U.S. landfills are overflowing with 2 million tons of discarded water bottles alone. Water bottles have become more than a luxury since the production of them in the 1970’s.

Wilkes University encourages students to go green and support the effort for a more eco-centric community.

The SES Club, Students for Environmental Sustainability, works with many environmental organizations to help encourage university students, faculty and the community of Wilkes Barre to recycle if they are using water bottles or to stop using them completely. Their main goal is to educate people on the harmful effects plastics pose on the earth.

“SES has tried reducing the use of plastics on Wilkes’ campus by educating students about plastic water bottles and the threat they pose to the environment,” Rachel Hodgins, sophomore environmental engineering major and Vice President of the SES said.

During the fall semester, the students of SES conducted an experiment. They had other students taste test bottled water and tap water. Fifty percent of the students preferred bottled, 33 percent preferred the tap and 17 percent saw no difference between the two. In the end, both waters were from the exact same source.

“We had a Water Taste Test Table in the SUB during club hours where students were able to taste two different types of water: filtered and tap. The cups were labeled with numbers so they had no idea which water they were drinking,” stated Hodgins.

Members of the SES keep urging students to use reusable water bottles and replace bottled water with filtration systems. Both are effective ways to stay green and save some green.