A full-page open letter with more than 700 signatures was recently released in a uni- versity campus newspaper. The letter according to www.texasenvironment.org protested the sale of the single-use, disposable plastic water bottles "shaped" like a university "symbol." The bottles are marketed to students and in local grocery stores and according to the article this does not align with the school's own sustainability program. The article reveals that with a global movement to ban plastic water bottles from college campuses, the university's decision has left students at the back of the environmental movement. What are the advantages and disadvantages of plastic bottles? What steps or procedures could be taken to minimize environmental impact of "single" use bottles? How would an engineer deal differently than a businessperson with the sale of disposable plastic water bottles?