Galloway, N.J. – A group of Stockton students hope their winning sustainability video project will create awareness about what they say is an overuse of plastic water bottles on campus.

In past years, Stockton students in Assistant Professor of Business Studies Naz Onel’s Sustainability Marketing class created videos relating to different aspects of sustainability – then presented them and class members would vote on a winner. COVID-19 suspended the video competition in 2020.

But now, back in the classroom, students Nick Kotova, Jordan Deabreu and Russ Van DeSande on Tuesday were voted the 2021 student winners with their video titled, “Stockton News: Plastic Water Bottles.” While at times humorous, the video provided statistics about landfill waste and the need for sustainable container use on campus.

The winning video was one of nine presentations on the last day of the marketing class.

The video began with a panel discussion by the three about the environmental impact of used water bottles, followed by DeSande pretending to take a helicopter ride to show the Stockton campus and the number of students who potentially use plastic water bottles. (DeSande was in the passenger seat of a car with his window rolled down so his hair blew back as he talked, and the campus overview was provided by a drone).

Kotova, of the Milmay section of Buena Vista Township, said the video idea was easy to develop.

A junior business major with a marketing minor, Kotova said his group got the idea because so many people use plastic water bottles on campus. “I use a sustainable Yeti bottle and I think that others should too,” Kotova said.

Video partner Deabreu of Lyndhurst said collaboration became easy once they saw a vending machine was empty of water bottles. “People want to drink water, but they need to use sustainable containers,” said Deabreu, a senior business marketing major with a minor in cannabis studies.

DeSande of Jamesburg said he hoped the video helped change minds about plastic bottle use on campus. “Reusable is the way to go,” said DeSande, a senior business marketing major.

The winners each received a reusable bag of prizes like eco-cups and chocolates.

The second-place winners were Gavin Gallagher, Thalia Rivas and Natalie Smith for "Water Pollution."

Other videos in the contest included: “Eulogy for Carpeting”, Paul Kline, Nick Price and Eli Willie; “Electricity Conservation”, Farihah Jahan, Martin McAndrew, Giana Myers, Lane Ruberton; “Reducing Waste”, Anthony Graziano, Michael Marciante, Justin Schaff; “Plastic Bottles on Campus”, Brett Abrahamsen, Darrian Grisard, Alex Klalo, Zach Perfetto; “5 ways College Students Can Be More Sustainable”, Lauren Barbalacci, Bella Pagan, Victoria Shapiro; “Stockton Recycles Project”, James McCombs, Tristan Farina and “Food Waste”, Kyle Mills, Kenny Neri, Brian Rinaldi.

- Story by Stephanie Loder
- Photo by Diane D'Amico