Taste testing water

The Social Responsibility Club conducted an SCSU Water Day: Taste the Difference Challenge in Atwood Memorial Center Thursday afternoon to promote drinking tap water and discouraging the purchase of bottled water.

Through the challenge, the Social Responsibility Club was hoping to promote the awareness of the global freshwater crisis.

The challenge consisted of four different unmarked cups of water; three were bottled water and one was tap water. The three brands of bottled water were Dasani, Nestle Ice Mountain and Aquafina. The tap water was from the Atwood Memorial Center.

The students were challenged to taste the water and guess which type of water was in each cup.

"People prefer one brand, but in a blind taste test, they can't tell the difference," said Neil Panchmatia, vice president of the Social Responsibility Club.

Less than a handful of students could tell the difference between the different types of water.

Kyle Wilkinson, a SCSU Freshman said, "It was interesting to know the waters did not taste different," after taking the Taste the Difference Challenge and only guessing two out of four types correctly.

"A lot of people have had their confidence in their water crushed," Panchmatia joked, discussing the event's turnout.

Brianne Daniels, a third-year SCSU student, did not guess any of the types of water correctly. "Obviously, I can't tell the difference," she said.

Minnesota's Think Outside the Bottle organization is submitting a petition to Governor Tim Pawlenty urging him to spend more tax-payer money on improving Minnesota's public water works and decrease the amount of money allocated to bottled water companies.

The Social Responsibility Club teamed up with Think Outside the Bottle to obtain signatures for the petition. After the challenge, students had the opportunity to sign the petition.

By the end of the event 113 people had signed the petition.

There was an additional question on the petition asking people if they support having more drinking fountains on campus and if they support a better water supply on campus.

Both Panchmatia and Eunice Adjei-Bosompem, President of the Social Responsibility Club, said they have received complaints about the water in the fountains in the Education Building. They have received complaints that the water in the old, ceramic fountains is cloudy and has an odor.

The Social Responsibility Club's next step in promoting tap water is to complete a water audit on campus. This will consist of the Social Responsibility Club counting the number of water fountains in each SCSU building verses the number of vending machines in the building. The Club is planning to submit that information to the Vice President of Administrative Affairs on Campus. The club is also planning to have an online student survey asking students about their quality of water on campus.

According to Panchmatia, the best way to get the healthiest, most safe drinking water is to purchase a filter to attach to a water faucet.

"We want to educate the public by letting them know what water is healthy and safe," Adjei-Bosompem said.