Water Bottle Usage

Sustainability Question

How can the University of Michigan increase the effectiveness of its current water bottle program to reduce non-renewable water bottle usage?

Summary of Results

The University of Michigan’s Planet Blue Water Bottle Initiative Program can be improved through encouraging students to increase their use of reusable water bottles. With this in mind, recommendations based on available social science research include:

1. Organizing a sustainability week to promote tap water usage

2. Increasing water refill station location awareness

3. Modifying the Planet Blue water bottle

4. Adding a plastic water bottle tax and incentivizing reusable bottle use throughout campus

Current University of Michigan Initiatives

The University of Michigan has already taken steps to reduce plastic waste through the Planet Blue Water Bottle Initiative Program and the installment of multiple refill attachments on water fountains throughout campus. The University currently has 42 refill stations and 74 bottle refillment attachments on water fountains in many accessible locations for faculty and students (Budzaj, 2012). The Planet Blue Water Bottle Initiative is a program dedicated to ensuring that incoming students can choose to be sustainable by receiving a free reusable water bottle when they first arrive on campus. This program, however, is only approved for three years (Budzaj, 2012). Students have also been one of the biggest driving forces behind the creation of these programs (Budzaj, 2012). While these initiatives have provided a significant foundation in incorporating sustainability into campus lifestyle, looming challenges still remain that should be addressed through the above recommendations.

Authors

Sarah Carrillo, Michael Geiger, Dimitri Pallas, Timothy Cohn, Caitlin Walrath