Ban the Bottle, a non-profit organization working towards limiting human use of plastic bottles, is gaining support from colleges and businesses all over that are agreeing to ban bottled water. Instead these places will have what is called hydration stations that will allows users to fill up their water bottles from tap water, instead of having to use a water fountain; which anyone who has tried knows how challenging this can be when using a fountain with a low pressure water flow.
According to an article on Delish.com, by Kiri Tannenbaum, more than 20 universities in the United States have banned plastic bottles either completely or partially in efforts to reduce plastic wastes. This list includes University of Maryland, which has banned plastic bottles from their dining halls.
Brita is already on board with the idea by starting a HydrateUTM program to help colleges receive a Brita® Hydration StationTM for every 500 Nalgene bottles sold with their school’s logo on it. If the school is successful they will also receive a $500 Eco-Grant that will help fund a sustainable program of their choice. However, once the school begins the challenge, they have 30 days to share the information and get that many purchases.
Reducing plastic water bottles will decrease CO2 production and waste. According to BantheBottle.net, “it takes 17 million barrels of oil per year to make all the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. alone, [which is] enough oil to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year”. Furthermore, majority of these bottles are thrown away each year, instead of being recycled. In 2007 over 50 billion water bottles were consumed in the U.S. with 30 to 40 million being thrown into landfills.
An increase of personal water bottle usage and hydration stations will not only help the environment but it will help others save money and their health as well. The recommended intake of eight glasses of water per day may only cost 49 cents a year, but that amount in bottled water costs $1,400 per year. Plastic bottles also contain antimony, which has been found to cause depression and dizziness in low doses, but at higher doses may lead to death.
These new hydration stations are starting to become a popular commodity by making their way into various places, such as parks, office buildings, airports, restaurants, and cafes. Be sure to bring your reusable water bottle, so you can take advantage of these new stations when available and do your part in protecting the environment. If you forget your water bottle and buy bottled water from a vending machine or a vendor, just be sure to recycle it.
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