The University of Central Florida raised the bar this week in its quest to reduce waste from plastic water bottles and be one of the greenest campuses in the country. They retro-fitted existing water fountains with a user-friendly lever (see photo left) that allows students to refill a reusable bottle by simply pushing the bottle against it (a bit like one on a fridge). The water fountains were also fitted with filtration systems to ensure the purity of the water.
UCF started with one fountain, which proved to be a big hit, so they installed six more with another two on the way. The fountains costs $122 a piece including filtration unit.
We hope more campuses (and cities) follow in UCF's footsteps and save their students money while reducing the waste associated with bottled water. Go UCF!
Photo: CFF.com
I love this. At the college that I take classes, I know the water fountains that shoot the water up enough to refill my water bottle, but it took some digging - many are just too low to fill it up at all. This is a wonderful idea.