The United States uses 50 billion disposable plastic water bottles a year and only about 23% of them get recycled. This a nationwide problem that is slowly gaining the awareness it deserves, but not quickly enough. Here at Concordia we say that we strive for sustainability, we have the president’s climate agreement, a campus garden, and green to-go containers in the maize. But I still go to class every day and see people drinking out of disposable plastic water bottles that they may or may not recycle after class. Even if they do recycle them, the problem is purchasing them in the first place and contributing to our countries over consumption of disposable plastics. Where is the personal accountability? It is no longer a matter of convenience, you must go out and purchase plastic water bottles, drink them, then find a place to recycle (hopefully). Whereas with a reusable water bottle, it is easier and more convenient than ever with water bottle filling stations in every building around campus. There is no longer an excuse to keep using these wasteful and expensive water bottles: buy a reusable water bottle and save money, time, and the planet. It is time to wake up and start calling each other out when you see people using disposables. Consider talking to your friends and classmates about better alternatives to their typical disposable go-tos. Not only do we need to continue talking about sustainability, but we also have to start practicing it. It’s time to wake up and practice what we preach.
This article was contributed to The Concordian by an outside writer. Questions and comments on this article should be directed to concord@cord.edu.
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