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Graphic by Reem Al Menhali

Saadiyat Thought Bubble: The End of 500 Milliliter Water Bottles

Bite-size opinions from Saadiyat.

Feb 26, 2017

The Thought Bubble is a new initiative by The Gazelle that brings together bite-size opinions. This week’s topic is the discontinuation of the sale of 500 milliliter water bottles on campus.

Kamel AlSharif Class of 2017
If you want to reduce consumption of small bottles, make filling reusable ones easier. The fact of the matter is, water from the fountains/filters does not taste very good and coolers are not distributed well enough across residential buildings. … It's a great initiative to help the environment, but it's too focused on prevention and not enough on sustainability.

Nicole Gabriel Dobreva Class of 2020
We shouldn't use plastic so much generally, so cutting out something we all use will only teach and give an example to the students and staff here that they should be careful with plastic. However, it does very little about the actual usage footprint of the school ... so it is in fact useless as a salvation for the Earth.

James Carrington Gardner Class of 2017
I think that the water bottle ban is the right move. This initiative was proposed in my sophomore year to the NYUAD Student Government and ratified by the student body — regrettably it has taken over a year to implement. ... I would love, however, for reusable bottles to be sold for dining dirhams.

Odera Chiamaka Ebeze Class of 2019
Do you know how much I've saved by not spending a dirham per meal on water? As long as there's enough dispensers around the school and the tap water is safe to drink, get rid of the bottles.

Shaqe Karapetyan Class of 2020
The ban is also symbolic in showing our support to the general notion of having a more environmentally friendly and sustainable campus. … We get amazing opportunities here at NYUAD, but at the same time we need to stay conscious of the implications of our lifestyle here, and try to do at least the minimal, not only in giving back to the local community, but also in taking care of the environment.
Seyed Ahlesadaat is Deputy Opinion Editor. Email him at feedback@thegazelle.org.
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