Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to Xander Zebrose's column "Inside The Bottle" (Jan. 31). To think that such an article could come from a student attending such a progressive-thinking, well-educated university is astounding to me. The lack of consideration for many issues that are actually important in the matter of bottled water consumption, and the blatant disregard of facts in the article, surprise me. It saddens me to think that well-educated people like Zebrose share this opinion.
While there are many counterarguments to all of Zebrose's points in your article (tap water actually has more safety regulations than bottled water in the United States, and you even point out that some bottled water is in fact just tap water), I would like to focus more on the environmental impacts of Zebrose's advocacy of careless consumption.
His argument for getting a sense of "moral superiority" for recycling water bottles startles me. Where does he think plastic comes from? I'm sure he is well aware that plastic is derived directly from petroleum. I'm sure that I also do not need to tell him that petroleum is clearly not a renewable resource, and we are currently sending American troops to die in a war for control of that limited resource.
Does he really think that all plastic water bottles are recycled?
Water bottles that are thrown away will never decompose. While I fully support recycling and recognize that it does, in fact, help conserve those finite resources, recycling is not a perfect process. The process of recycling takes energy, again coming from non-renewable sources such as oil. Justifying consuming plastic because it is recyclable is simply wrong. We need to start maximizing the usage of our resources and reusing our limited resources (by using things like Nalgenes). This is one of the most effective methods of combating environmental degradation.
While I support Zebrose exercising his rights to free speech and providing a counterpoint in a one-sided argument on this campus, he is actually completely unfounded in his arguments, and his cavalier attitude is simply ignorant. His attitude of maintaining convenience in spite of environmental drawbacks demonstrates quite eloquently attitudes held now and in the past that have lead us into the midst of numerous environmental crises that we face today.
Samuel Costello Class of 2011
Dear Editor:
I would like to show my support for Pathways, Tufts Interfaith Initiative, in response to the recent article by Daniel Halper, "Department of Homeland Security's funds bring Islamist sympathizers to Tufts" (Jan. 31).
As a participant of Pathways' pre-orientation program, Bridge Builders, I fully support the Pathways project and its mission. Due to the hard work of Najiba Akbar and Shai Fuxman, I will always remember my introduction to the Tufts community.
Along with several other freshman, I spent a few days at BU's Sargent Center discussing different experiences with religion and culture. All of the participants became closer as we spent the weekend doing team-building exercises and engaging in in-depth dialog.
I believe Pathways has helped me transition well into the diverse student body at Tufts and has helped me see that listening to one another is the first step in understanding our varying backgrounds.
Bridge Builders was an amazing opportunity to learn about many unique people and share my experiences in a comfortable, cooperative environment. Pathways has done a lot to make Tufts more understanding of the diverse student body and their views. I met some of my closest friends through Pathways and I truly believe Pathways is an extraordinary organization committed to bridging the gap between various ethnic, religious and cultural groups at Tufts.
Caleb ZimmermanClass of 2011
