ThinkTap: Evaluation of a participatory campaign to decrease waste and promote health by encouraging use of tap rather than bottled water on a college campus

Plastic bottles are a wasteful and environmentally harmful way of delivering water, yet bottled water is the most rapidly growing segment of the beverage industry. Production and transport of plastic bottles wastes fossil fuels and water and emits toxic chemicals. After use, most bottles end up in landfills. Use of bottled water detracts from public commitment to protect drinking water and improve water infrastructure. We will evaluate a participatory campaign to increase consumption of tap water, decrease sales of water and other bottled beverages, and reduce resulting waste on a college campus in NYC. The campaign (February-May 2008) includes posters and floor sticker “paths” to water fountains containing information on the environmental harm of bottled water and the quality, safety and economic benefits if tap water; blind taste and laboratory tests of bottled vs. tap water; and speakers and films on world water issues. Evaluation will be based on monthly changes in vending machine sales of water and other beverages on campus, pre and post surveys on beverage consumption patterns and attitudes of campus community members, and counts of numbers of people using water fountains at matched times/days. Analysis of variance will be used to test for significant differences between baseline and post-intervention results. If successful, the campaign can be duplicated on other similar campuses.