I was pleased to read your article, “Bottle racket,” in the February 8 issue of the Maroon. I recently took over as the general manager for the student-run Divinity School coffee shop, Grounds of Being. I have been struck similarly by the high sales of bottled water in my own shop, since my experience in food service in other areas of the city have shown a far more progressive bent on this issue, from both business owners and customers alike.

In response to your reasonable and responsible call, Grounds of Being will be phasing out the sale of bottled water over the next few weeks. Instead, we will sell custom-printed BPA—free stainless steel refillable water bottles. To encourage the purchase of these bottles, which we should have in two weeks, and discourage the sale of plastic disposable water bottles, we will be increasing our pricing by 50 percent for our remaining bottled water stock. Once we sell out, we will no longer purchase or sell bottled water.

As a business manager and a student member of this community, I appreciate your efforts to draw attention to this matter. We can hardly expect to be a progressive institution if we manage our natural resources poorly. I hope that other vendors on campus will soon follow suit.

Greg Chatterley

M.A. student in Divinity School

Manager, Grounds of Being