan. By Sarah Scheff - Water is one of the most precious resources in the world because no one can live without it. It is a universal need,...
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US: Coca-Cola contracts to be terminated

Posted: May 31, 2007 The Llama Ledger. By Timothy Cama - Company attempts to keep contracts It's official. Starting this summer, Coca-Cola products will not be sold on...
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Canada: Activists launch cola fax attack

Posted: May 31, 2007 The Charlatan. By Laura Di Mascio - Ontario students unleashed wave after wave of faxes Feb. 28 to capture the attention of cola giants Coca-Cola...
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Canada: Bottled water and water privatization: the ruse and the resistance

Posted: May 31, 2007 Our Schools Our Selves. By Andrea Harden and Karl Flecker - Picture this. You are standing in a pristine natural surrounding – lush green...
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