University Students ‘Think Outside the Bottle’

“Think Outside the Bottle” is an event aimed at educating the campus community about drinking water facts and issues. It is organized by the Student Sustainability Council and the Office for Campus Sustainability as part of the University of Arkansas “No Impact Semester.”

The event is being help from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27 on the Central Quad between the Arkansas Union Mall and Mullins Library. If you are having trouble finding it just look for the 15 foot tall plastic water bottle that university students made using 11,625 empty water bottles. The giant structure represents the estimated number of plastic water bottles bought, but not recycled, in a given day on campus.

Volunteers, including members from the office of campus sustainability, the Student Sustainability Council and the Beaver Water District, will also hold a Drinking Water Info Expo, as  part of the “Bottle” event. Anyone attending can pick up fact sheets, flyers, free reusable water bottles, and other information.. Student Sustainability Council members will provide "Think Outside the Bottle" pledge cards for people who want to promise to stop consuming bottled water.

Colin Beavan, the author of No Impact Man is visiting campus Thursday and Friday as part of the One Book, One Community project, and the “Bottle” event is timed to coincide with his visit.

At 1:15 p.m. the Office for Campus Sustainability will announce the winners of the university’s first No Impact Competition on campus, with Beavan presenting the awards. He will give a public lecture at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening at the Arkansas Union Verizon Ballroom. It is free and open to the public. The lecture will be followed by a book-signing.