Students Demonstrate That Anyone Can Take Back the Tap on Earth Day
Washington, DC –– After two months and over one hundred and forty
entries from young activists and filmmakers across the country, the
celebrity-judged I “Heart” Tap Water national video contest has a final
winner just in time for Earth Day. Using a variety of media including
claymation and animation, students creatively declared their love for
tap water on film and pledged to rid their campuses of bottled water.
30 Rock actor Alec Baldwin was one of many judges representing the
environment, film, students, and non-profit organizations to choose the
first–place winner of the contest who will receive $1,500.
“It’s
inspiring to see so many talented students using their creativity to
dispel the myth behind bottled water,” stated Alec Baldwin. "Developing
a concise and effective PSA is an art form and these students did just
that on behalf of an important issue."
Wenonah Hauter, Food
& Water Watch Executive Director and one of the contest judges
agrees with Baldwin. “College students have proven that they are both
creative and technologically sophisticated in designing compelling
educational videos about bottled water. With this video contest
students are building support among tomorrow’s leaders to value tap
water and to make the public investments necessary to continue having
clean and affordable water.”
Elizabeth Klein from University of Cincinnati was announced as the winner of the contest with her stop-motion animation video.
Klein’s video and other finalist videos fulfilled the following
requirements: a declaration of love for tap water, some discussion
about bottled water consumption, and why the student’s college or
university should break the bottled water habit. Zachary Eagles from Fresno City College and Matthew Williams from SUNY College at Potsdam were also among the top three finalists of the competition.
The contest is a part of Food & Water Watch’s Take Back the Tap
college campaign that encourages students and entire campuses to cut
existing contracts with bottled water corporations and promote the use
of tap water. According to the group’s report Take Back the Tap, tap
water is better for consumers’ health, their pocketbooks, and the
environment. Millions of barrels of oil are used to produce and
transport plastic bottles annually, and in the end, 86 percent of the
bottles end up in landfills. The report is one of many useful materials
available at Food & Water Watch’s new website at www.takebackthetap.org.
“TakeBacktheTap.org
is a one-stop resource for individuals interested in taking action in
their local communities either at their college campuses or favorite
restaurants,” stated Hauter. “Individuals can download any of these
materials and equip themselves with the tools needed to raise awareness
in their cities about the deception behind bottled water.”
The
site provides petitions, how-to guides, educational fliers, and other
resources for not just colleges and students, but also restaurants and
restaurant-goers interested in taking back the tap.
Food &
Water Watch is working with cities across the country to urge local
restaurants and chefs to switch to serving only municipal tap water and
help educate customers about the benefits of tap over bottled water.
Last month, San Francisco joined forces with Food & Water Watch and
the city government to help kick-off the campaign, and Food & Water
Watch is working to launch similar campaigns with Santa Cruz,
California, St. Louis, Missouri, New York City, and Portland, Maine
this spring and summer.
“Serving clean and affordable water from
the tap is a healthy and sensible decision for businesses and their
customers,” stated Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food &
Water Watch. “Citizens can make the healthy choice for the planet and
their future by asking restaurants to kick the bottled water habit.”
To
view the I “Heart” Tap Water video contest finalists and winner, and
for more information on the Take Back the Tap Campaign, please visit www.takebackthetap.org.
