To the Editor,
I would like to thank the Daily for raising the important social justice issues surrounding Coca-Cola's operations in Latin America and India ("Coke under fire for policies abroad," Feb. 8, 2006).
Regardless of the TCU Senate's opinion on or desire to consider these matters, I strongly urge Dining Services to reconsider its contracts with Coke (and Pepsi, for that matter, as grassroots advocates in India say that Pepsi bottling plants also extract groundwater and deprive local communities).
Dining Services could then potentially purchase contracts from local bottlers that do not engage in destructive operations, thereby upholding values of social and environmental justice and strengthening the local economy.
I also encourage the Tufts community to visit the India Resource Center (http://www.indiaresource.org) for more information about Coke's practices in India.
We should ask ourselves if it is really worth forking our money over to multi-billion dollar corporations that undermine the human and environmental rights of some of the world's poorest, most marginalized peoples just so we can continue to guzzle artery-clogging soft drinks.
The student movement against Coca-Cola is growing on college campuses all over the country.
If we are truly committed to building a just and sustainable world, we must make a concerted effort to challenge irresponsible corporate behavior wherever we see it.
Aditya Nochur
LA '07
