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2017 Spring | Arts & Humanities, Education & Outreach, Sustainability

Tap or Bottled? Examining Drinking Water Preferences

Student(s):

Johanna Ventre

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Viccy Salazar

Partner(s):

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10

Faculty advisor(s):

Tania M. Busch Isaksen Professor of the School of Public Health at the University of Washington

Single-use plastic water bottles are unsustainable and overconsumed, so my project aimed to discover who buys plastic water bottles and the rationale behind these purchases. I conducted a survey and found that young people and those who make less than $30,000 a year buy the least amount of plastic water bottles each week. From my survey, I also found that convenience and forgetfulness, safety, and taste were the most common reasons for “why.” While only covering a small fraction of unsustainable waste and energy, my project shows the importance of understanding behaviors to lead to sustainable change for the future.