UOIT Group Pushes Bottle Ban 40 Per Cent of Bottled Water Comes from Regional Taps

VOLUME XXXV, Issue 2 September , James Hoffman, Lords golf team Take back the night rally Story on page 32 Story on page 3 UOIT group pushes bottle ban 40 per cent of bottled water comes from regional taps By Edith Zikmann Chronicle Staff Don’t be fooled by the fancy label on that bottle of water. Tap water is better because it is cheap- er, healthier and friendlier to the environment, says UOIT student group Boycott the Bottle. Co-founded by Anthony Bo- land, a Physics student at UOIT, Boycott the Bottle seeks to raise awareness about the social, en- vironmental and health implica- tions that result from the purchase and consumption of bottled water products. Boland argues that water is a fundamental aspect of all life and should not be privatized, bottled and sold for profit. Bottling water is privatizing something essential Photo by Edith Zikmann to life and making it 240 to 10,000 times more expensive than tap DUMP THAT BOTTLE: Anthony Boland, co-founder and spokesperson for UOIT student group Boycott the Bottle, water, says Boland. He points out that 40 per cent pours out a bottle of water while holding the group’s logo. of all bottled water companies get their water from the same place it in a plastic bottle,” said Fatema Boland says the bottled water spent tens of millions of dollars are tested more frequently and you do- the tap. Abdulhusein, a second-year Biol- industry is one of Canada’s most marketing the idea their water is stringently. “You’re paying for water that ogy student and internal affairs unregulated resources. He argues purer and healthier than tap water, comes out of your tap just to get co-ordinator of the campaign. that bottled water companies have when municipal water facilities See Bottled page 2 DC gives equipment to kids in need Vote for SA Athletics reps Oct. 1 By Edith Zikmann department Chronicle Staff Students will have the donates opportunity to vote for their faculty director and program representative of choice in uniforms and this year’s SA by elections, Oct. 1. soccer balls Faculty directors represent all students in their area By Lynn Wayling of study and sit on the Stu- Chronicle Staff dent Association’s board of directors. School may have been out for Program representatives, summer and varsity athletics on also known as class presi- hiatus till fall, but that didn’t stop dents, represent the class they Durham College’s athletics depart- are in and keep in touch with ment from working over the break Photo by MATE/FCC the SA, informing them of is- to help further the sporting experi- HOMEMADE BALL: A young African boy shows off his makeshift soccer ball. sues that need to be worked ence of disadvantaged youths in on. Africa. Voting begins 9 a.m. and Working in conjunction with together a package of gently used seven schools in Nairobi, Kenya can countries and witnessed the ends at 5 p.m. that day. Stu- the Mission for Advancing Theo- athletic equipment and uniforms and Chingola, Zambia. children’s reaction to the equip- dents will be able to vote on- logical Education and Friends to send overseas. Marilyn Daniels, missions co- ment first-hand. line at your-sa.ca and at poll- Committed to Caring (MATE/ One shipment of the equip- ordinator for MATE/FCC, accom- ing stations on campus. FCC), the athletic department put ment already made its way to over panied the shipment to the Afri- See Sports page 2 2 The Chronicle September 30, 2008 CAMPUS NEWS Students help campus food centre with donations for Thanksgiving By Shawntee Russell Chronicle Staff Thanksgiving is a holiday sur- rounded by family friends and good food. But when students have no food, it can take away from their everyday life and their holiday spirit. The Women’s Centre will be playing its role this Thanksgiving by holding a food drive to help reduce hunger on the campus. The food drive was started because the campus already has an existing Christmas food drive and there was support in place for the Christmas holi- days, but there wasn’t anything for Thanksgiving, explains Alli- son Hector-Alexander, Women’s Centre co-ordinator. “There was this gap in services that needed to be filled,” she said. The food drive was started last Photo by Shawntee Russell year and will continue to be an annual event. FREE FOOD: Jarrett Khargie shows off some food available to needy students at the campus food centre. Students can get involved by co-ordinating mini food drives tions for this food drive. afford. There is a huge need for centre has a goal of helping be- around the campus. within a group