In order to combat the acute budget shortages facing the Student Union (SU) earlier this winter, junior class president Omika Jikaria and vice president Emily Quint-Hoover  are selling Klean Kanteens, environmentally-friendly stainless steel water bottles. The Kanteens cost 10 dollars per bottle, and all of the money goes into the junior account of the SU. Of the 80 bottles ordered by Jikaria and Quint-Hoover, over 60 have been sold thus far by the second floor bridge entrance.

While the budget shortages did not affect the day-to-day operations of the SU, they precluded the SU from hosting junior class events such as Junior Comedy Night and Junior Prom. “We have no money in our junior account,” Jikaria said. “We needed a fundraising event for the junior class, and we thought Klean Kanteens would be a great idea.”

The bottles sport a “Stuy 2011″ logo designed by junior Nils Axen. “Everyone really loves the design, so we have to give Nils a lot of credit,” Quint-Hoover said.  Axen volunteered a logo soon after hearing about the project, and created signs to promote it.

Besides securing funding during lean economic times, another goal of the sale is “to raise environmental awareness in the grade along with grade spirit,” Jikaria said.  According to the Klean Kanteen website, the Kanteens are handcrafted from toxin-free metal in a way that is both ecologically and socially responsible.

Students have been supportive of the sale.

“I always felt like I was sacrificing the environment for the sake of my health when I bought a bottle of water every day.  When I saw the Klean Kanteens, I thought, “Here we go!” junior Rebecca Temkin said.

“It’s environmentally friendly and in today’s consumer culture, it’s nice to not have to buy a water bottle every day,” junior Konrad Wojnar said.

“It’s a great idea for a fundraiser because it’s trendy and it helps our grade,” junior Tiana Stute said. “I got a compliment on it on the train. A woman asked it was from one of those ‘Cool Outdoor Stores.’”

“They’re a really cool way to promote Stuy pride. I hope they’re ordering another batch,” junior Priscilla Odinmah said.