Read the full story from the University of Vermont.
The University of Vermont will become one of the first institutions nationwide to end the sale of bottled water on campus and mandate that one-third of drinks offered in vending machines be healthy options. The decision marks the advent of a long-awaited systematic sustainable beverage policy after years of lobbying by students and the greater campus community.
The announcement comes five months prior to the end of a ten-year contract with Coca-Cola of Northern New England that allowed the company to provide 100 percent of beverages in vending machines and 80 percent of bottled beverages served in retail, residential dining, and catering, totaling more than 1.1 million bottles per year.
As of July 1, the university will no longer have a beverage contract with corporate sponsorship and exclusive “pouring rights.” Sodexo, operator of University Dining Services, the UVM Bookstore and the CAT Pause store will choose a mix of beverages through their own national contracts and local connections, allowing for greater flexibility in addressing environmental and social values in relation to the beverages supplied on campus.
