Last semester the ECO Team took a look inside trash bins around High Point University’s campus. The item that was most prominent was single-use plastic water bottles. When we say water bottles we are not talking about the aluminum, reusable ones sold in the book store. We’re talking about the bottles with purple labels found at kiosks outside around campus.  We are petitioning to ban, or at the very least reduce, the amount of these water bottles. These bottles are unnecessary because each building on campus has a water fountain and a station to refill a reusable water bottle. Every freshman is given a reusable HPU bottle included in tuition, so ideally this is a change that really should not have a negative impact on any of the students. 
 
There is a time and place for single use plastics. The medical world needs single use plastics for sanitary reasons. Maybe High Point University needs single use plastics for the fall and spring concert or for guests touring the school on a hot day. High Point University does NOT need single use plastics every day. We are concerned with the mindset that having these easily accessible bottles of water plants in the minds of the students. It shapes the way someone thinks about single-use plastic and creates a dependency. One of the greatest things about saying no to single-use plastic is it forces one to be strategic and innovative. It also cultivates planning skills because to avoid single-use plastics, one has to think about all the forms single-use plastic takes throughout the day. Single-use plastics are also incredibly wasteful in terms of money. These water bottles must cost the university an inordinate amount of money and even reducing the amount purchased and distributed would mean a financial gain for the school. 
 
Our plan is to completely take away these single use water bottles from all kiosks and encourage students to use the existing refill stations. There are many benefits that come along with using the water bottle refill stations. Cold water is available for anyone at any time, 24/7. In the past students who attend classes in the afternoon and evening did not have the luxury of kiosk water bottles anyway. High Point University would potentially save money in the long run. The zero-waste movement is being embraced by younger people. High Point University should promote its efforts in this area to show prospective students that we are taking steps to become more ECO friendly and show that we are a proactive university. Most importantly, banning these bottles from kiosks would greatly reduce our carbon footprint. Every year Americans consume 50 billion single use plastic bottles. Whether you like it or not this is a number that we are actively contributing to. As students, we ask that High Point University stops contributing to this number. Please take a stand to support this ban and protect our planet by signing this petition.