TGIF Final Report s1

TGIF Final Report June 2009

Final reports should be sent to Nicole Leung, TGIF Coordinator, at [email protected] or dropped off at 400 Eshleman Hall.

Project Name: I Heart Tapwater (formerly Healthy You for a Healthy Universe)

1. Your name Cathy Kodama, Health Promotion Director, University Health Services

2. Additional Project Leaders Trish Ratto, Manager, Health*Matters, University Health Services Kim LaPean, Communications Manager, University Health Services

3. Organization Sponsoring Department: University Health Services Partnering organizations, departments, or individuals: UC Berkeley’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Work Group comprised of management and student representatives from University Health Services, Cal Dining, ASUC Auxiliary, Recreational Sports Facility (RSF), Environment, Health & Safety, the ASUC Sustainability Coalition, and faculty from the School of Public Health, Physical Education Department, UCB Center for Weight and Health, and Department of Integrative Biology.

4. Project summary a. Goals of the project b. Accomplishments / successes c. Challenges / obstacles – what were the challenges in this project and how did you respond? What do you wish that you had known before you started / what could have been improved?

This collaborative campaign seeks to promote the drinking of tap water by the campus community as the preferred beverage over bottled water, soda, and energy drinks. These bottled drinks contribute to the campus’ waste stream and require petroleum-based products for production and transport; and per capita, have raised caloric intake from beverages to 21%, a significant increase from 25 years ago and a contributing factor in the obesity epidemic. The campaign promotes tap water by building awareness with a public information campaign, improving accessibility to tap water via campus fountains and new refill water stations, and distributing thousands of free, high quality, reusable bottles with a consistent health and sustainability logo. This project’s goals are to improve accessibility to tap water by assessing campus fountains and installing new water refill stations in various locations around campus, promote use of reusable aluminum bottles, reduce the purchase and waste generation of plastic bottles, and encourage healthier drinking habits.

The Tang Center, Campus Dining, Environmental Health and Safety, and the Recreational Sports Facility collaborate on a variety of awareness and accessibility initiatives to promote the use of tap water by the campus community and reduce the amount of plastic and other beverage containers being used.

Changing Social Norms: I Heart Tap Water Website, Pledge, and Campus Outreach A key to the I Heart Tap Water campaign is to address community behavior and change campus norms around the use of bottled v. tap water, and address negative perceptions of tap water as well as the facilities it is distributed from. This included: - Campus event tabling, including Caltopia 2008, Play Green, Mind-Body Awareness Week, and Earthweek. - Developing and promoting the I Heart Tapwater website (uhs.berkeley.edu/tapwater) with information on the benefits of tap water, prizes, and a pledge to drink more tap water. As of March, there were 4,802 hits to the I Heart Tap Water webpage and 813 students, faculty and staff have taken the pledge. Of those, 80%

1 use a refillable water bottle and quench thirst from sources all over campus from water fountains to kitchens in departments. We are currently collecting input on locations for refilling water bottles, and planning to develop outreach education citing favorite spots. - Campus units purchased approximately 1,000 reusable stainless steel bottles for distribution. - Sponsoring the campus presentation of the documentary film “Flow” in collaboration with campus Earthweek. - Working with campus media to promote the tap water message. o Article in eGrad newsletter: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/publications/egrad/0209.shtml#6 o Ads in the Daily Californian. o “I Heart Tap Water” Facebook group. o Promotional posters distributed in campus departments and student living centers. o Postcards, buttons, and stickers distributed widely on campus.

Water Fountain Assessment The students in the fall 08 NST 166 Community Nutrition class received training from EH&S professionals to assess water fountains for visual appeal, water pressure and water color, odor and taste. They assessed 467 water fountains in over 65 campus buildings and only found 24 fountains to be problematic for anything from being dirty or stained to being completely out of service. These fountains have been reported to Physical Plant Campus Services. Six months later, two students reassessed the 24 problem fountains and found 6 continue to be unacceptable. This information has been made available on the website in order to encourage people to use water fountains and overcome the negative stigma associated with campus water fountains.

Hydration Stations Project staff have worked with campus building managers and coordinators, campus departments, and the hydration station vendor, to establish locations for tapwater hydration stations to be placed in strategic locations on campus, and in new buildings, to provide a hygienic way for people to refill water bottles. This was the most challenging aspect of the project, since complications with the vendor and individual building issues delayed the installations. In March 2009, the Recreational Sports Facility was able to get two hydration stations installed. See the Berkeleyan article attached, or at http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2009/03/19_thirst.shtml. The long term goal for this strategy is to encourage departments to make the initial outlay for a hydration station and reduce University costs for purchasing water dispensers (in 2004-2005, campus departments spent $167,746 on cooler services), in addition to transportation and waste impacts.

Specific Outreach to Faculty/Staff  Campus-wide emails to Faculty and Staff, Oct 2008, Feb 2009 and April 2009 sent as part of the monthly UC Living Well emails sent to Department Benefit Counselors to forward on to all faculty and staff.  Distributed 1,000 posters to Building Coordinators and Department Wellness Coordinators for posting in buildings and departments.  Postcards and buttons distributed at all Health*Matters programs and classes.  Water bottles given as prizes for lifestyle incentive programs from Health*Matters.  May 2009, Staff Appreciation Day outreach to 2,000 staff with water bottle prize giveaways, posters, and buttons.

5. Sustainability Impact a. What quantifiable sustainability impacts did your project have? b. Do you expect on-going benefits (annual cost savings)? Please include estimates of these impacts. TGIF may follow up with you in one year to confirm these benefits.

Our goal of the I Heart Tap Water campaign was to reduce bottled water sales, available in both vending and retail, by 25%. In 2005-06, sales of bottled water equaled 29,280 cases. In 2008-09, sales equaled 21, 979 cases, a decline of 25% or 175,224 plastic water bottles. The decline is sales is primarily in retail operations, while vending sales are relatively steady. As the campaign continues, we expect to see further reductions in these

2 numbers as we improve access to reliable sources of tap water on campus. Additionally, we hope that improved confidence in taps and drinking fountains, and an increased investment in hydration stations in campus buildings, will begin to reduce the approximately $167,746 spent by the University on water cooler services annually.

6. Visibility / Outreach (examples include building renovations, signs, a garden, etc.)

See attached examples.

7. Conclusions and next steps – will your project continue on into the future? Where do you plan to expand/continue working?

We plan to continue the I Heart Tap Water campaign, using existing resources, into the next academic year. This will include the following: • Web site with the online pledge and regular raffle drawings for IHTW water bottles. • Facebook group • Posters/postcard/button distribution, upon request and to select groups, such as Health Workers, sTEAM and residence hall sustainability coordinators, Building Coordinators, Department Wellness Coordinators. • Outreach events, including Water Wednesdays on Sproul; Earth week 2010; and Staff Appreciation 2010. • Cross marketing with campus partners: Cal Dining – continuation of IHTW Kleen Kanteen sales + spring break water bottle contest; RSF – promotion of hydration stations, IHTW campaign.

8. Budget Summary – include an official copy of a ledger with all expenses listed

See attached.

3 Outreach/Visibility Samples I