While the need for more sustainability and environmentally friendly programs has risen, so have the prices of one of the environmentally friendly initiatives on campus. As part of the University’s ‘Go Green’ initiative, Dining Services started selling orange reusable Nalgene bottles to their student employees last year as a promotion and then introducing them University-wide to students last fall. When the bottles were introduced campus-wide last semester, dining halls charged $2.67 and then 25 cents for any fountain refill after that. Starting this semester, a fountain refill increased to 59 cents. Daria Blachowski-Dreyer, the associate director of Nutrition Initiatives, said 25 cents was an introductory price to encourage students to purchase the orange bottles. While the refill price has risen, the cost of the bottle up front is still $2.67. Melissa Greene, a junior, said she thinks the raise in price is not a good idea. ‘Kids already think things are so expensive,’ Greene said. ‘It’s a good idea in theory; they’re just going about it in the wrong way.’ However, freshman Mindy Radabaugh said the rise in refill price is no big deal to her. She said she’s planning on purchasing one of the bottles and that the new hike in price is not going to stop her since it is about a 30 cent difference. ‘I think that it will probably be a little bit better for the University because of the low enrollment numbers,’ Radabaugh said. While students may have mixed feelings about the rise in price of the fountain drink refillable bottles, Blachowski-Dreyer said what students pay for the bottles is actually close to what the University buys them for. She also said the University does a cost comparison with other food companies off campus. The local Speedway gas station’s refill prices are $.79 per refill, Blachowski-Dreyer said. ‘It was meant to help the students; it’s not a profit maker by any means of the imagination,’ Blachowski-Dreyer said. While some students may think the raise in the price is unnecessary, University Sustainability Coordinator Nick Hennessy wants to remind students that ‘not all things that are the right thing to do are going to necessarily be cheaper or low cost.’ Hennessy said the bottles actually save money in the end. ‘It means that there’s less paper cups that have to be used and thrown away. So that’s going to be saving money because of the ultimate reduction of the number of cups,’ Hennessy said. He also said the 20 oz. plastic disposable bottles often go to waste. ‘I know that a lot of people buy a 20 oz. pop and think, ‘Oh I’ll drink some of it now and some of it later.’ Well then it gets warm or they lose it or they just get tired of it,’ Hennessy said. Hennessy also said the environment will be positively affected as well. ‘It’s one of the principles of sustainability is to reuse as much as you can reuse,’ Hennessy said. ‘I know recycling is too, but if you can reuse rather than recycle it’s even better.’ Greene, an environmental policy major, thinks even though the price increase is unneeded, the reusable bottles are more environmentally friendly. ‘Our society is focused on disposable everything,’ Greene said. ‘An Aquafina bottle will sit in a landfill for 1,000 years just for your convenience.’ Greene said she uses reusable bottles instead of plastic bottles that need to be recycled or thrown away because she wants to make an impact on the environment. Blachowski-Dreyer also thinks this idea is essential and that every little bit counts. ‘Even small steps can save lots of money and lots of energy and less landfills,’ she said.