re aren’t any. Students can be made aware of this and more easily find the closest hydration stations if proper signage is implemented.
UCLA needs to employ a solution that encourages students to use reusable water bottles while making them aware of UCLA’s goal to reduce plastic consumption. Installing more hydration stations while better advertising existing ones can do just that. Such a policy wouldn’t aim to completely eliminate the use of plastic water bottles, but instead make students aware of their choices and the impacts of those decisions.
Some may say that reducing the use of disposable water bottles won’t make enough of a difference in slowing plastic consumption. After all, even if plastic water bottle sales are reduced, students will still buy other beverages in plastic bottles. But in 2017, bottled water was the top drink sold in the U.S., according to one metric from the Beverage Marketing Corp. Adding more hydration stations can help reduce the consumption of plastic water bottles and can make a notable contribution toward the UC’s goal of achieving zero-net-waste production by 2020.
While water bottle sales may go down for ASUCLA, the association can further advertise reusable water bottles. During each quarter sale, ASUCLA can make reusable water bottles clearly visible on the sales floor or on the online website. ASUCLA can also sell more reusable water bottles for cheaper prices, which will encourage students to buy them instead of single-use plastic water bottles.
The UCLA Store offers various options for reusable water bottles. Students shouldn’t have to stand in line multiple times a week to buy a plastic water bottle when a reusable bottle would do the trick.