We, the undersigned members of the Loyola community, are pledging to abstain from purchasing or drinking bottled water for the following reasons:

1.)  Bottled water is an environmental catastrophe: from the oil used to make the bottles, to the pumping and transportation of the water, and the disposal of the water bottles, 80% of which are not recycled. This creates up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year according to Food and Water Watch.

2.) The price of buying disposable water bottles is astronomical compared to using a reusable bottled refilled with tap water.

3.) Clean water is a human right and not a commodity to be bought and sold.

4.) Around the globe, there is a need to invest in public water systems to give access of clean water to everyone, especially as water scarcity threatens the lives of millions of people every day.

5.) Municipal tap water is more regulated than bottled water.

6.) Up to 40% of bottled water is sourced from public tap water.

We perceive bottled water as an environmental and social justice issue and we choose reusable water bottles as a sustainable alternative. As a Jesuit university on the forefront of human rights and environmental activism, we encourage Loyola University Chicago to re-evaluate its beverage contracts to exclude the sale of bottled water.

“There is enough water for human need, but not for human greed.”

-Gandhi

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