Promoting Sustainable Drinking Water Consumption at Bryant University

Many higher education institutions have either banned or restricted the sale of disposable plastic water bottles to address environmental pollution and climate change. This project seeks to gather knowledge and data related to disposable water bottle consumption at Bryant University that can be used to provide recommendations for promoting reusable water bottle use on campus. Additionally, the project seeks to find out why community members choose single-use water bottles over reusables ones and how to make reusable water bottle use more attractive and accessible. Primary research included a survey distributed to undergraduate students on campus as well as water samples collected from five locations on campus that were tested for lead and copper at the Rhode Island Department of Health lab. All water samples tested are below the EPA’s advisable limits for lead and copper, and the majority of students are willing to switch to reusable water bottles based on the survey data. Recommendations to promote reusable water bottle use include, but are not limited to, (1) installing more water refill stations, particularly in residence halls, (2) providing accessibility to detailed water quality information, and (3) having an annual sustainability campaign on campus.