Background: Global water consumption has been on the rise and the UAE has one of the highest rates of bottled water consumption in the world. The consumption of bottled water is a major concern because of its burden on the environment and threat to sustainability. College experience is often the last place for formal education, and an opportunity to educate young populations about the importance of sustainability and pro-environment behaviors. The aim of this study is to examine attitude towards sustainability and pro-environment behaviors, related to consumption of bottled water versus tap water from water stations, among college students at a sustainable campus.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional design was used to describe results among a random sample of 500 male and female students, using the Theory of Planned Behavior, years and type of education exposure related to environmental studies, and perceptions that determine intention to change.

Results: Results showed that exposure to environmental studies was significantly related to students’ perceived ability to change. For all five factors (access, taste, cost, convenience, and family influence), the proportion of students’ perceived ability to change, was larger among those exposed to environmental studies than those in non-environmental studies.

Conclusions: The benefits of sustainability and pro-environmental attitudes may be better understood when environmental awareness is included in the education exposure. For future research, influences such as social norms, role models and mentors, daily experiences and observations, may provide better insight into students’ pro-environmental attitude and actions to reduce plastic bottle pollution and improve sustainability.

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