Elementary teachers target bottled water in schools

Vancouver elementary school teachers want bottled water banned from the school district and replaced with safely accessible tap water at all schools and district worksites.

The Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association (VESTA) raised the question of bottled water during the last school year. On Monday night, it asked for a progress report at the district's management coordinating committee meeting.

Glen Hansman, VESTA's third vice president, said the availability of bottled water sends students the message that it's the "good" water. "Vancouver has awesome water, so there's no reason why school communities shouldn't be able to access that at school," he said.

He added the environmental impact of plastic containers and transportation costs associated with bottled water conflict with what he said was a belief among Canadians "that everyone should have access to clean water in their communities."

Kevin Millsip, the district's sustainability coordinator, is preparing an overall sustainability strategy for the board, which will address concerns about bottled water among other environmental questions, according to committee chair and Vision Vancouver school trustee Mike Lombardi. It will be ready later this month or by September.

"[Millsip] has been researching what different jurisdictions are doing across the country," Lombardi said Tuesday morning. "He says there's a mixture--some boards are banning bottled water outright and some are taking an in between approach."

VESTA argues bottled water uses vast amounts of energy and resources to produce and transport and its disposal in landfills pollutes the ground and atmosphere.

"Another worrisome fact is that bottled water is less stringently regulated than tap water and is up to 10,000 times more expensive," VESTA wrote in its letter to the management coordinating committee last June, adding that water is essential to life and should not be viewed as a commodity to be bought and sold for profit.

Union members are pushing for a phase-out of bottled water from schools since they're also concerned about the availability of clean tap water.

"If you go to a number of elementary schools, the water fountains aren't the most appetizing things to drink out of and there's a question about the [safety of] piping," said Hansman, who maintains the provincial government should pay for properly maintaining and upgrading school district buildings.

"If there are problems with lead pipes and decrepit water fountains, then the funds need to be there to replace them just like we get rid of asbestos," he said.

Julianne Doctor, chairwoman of the District Parent Advisory Committee, said the use of bottled water was discussed several years ago, but DPAC felt it couldn't support an outright ban, although it did support reducing the use of single-use plastic water bottles.

Bottled water is mainly sold in elementary schools during special events and in high schools through vending machines. Depending on the contract, vending machine profits can provide a significant source of income for schools. "Given the current state of funding, can we blame schools for wanting to have these contracts?" said Doctor, who noted water fountains have been turned off in some older schools because of concerns about lead pipes.

Hansman, meanwhile, questions how much money is actually raised through the sale of bottled water, while adding that profits are negated by other costs associated with their consumption. But he's convinced the district will support VESTA's position.

noconnor@vancourier.com