Throughout the water crisis, residents stocked up on water bottles as early and quickly as possible.
Many students had friends or family bring them cases of water after shelves at the local Target and H-E-B went empty.
Students can reduce their environmental footprint and increase their charitable impact through water bottle donations to nonprofits around Austin.
Lorena Ortiz, an environmental science freshman, is one of many students who began drinking bottled water during the crisis.
“I’d be totally fine donating my water, because I’m not going to finish nine cases by the end of the semester.” With the demand for bottled water gone, students such as Ortiz can and should donate their water to local nonprofits who need it.
Places such as the Refugee Services of Texas Austin Service Center, Family Eldercare and Foundation for the Homeless all need water donations delivered at their locations for those in need in Austin.
They can carpool with friends, or even better, UT could create a designated station to deliver extra water cases and expedite the donation process for students.
A drop-off location for water on campus would help students conveniently deliver their water to organizations in need.
The organization has a truck ministry with the St. John Neumann Commissary that uses trucks to deliver meals, water and clothes to Austinites in need.
Instead of drinking all the leftover water, students should consider using refillable water bottles and giving the water to Austinites who don’t have access to clean water.