or a class. They “It is important for students to students to step up and help tween 40 and 50 families. “Students are the ones that can also help by collecting food donate because students are the each other. The campus food Students who are in need of a make it happen, I just help orga- and bringing it in. “If every stu- ones accessing the food centre,” centre is a service that is being food hamper need to get in touch nize it in the background”, said dent brought in one non-per- said Hector-Alexander. used, so we do know that there with the Women’s Centre to reg- Hector-Alexander. “It’s part of ishable food item, we’d be fully “With all the expenses in- is an issue. Hunger, being able to ister before Wednesday, Oct. 8. what I’m passionate about. I was stocked,” said Hector-Alexander. volved with college and univer- access food supplies, and rising The food drive is being held be- a student at one point. I know Cash donations and food sity, often times food is an ex- costs of tuition are all issues.” tween Sept. 29 and Oct. 10. what it’s like. It’s about putting vouchers are accepted as dona- pense that many students can’t This year the campus food Purple boxes will be located the supports in place.” Sports-ﬁlled summer for kids in Africa thanks to DC athletics Continued from page 1 sports equipment to impover- Durham’s athletic director Ken that, “ To us [athletics department] children they haven’t been aban- “They’re so grateful,” she says of ished schools, sends writing mate- Babcock heard about the organi- are in medium shape, not game doned by the rest of the world. their response and explains that rials, books, computers, and tools zation through Mary-Alice Har- usable for conference play here “They need something that indi- these are children used to play- overseas. FCC, a health care min- vey, who works in the Counselling or maybe not intramurals, [but] to cates that other people care about ing soccer barefoot with makeshift istry that provides health training, Services department at the Health them is just gold. They’re still us- them,” says Daniels. She also re- balls made of string and plastic education and clinical services, and Wellness Centre. In turn, Har- able, they’re great, they work.” marks about how humbling the bags. For them to have actual soc- joined MATE to help expand their vey’s brother, Dr. Michael Hender- As for the benefit the kids de- missions are, to “see people out of cer balls to play with is a big deal. missions. Some of MATE/FCC’s son, was in contact with a physi- rive from the equipment, Babcock their poverty trying to thank you “We’re excited about providing recent projects involved drilling cian who worked with MATE/ says, “Kids can experience being with food.” things they don’t have.” wells, setting up radio stations and FCC. Thus, the connection was on a team,” learning teamwork and Babcock sums up the donation Daniels has been with the or- providing sewing schools for un- made between the college and the leadership skills, as well as having in this way: “The college believes ganization for 14 years. The Chris- employed widows – all of which organization. fun. “Kids should play, kids should strongly in doing these kind of tian organization was formed in ultimately help countries and in- And Babcock was more than be able to smile and play and have things – helping the community. 1985 and, in addition to shipping dividuals become more self-sus- willing to participate in the project, fun,” he adds. This time it becomes a global com- tainable. donating soccer balls and uniforms The equipment also shows the munity. It’s a good thing.” Helping Bottled water hurts, tap water helps Continued from page 1 safe to drink. Bottled water corporations spend mil- the needy “Every single day there are results post- “University of Toronto professors have lions each year to convince us their prod- ed online available to the public about the said that the concentrations of those sub- ucts are better than tap water, although the By Lynn Wayling tap water quality,” said Boland. stances are so minuscule that they have no majority of water bottles end up in landfills, Chronicle Staff “They are also vigorously tested by gov- effect,” said Boland. said Boland. Millions of litres of fossil fuels ernment experts, whereas the bottled wa- “It would take a lifetime of drinking tap are burned in the production and trans- Since its formation in 1985, ter companies aren’t bound to that same water to even build up to a fraction of an portation of the bottles, he added. MATE/FCC has donated books legislation.

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