Sustainable water consumption
Creators: name: Cheong, Elizabeth
name: Davies, Jodie
name: Tulipano, Lesley
name: Wong, Bernice
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2014

description: This report is a social marketing plan prepared in continuation of a University of British Columbia SEEDS Project: Shifting to Sustainable Drinking Water Consumption. It defines a series of sustainable marketing strategies geared towards the promotion of available clean water sources around campus. In turn, it discusses the reduction of disposable water bottle purchases and increase of reusable water bottle purchases at UBC. Over the past few years, UBC Sustainability and affiliated organizations have made significant gains in developing resources to enable sustainable water consumption on campus. From the extensive sale of reusable water bottles to the introduction of requirements enforcing the presence of water fountains in all new buildings, UBC has grown a substantial network of alternatives to the disposable water bottle. However in spite of the immense availability of clean water resources, few students are taking advantage of the freshest and cheapest method of water consumption: drinking from the tap. The reasoning behind this is a lack of awareness and promotion around the cleanliness and sustainability of Vancouver tap water. Awareness, Support and Participation We have defined a three-pronged strategy plan to encourage the use of sustainable water resources in and around campus. Our differentiated strategy was developed with respect to four distinct audiences in the student body as segmented based on their mindset toward sustainability. Under each umbrella strategy, we have analyzed a number of tactics, ranging from informational posters to negative reinforcement practices. Through consumer surveying and past research, we make strategic recommendations on best promotional methods. Our strategy begins with short, attention grabbing techniques to quickly penetrate the market and increase the public’s awareness of our main issue: Vancouver tap water is clean and free. While our audience’s attention is piqued, we will seek administrative support from sustainability-oriented student and staff organizations alike. Through their support we will be able to create large scale campaigns such as Sustainability Week, and increase our impact on the student body. When we have garnered enough attention and support for our issue, we will be able to encourage participation by members of our target audience. In following this structure, we will be able to foster desired behaviours on UBC campus, driving positive change and reducing environmental impact. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”