The Story
Professors and Professionals Discuss the Bottled Water Industry
Four William and Mary professors from various disciplines and one representative from Coca-Cola Enterprises gathered in the Sadler Center to discuss the several effects the bottled water industry has on the environment and what sustainability initiatives and education about the situation can do to help reduce the damage. The event was sponsored by the William and Mary Committee on Sustainability and the DOT (Do One Thing) campaign, which encourages William and Mary students to make one sustainability-related change in their lives and to post it on their official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/wmdot) .
The first speaker at the event was Curtis Etherly, the Vice President for Public Affairs and Communication at Coca-Cola Enterprises. As one of the largest bottling and distribution companies in the world, Coca-Cola Enterprises has recently devoted a large portion of its resources into sustainability initiatives for significantly reducing the environmental impact of the production and distribution of their products.
“The reason we’re here today is that we recognize the importance of this issue,” said Etherly.
On the subject of bottled water, Etherly stated that the company believes that consuming bottled water is a choice the public can make, but with that choice comes responsibility. In their sustainability efforts related to bottled water, Etherly stated that the company is currently working towards a lighter bottle, managing the water used in its production, and reducing the overall carbon emissions their company makes.
“We are one of the few, if only, companies which can speak as to what our carbon footprint is,” said Etherly.
One of the company’s largest efforts includes their new fleet of 327 hybrid electric trucks, which is the largest in North America.
The next to speak was Assistant Professor of Geology Jim Kaste, who addressed the environmental problems of the bottled water industry. The withdrawing of water from the ground, which is used in the production of the bottles as well as the water itself, results in many negative environmental effects, including reduced stream flows and the drying of soil. In reducing these harmful effects, Kaste suggested the practice of trucking large quantities of water to states which already have ample supplies of water is unnecessary and must be stopped.
Following Kaste was Dennis Taylor, Professor of Marine Science at the Virginal Institute of Marine Science. He discussed the ways the dumping of trash into the ocean significantly affects the ecosystem and human safety.
“…consider that 80 percent of the trash in oceans comes from the land and 20 percent comes from oceangoing vessels,” said Taylor. “Cruise ships dump three tons of trash [into the ocean] a day.”
This issue was particularly brought to light when an accumulation of trash twice the size of Texas was discovered in the middle of the ocean. Plastic bottles are particularly an issue, as the solar degradation of the bottle takes place very slowly. As the trash enters the ocean, it begins to circulate into the food chain. Evidence of these effects can be seen in the unusual chemicals which occasionally pop up in the species of fish which are consumed by humans, making this an issue of human safety.
Despite efforts to combat this careless waste, the damage of these practices has effects which show no sign of abating.
“If we stopped putting trash into the oceans [right now],” said Taylor, “it would still be a problem hundreds of years from now.
The fourth speaker was Tonya Boone, an Associate Professor in Operations and Information Technology. She discussed the history of bottled water, how it evolved from its functional purpose in the 1930’s to its current status s a commodity of convenience and as a status symbol. In the past decade alone, there has been an increase in the purchase of bottled water from five billion units sold a year to 30 billion units.
“As consumers,” said Boone, “we need to think about what we’re buying.”
Boone continued to suggest that companies need to think about the corporate social responsibilities associated with distributing such a harmful product. She also suggested that American industries have a lot of catching-up to do with the EU and many Asian countries, particularly in the fields of innovation and changing the ways in which they can approach sustainability.
The final speaker was Mark Valler, Professor of Philosophy, who stated that the answer to the question of whether the consumption of bottled water was ethical is no. He continued to say that it is only a convenience without any major benefits. Its detractors include the facts that its production uses oil, introduces carcinogenic substances into the environment, and raises several other environmental questions.
The lecture concluded with a question and answer session, which included discussion on such topics as recycling and the education of the public about the harmful effects of bottled water.
Following the lecture, members from DOT and Committee on Sustainability encouraged members to pick up complementary reusable water bottles on their way out to encourage the positive effects its use can have on the environment.