Battle of the Bottle – Green Team at Naropa University Leads Initiative to Make Campus Bottled Water Free

A student-led initiative by Naropa’s Green Team aims to make the university one of only ten campuses nationwide that are plastic water bottle free. The move is spurred by students concerned about the human health, social and environmental impacts of bottled water, and the belief that clean water is a basic human right, not a high-priced commodity.

WHAT: Open Forum to discuss the Bottled Water Free Naropa Initiative

WHO: Nathaniel Janowitz, Student Sustainability Coordinator (njanowitz@students.naropa.edu)

WHERE: Goldfarb Student Center, Arapahoe Campus, Naropa University

WHEN: Wednesday, November 24, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

“The initiative has gotten commitments from the President’s Office and the Environmental Studies, Peace Studies, Facilities departments,” said Nathaniel Janowitz, the student who is spearheading the movement. “ Moving forward, the Green Team will be looking for commitments from all offices, departments and retailers on campus.” Nathaniel is a graduate student in Naropa’s Environmental Leadership program, a unique program that takes an integrated, living-systems perspective and includes insights from ecopsychology and the contemplative traditions.

The plastic used in the bottles leaches bisphenol-A (BPA) into the foods and liquids stored in it. Repeated exposure can cause cancer and birth defects. In addition, bottled water is associated with excessive energy consumption and needless waste. Bottled water is also less regulated than tap water and corporations are not required to publish water quality reports. One goal of the bottled water free movement is to challenge corporate control of water and to promote, protect, and ensure funding for strong public water systems.

The bottled water initiative follows a number of sustainability initiatives by Naropa University, which was recognized in April by The Princeton Review as one of the country’s most environmentally responsible colleges in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges” and in Sierra’s Magazine’s “Top 100 Green Schools”, a listing of schools that practice, teach and support environmental responsibility.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. Located in Boulder, Colorado, the university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology, and religious studies.

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