Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 71.18
Liaison Kelli O'Day
Submission Date Sept. 13, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

University of California, Davis
SD-13: Water Initiatives

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete N/A Camille Kirk
Director of Sustainability and Campus Sustainability Planner
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is there is a ban or restriction on selling or distributing bottled water on campus? :
No

Provide a brief description of any bottled water ban or restriction :
---

Does the institution meter any of its non-potable water usage? :
Yes

The percentage of urinals on campus that are waterless :
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

UC Davis has taken steps to provide alternatives to bottled water and educate the campus community, instead of implementing a ban on the product due to a concern that individuals may purchase a potentially less healthy alternative. Student Housing has provided a free stainless steel bottle to every resident for the last four years, which means most undergraduates currently on campus have received a reusable container. In addition, there are about thirty units, designed to fill water bottles, on campus that provide free, filtered water. During the 2011 new student orientation fair, there was a water-tasting booth where it was demonstrated that bottled water does not always taste better and students were informed about the filtered water dispensers in their residence hall.

9 urinals (in two buildings) are waterless. There is an operational cost to waterless urinals that may outweigh the sustainability benefits of reduced water consumption, such as costs associated with cleaning time, cleaning chemicals, and replacement cartridges. Additionally, the existing plumbing in some buildings prevents the installation of waterless urinals.


UC Davis has taken steps to provide alternatives to bottled water and educate the campus community, instead of implementing a ban on the product due to a concern that individuals may purchase a potentially less healthy alternative. Student Housing has provided a free stainless steel bottle to every resident for the last four years, which means most undergraduates currently on campus have received a reusable container. In addition, there are about thirty units, designed to fill water bottles, on campus that provide free, filtered water. During the 2011 new student orientation fair, there was a water-tasting booth where it was demonstrated that bottled water does not always taste better and students were informed about the filtered water dispensers in their residence hall.

9 urinals (in two buildings) are waterless. There is an operational cost to waterless urinals that may outweigh the sustainability benefits of reduced water consumption, such as costs associated with cleaning time, cleaning chemicals, and replacement cartridges. Additionally, the existing plumbing in some buildings prevents the installation of waterless urinals.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.