Pledge For a Positive Change!

In a society full of waste and worry, let us do our part in taking action for a better future. By changing yourself, you've therefore changed the world" -unknown. Making a change can be simple, but lead to a series of changes.

Ready for a positive change? Take the pledge:

" I pledge to be Bottle Free"
-Bottle Free Badgers

 Congrats, you've changed so make some noise and share your passion. 

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal,
or acts to improve the lot of others...
he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,
and crossing each other from
a million different centers of energy and daring,
those ripples build a current
that can sweep down the mightiest walls
of oppression and resistance."

Robert F. Kennedy (1925 - 1968)
Happy new year, happy new you!

Can 2015 Mean a Bottle Free You?

Making 2015 your Bottle Free Year:

•  Get a reusable water bottle aka tumbler. Water is crucial to your daily life and health, and can produce a lot of waste if your not using a reusable bottle. The average american consumes 28 gallons of bottled water a year (Jaffee, 2013). Don't get caught up on bottled water, instead purchase a water bottle that means something to you and it will quickly become your best friend.

•  Make an effort to drink more water. Having a smaller water bottle for days you're on the go, and keeping another in your sports bag or at work can prove to reduce buying bottled water.

Photo Credit of Drop by Drop, United Nations

• Take it, don't leave it! Rule of thumb, if you're leaving your room for a quick snack or running to class, bring it with. Your water bottle should be a necessity you never leave without.

• Use it for other purposes. Tumblers can additionally be used while brushing your teeth for water conservation, so take it with and find new ways to use it. (PUB Singapore, 2014)

Make an effort to make 2015 your #BottleFreeYear.


May your tap water flow into your tumbler, and not on the ground.

References

Jaffee, D. (2013). A More Perfect Commodity: Bottled Water, GlobalAccumulation, and Local Contestation. Rural Sociology, 78(1), 1-28. Retrieved February 8, 2015.

Drop by Drop, United Nations (2012). Picture, http://www.dropbydrop.eu/30361 . Retrieved February 8th, 2015.

PUB Singapore (2014). https://twitter.com/pubsingapore/status/437044073795305473 . Retrieved February 8th, 2015.

Quick 1 Minutes Survey

Hey there Badgers,

Got a minute to spare? Follow the link, and take just a minute of your time to complete the short survey. Bottle Free Badgers is looking for about 4,000 responses so make sure to tell your friends about it as well!

https://uwmadison.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bP0jAqBQhKMD4QB

Happy spring break!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the worst ecological disasters linked to bottled water and other plastics.  Watch this video to learn more!

Scream Bottle Free

Fellow Badgers,

Want to get involved, and become part of something great on campus? The opportunity is here and now is the perfect time! Bottle Free Badgers needs your help. On Wednesday Feb. 27th ReThink Wisconsin as well as the Sierra Student Coalition, which is now partnering for the campaign, will be stringing water bottles for World Water Week. There will be a potluck at 7PM in Science Hall room 15, everyone is invited. Get involved with the campaign, meet some awesome people, and most importantly help make a difference? Do you have a student lead organization on UW Madison's campus that wants to get involved? Awesome! Please send an email to aconradt@wisc.edu to find out how your student org can help make a difference. Any group is welcome, we need everyone's support!

Update: The online petition is nearing 400 signatures! Great work to anyone who has helped out so far. If you haven't signed it find it here:
 http://www.change.org/petitions/bottle-free-badgers-ban-sales-of-1-liter-or-less-plastic-water-bottles-on-uw-madison-s-campus

“Water is the driving force in nature.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

Till then Badgers,
Scream Bottle Free

Badger eyes beware!

If you see a disposable water bottle on a backpack, read the label! ReThink Wisconsin members will be wearing these bottles on their backpacks to show that the campaign is present on campus! Want your own backpack bottle? Send Aaron an email at aconradt@wisc.edu! Also, exciting new a scheduled meeting has been planned with the union director for food services. So we will be discussing the campaign. Remember Badgers to tell everyone you know about this campaign. The main goal right now is to raise awareness of the pressing issue on campus! The more people you tell the more awareness that is produced. You'll be surprised on how many people will listen, the campaign is relevant to everyone. 

Remember Badgers, our time is now!

Keep fighting the good fight.

Take a Pic!

Smile because we are taking your pictures around campus!

Now up on facebook at bottle free badgers we will begin posting pictures with why people support the campaign. Look for the sign around campus, and you could be next! The petition has reached almost 100 signatures online, and over 100 on paper. One day's worth of work seems to be working pretty well!

A few more facts for the bottle free brain:

• On average, the American spends $1,500 on bottled water. 2000 times the cost of tap which would cost you $0.75. Save your money, drink the tap.

• Concord, MA was the first city to ban the sale of single use plastic water bottles. With a population of over 20,000 this is a huge accomplishment. 

•    Nestle profited 3.5 million $ in water bottle sales in 2008. They just took our natural resource, put it in a bottle and sold it to us for 20,000 times the cost. What a rip off!

Believe you can, and you're halfway there. -Theodore Roosevelt

So Remember Badgers, Stay Green, Stay Strong, and Believe!