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THE DAILY ILLINI The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 149 Issue 25
Student Government Coca-Cola leads in plastic pollution Illinois investigates privacy breach BY ETHAN SIMMONS STAFF WRITER
The Coca-Cola Company was named the world’s leading plastic polluter for the second year in a row. Non-governmenta l organization Break Free from Plastic held 848 plastic cleanup events in 51 countries around the world. Participants collected 11,732 pieces of plastic from Coke products, over 6,000 more than runner-up Nestle. The University has a complicated contractual history with Coca-Cola. In 2007, Pepsi outbid CocaCola for exclusive pouring rights on Illinois state property, including its four universities. F r om 2 0 0 5 -2 0 0 7, lo c a l or g a n i z at ion Coalition Against Coke Contracts pressured the Universit y to terminate its business relationship with Coke, citing human rights violations in Ind ia a nd Colombia. A f ter t h ree years of Pepsi, Coke won a 2010 rebid and has been the University’s sole beverage prov ider ever since. The current renewal is set to expire on June 30. Coke’s stake in the University c o n t r a c t goes beyond expanding its brand. “ T h e visibility of Coke brands on campus not only serves a pr omot ion a l pu r pose to sell those drinks in those locations, but it also legitimizes t he compa ny and those brands by associating Coke w ith all the positive functioning and feelings around the University,” said Amanda Ciafone, professor in Media. Earlier this year, C i a f on e w rote “Counter-Cola: A Multinational Histor y of the Global C or p or at ion ,” examining the compa ny ’s global influence on politics and culture. “Coke really wants to be seen as a good consumer citizen, to be seen as investing in these environmental responsibility initiatives,” Ciafone said. CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI Coke has a history
In September, over 72,000 volunteers combed through beaches, city streets, waterways and neighborhoods to pick up pieces of plastic.
There were a total of 848 cleanup events across 51 countries.
Over 475,000 pieces of plastic was collected. Of this total, 11,732 items collected were Coca-Cola products found in 37 countries.
Source:Forbes Forbes urce:
of “pushing back” against environmental critiques and directly targeting reg u lat ion s, Cia fone said. Since Coca-Cola externalizes bottling to other companies, it shields itself from criticism of its pollution. Coke ha s recently opposed bottle bills, where customers can collect a few cents for returning plastic bottles. For the 10 states that have them, recycling is noticeably higher. The company has raised lofty anti-pollution goals, aiming to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of the packaging it sells by 2030. The contract makes Coca-Cola the exclusive beverage provider for the University and requires the implementation of Coke advertising and signage across campus, mainly inside its athletic buildings. In return, the University receives a n a n nua l sponsorship fee of $575,000, along with commissions for vending machine sales of certain Coke products. For ex a mple, t he University receives 40% commissions on vending sales of Dasani bottled water. Dasani bottles are the top-selling Coke product on ca mpus according to Lori Holmes, assistant director of vending operations for the Illini Union. “Coca-Cola has been unusually generous in donating product, time and special event opportunities for the students,” Holmes said in an email. Coke organizes the a nnua l Illini Union Student Barbecue and several yearly Main Quad dinners. These and the provided beverages are all free of charge. Holmes said she is “impressed” by the Break Free from Plastic movement and is “hopeful that it gains enough momentum to truly make a difference in how cor porations view their environmental responsibilities.” “As with most reports like this, they do not recognize or reference the work that companies are doing to address the issues. CocaCola has been working diligently to eradicate as much waste as possible in a variety of different ways,” Holmes said. Along with PepsiCo, Keurig and Dr. Pepper, C o c a- C ol a l au nc he d the “Every Bottle Back” initiative last month, pledging to improve the collection of the industry’s plastic bottles. Bugra Sahin, senior in Engineering, serves as chair for the committee of Resilience, Sustainability a nd E n v i r on m ent a l Justice in Illinois Student Government. Sahin helped organize
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Prior to the decision on Resolution 03.29, a bill distinguishing anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism, many members of the Illinois Student Government were contacted in an attempt to sway their votes. The majority of the members contacted reported being asked to vote against the resolution, which had already drawn up considerable controversy around campus. Members were contacted through phone calls, text messages and emails.
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Last week, the Art Film Foundation officially filed bankruptcy just weeks after the announcements of The Art Theater’s closing. This came to light a few days before the foundation was due to pay nearly $5,000 in rent to building owner David Kraft.
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Landlord David Kraft stands outside of The Art Theater in Champaign on Saturday. The Art Film Foundation officially filed bankruptcy last week closely following the announcements of The Art Theater’s closing.
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The bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5. Until then, there can be no further financial action, and the foundation still has rights to the space. Kraft said unless somehow the foundation gives him possession of the the-
BY HEATHER ROBINSON
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Art Film Foundation bankruptcy hearing scheduled for December
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According to student body President Connor Josellis, junior in Media, it’s not unusual to receive feedback from the community, and member emails are publicly available, but many senators are worried about how their personal phone numbers were dispersed. “We serve, really, to represent the student body, and so with that, obviously, we’ll have people talking to us about certain motions and resolutions,” Josellis said. “Again, I think a concern
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