What I'd be curious to know is who exactly paid for the posters that are plastered everywhere on campus. I wouldn't be too impressed if I were to find out that the SFUO spent (our money) on useless posters that promotes the day. Whoevers money was spent, it didn't seem to have much of an impact because I can tell you that it certainly didn't stop people from being spotted all over the U of O campus drinking water from those clear plastic bottles that were supposed to be boycotted for the day. It'd be interesting to see how much money was spent on promoting today's symbolic boycott.
I visisted the Canadian Federation of Student's (CFS) website to see what efforts were put into promoting Bottled Water Free Day. Possibly some information, some suggestions on encouraging students to participate, etc. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any such information on the website (other than 2 press releases).
This is an interesting campaign... but the publicity shouldn't be funded (if it in fact is) with student's money!
Funded with very little student money. We printed few posters, because we are trying to reduce paper waste, on our copier at the SFUO which uses vegetable based ink and post-consumer use paper. The SFUO saves a lot of money on posters these days because we use our own printer in the SFUO office.
ReplyDeleteBottled Water Free Day was a huge success, and Bottled Water was not sold anywhere on campus except the vending machines because Ventrex wouldn't take them out. We had many awesome volunteers on campus pointing people to the water fountains and handing out reusable bottles (plastic and stainless steel). Many students watched Flow in the Agora and we had a fantastic turnout for Tapped tonight. It was a success.
Je dois donner raison à Brandon sur ceci. Je crois qu'une campagne comme celle-ci n'a pas de réel impact sur la vie de l'étudiant moyen.
ReplyDeletePremièrement, lorsqu'une personne fréquente un université, généralement cette dernière est déjà au courant des effets néfastes de la bouteille de plastique tant pour l'environnement que pour sa propre santé. Alors, je crois que cette campaigne, comme pour la majeur des campagnes sous la charge de la FÉUO, ne sert qu'à convaincre un petit groupe qui est déjà convaincu, soit les organisateurs eux-mêmes.
En second lieu, j'aimerais faire part de la piètre qualité des affiches en français (pour une fois, je n'en ai vue qu'en français... mais où était l'anglais ou devrais-je dire l'aspect du bilinguisme). Ces affiches étaient clairement produite de façon non-professionnelle. On ne pouvait même pas y lire l'entièreté du message puisque plusieurs lettres de quelque mots étaient manquantes.
Pour terminer, est-il possible d'avoir les chiffres de cette campagne? Combien les étudiants ont-ils dépensé pour celà? Pour faire changement, les chiffrent seront gardés secrets...
First off, it's a campaign. We have a budget allotment for campaigns, and all student shave a right to put forth campaigns they see as beneficial to the student body, and all student have a right to vote on these campaigns at the Campaigns Committee Meeting.
ReplyDeleteSecond, The health harm from bottled water is pretty much a myth. The levels of BPA are not harmful to adults, and generally only become leeched if heated (if ever at that).
Thirdly, you jump around during this post, claiming you want more publicity, but that you don't want it paid for with student money. Then I ask, whose money do you want spent on it, cuz there is not such thing as a money fairy.
pretty sure its funded by CFS
ReplyDelete@Michèle: I absolutely wasn't critisizing volunteers or activities being held! I think they're great and unfortunately I was in class and couldn't make it out! Of course the SFUO volunteers are great! And kudos to the SFUO for having invested the equipment need to print its own posters with all that good environmentally friendly stuff!
ReplyDelete@Ken Joly: 1. Absolutely right! 2. There are many scientific peer reviewed stuff saying both that the health effects are a myth and that the health effects are dangerous. It's a personnal choice I guess. 3. What I'm saying is that I think posters are mostly inaffective and money could be better spent elsewhere! Plus, I tend to agree with Tristan when he says this isn't really a burning issue with the majority of students.
1. Based on the response we got yesterday, I completely disagree with Tristan. This IS an important issue and should continue to become important.
ReplyDelete2. It isn't just about the waste of the plastic (which it is) and it isn't just about the health issue (and bottled water IS dangerous), my main point is that water is necessary to live, like air, and should be free. In Jordan (where I spend my summers on digs) I can't drink the water, and in many areas the citizens can't drink the water. They rely solely on bottled water that they have to buy because they do not have adequately safe and healthy tap (free) water. The more we buy bottled water in North America the more we validate the need for bottled water and accept, the easier it is for these major corporations to justify selling this life line in underdeveloped nations and because of that, there is no pressure on these nations/cities to provide their people with adequate water for free.
2. This was not funded by the CFS. They provided some resources, but the campaign sprung from the Polaris Institute that has little to do with the CFS and from an older SFUO campaign, the Right to Water. I am still as anti-cfs as I ever was and even moreso, but if they have some resources to help my mission, I will make use of them.
3. The campaign was funded by student money but from a variety of sources. So if you have a problem, talk to the School Spirit Committee, talk to CLS, etc. I am BADASS at getting subsidies and finding deals. The stainless steel bottles were half price and the plastic bottles were even cheaper (from my own contact) than when we did the bulk order with CFS (notice that the CFS logo is NOT on this second batch of bottles?). My budget is available to anyone who wants to see it and you are welcome to come by my office to get a stainless steel bottle as there are still some left.
4. Wow we can't please anyone. Too many posters. Not enough posters. Too much english. Too much French? Ok, Tristan, you used to work for the promo team and your feelings for the SFUO aside, you KNOW that if a poster is not bilingual that for every poster in one language there is a poster in the other. The promo team put them up and I made sure that the same amount of each was provided.
5. Watch Tapped.
I personally have used my own refillable water bottle since I arrived in Ottawa because I am not a fan of city water's taste, so I use my filter and then fill the bottle(I have a well at home for drinking water/outside hoses and everything else is on the municipal water system).
ReplyDeleteThis campaign was a good idea in the message that buying bottled water is pretty stupid, environmentally and to your wallet, in a place where taps and water fountains are everywhere...
I'm not sure if this qualifies as common sense, but I think most students try to avoid bottled water and use their own for the simple economics of it, and if that isn't stopping them from buying lots of bottled water, I'd go as far as to make the assumption that a few posters isn't going to change their ways.