Ban the Bottle SFU is made up of 15 undergraduate and graduate students, and it is led by Mireta Stranberg-Salmon, a student in the School of Resource and Environmental Management.
In an interview with The Peak, Stranberg-Salmon explained that she was inspired to start the group because of a World Water Day event held earlier this year by SFU’s Pacific Water Research Center (PWRC).
Before this, Stranberg-Salmon had led a similar initiative at her Burnaby high school and succeeded at banning bottled water at the institution.
The group is supported by PWRC, the SFU Sustainability Office, and the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS).
In an interview with The Peak, Adeel explained that if SFU were to enact this ban, the school would need to make three major changes.
Adeel noted that in the Technology and Science Complex (TASC) 2, where his office is, there are no fountains or refill stations.
Adeel explained that the bottled water ban was an important initiative due to the environmental, health, economical, and social ramifications of bottled water.
Adeel also noted that bottled water can also be expensive for students.
Ban the Bottle SFU is also looking to hold a movie night on campus near the end of November, during which they will screen a documentary on the topic and hope to gain further support and notice on campus.
As Ban the Bottle SFU begins to raise awareness among the student body and meet with university administration, Strandberg-Salmon noted that she had been encouraged so far by the responses and support the group had been receiving.