Humboldt State University's next step as a sustainable school should be to ban plastic bottled soda. In 2009, the student organization Take Back the Tap brought two hydration stations to campus to encourage students to stop being dependent on bottled water. Then, in 2011, Humboldt State became the first CSU to ban plastic water bottles. During 2015, HSU and the student organization Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) participated in Kill the Cup, a nationwide campaign aimed at promoting reusable drinking containers. Then in 2016, Humboldt State dining began to sell mason jars on campus for a cheaper price than single disposable cups in an effort to move us closer to sustainability.
However, it's not just water bottles. According to the Recycling Coalition of Utah, Americans throw away 35 billion plastic bottles each year. These plastic bottles can take up to a thousand years to degrade in landfills and contribute to the fact enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the Earth four times.
While most of the pressure to ban plastic bottles focuses on water bottles, soda bottles are unfortunately a large part of the plastic problem and are still as damaging for our environment.
And that is why it is our duty as a green campus to ban plastic soda bottles.
Now, before you fret about losing access to your sugary treat - hear me out.
The transition can be as painless as possible. With soda fountains available on campus, banning certain soda brands doesn't mean taking away students' options. Currently the Depot's soda fountain sells Pepsi, diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Brisk, Mug Root Beer, and Dr. Pepper. With these options in place, why does the Depot also need to these same kinds of soda in a plastic bottle container? Let's start by banning bottled soda available to students through soda machines and encouraging students get their fix from a reusable bottle.
From there, we can call for more soda options to become available through soda foundations and continue the movement. Humboldt State students - this is our chance to continue the efforts of the student lead organization Take Back the Tap who fought for the bottled water ban.
Let's be the generation to continue Humboldt State's progressive approach to sustainability and call for a end of the plastic soda bottle.
