TUCSON, Ariz. — Matt Ostman thought he knew everything about drinking water, especially the bottled variety. He was surprised to find out how little he actually knew during a blind water taste test at the University of Arizona’s on-campus Sustainability Fair on April 16.

"I find it interesting that the most expensive water here tastes the worst," Ostman said, after participating in the test, which featured Aquafina, Fiji brands and Tucson tap water. "I can’t believe that the tap water tastes better. It kind of makes me question my choices."

The water taste test was one of dozens of sustainability fair exhibits that offered information about energy, food and natural resource consumption.

The fair took place in partnership with the weekly UA Farmer’s Market to commemorate Earth Day and to encourage the development of sustainable behavior and education. It featured an assortment of displays from local businesses, state organizations, university departments and student organizations.

On prominent display were water management and conservation organizations, including the Arizona Water Institute, which works in consort with the research efforts of Arizona’s three major universities to provide "education, training and professional capacity building to citizens and state, local and tribal government decision makers about conserving and managing water in arid/semi-arid environments."

“I work there part-time and assist with paperwork and office duties and I update the Web site,” said Stephanie Polm, a classics major who served as AWI’s representative during the fair.

The organization has funded 33 collaborative water and hydrology projects with the UA, Arizona State and Northern Arizona universities. Many of these projects center on developing tools to access water information to support water-related and conservation decisions.

The Department of Campus and Facilities Planning was a prominent UA department that set up exhibits on the campus mall.

Grant McCormick, a department director, said his goal for the sustainability fair was to provide information and resources on the university’s ambitious 2003 Comprehensive Campus Plan.

"This plan is a real opportunity for us to partner with Business Affairs and link us to the campus-wide sustainability movement," McCormick said. "The new visitor’s center on Euclid Avenue and University Boulevard has been one of our early successes in working with this plan."

The Campus Comprehensive Plan includes a litany of sustainable planning and development initiatives, which include primarily “building compactly, preserving and enhancing the natural environment and open spaces, creating shade, reducing storm water runoff and preserving historic buildings and plants,” according to an official summary.

A slew of UA organizations also attended the fair, including the once defunct, now revived, UA Campus Greens.

"We were kind of non-existent for a year and a half because of recruiting problems and the graduation of our membership," said Elliot Montgomery, a third-year regional development major and treasurer for UA Greens. "Now we’ve got a six-member core and we’re working really hard to start it back up."

Montgomery said that his club is committed to a concrete agenda of bringing Green Party values to campus. In fact, the club is spearheading an effort to show more educational films and documentaries at Gallagher Theater to substitute popular Hollywood films.

UA Greens also wants to replace virgin printing paper with 100 percent recycled material, replace deteriorating recycling bins on campus, and push for the installation of low-flow shower heads in campus residence halls.

"I also want to make sure that Tucson Green Magazine is available to a large campus audience," Montgomery said. "It’s an important publication and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have access to it on campus."