Water refill stations have positive impact
As Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green.” Jennifer Sellers, Coastal Carolina University’s sustainability coordinator, would likely disagree with the famous amphibian.
According to her estimate, CCU’s commitment to sustainability has resulted in avoiding the use of more than 640,000 bottles of disposable water bottles. Sellers believes the water stations have been making an impact in the CCU community in other ways as well.
“This program is a huge success not only for our sustainability efforts, but also in helping people save money by not purchasing bottled water,” she says.
According to the numbers provided by CCU’s Office of Contractual and Business Services, 5, 270 cases of bottled water were sold in 2010. In 2011, that number fell to 3,888, and even further in 2012 to 3,190. So far this year, only 1,684 cases of bottled water have been sold.
Sellers also says the water refill stations are having a positive effect on the environment. According to national data, more than 50 million bottles of water are sold in the U.S. annually, with 12 percent of them being recycled.
“The water bottle refill stations not only help to reduce waste from single-use disposable plastic water bottles, they also encourage staff, faculty and students to be more environmentally friendly,” she says.
Denise Paster, an assistant professor of English at CCU, has become more eco friendly since the water stations began appearing in 2011.
“I use the water stations daily and think they are great,” she says. “They are so much more convenient than holding my water bottle sideways under a traditional fountain, trying to get it as full as possible before water spills out. This is a simple and helpful sustainability initiative that can really make a difference.”
To date 39 stations have been placed across campus. Plans to increase those numbers are in the works, with possible locations including the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies building, the Student Health Center and the Band Hall.
