Harvard University students have on the grounds that they represent an environmental hazard.
Sixty-four percent of students who voted in the referendum last moth were in favor of “ending the sale and distribution of plastic non-reusable water bottles on campus (including at Harvard cafes and Crimson Catering events) and making drinking water more accessible through the installation of additional water fountains and reusable water bottle filling stations.”
The final decision on the ban now rests with school administrators, who will be lobbied by the student government to comply with the vote. “We will be working with the administration to make sure student wishes are met,” Harvard Environmental Action Committee chairperson Katrina Malakhoff . Of course, the administrators are in no way bound by the referendum, essentially rendering the vote meaningless.
The Environmental Action Committee’s next move, should the vote pass, will be to start installing grant-funded water stations for reusable water bottles around the campus.
However, not everyone is behind the ban. Some students who spoke to The College Fix said they find the move “silly” and “paternalistic,” arguing that the move will only hurt the school’s revenue and reduce water consumption on campus.