By Kate Kelly, Reporter
When the high school was rebuilt, water bottle fillers were included in the upgrade. These water bottle fillers have made a tremendous difference to students when it comes to staying hydrated and healthy, and also to the environment. Many new students, including freshmen Samantha Zeigler and Keeley Green have said that they have been drinking more water now that the school year has started.
“[The water bottle fillers] made it easier [to drink more water], because now I don’t really have an excuse not to,” said Zeigler. “I am more hydrated now that I have a source to fill up my water bottle… Now, I drink about two bottles at school [per day].”
Students are drinking more water at school and after school. A lot of our freshmen play sports for the school, and now, those who play sports have easier access.
“I do sports, and with all my sports, I really need water… It’s really nice to have [the water bottle fillers] there, because I need water all the time,” said Green. “I drink a lot at sports. I probably have two bottles.”
Along with helping VHS students with staying healthy, the water bottle fillers are also good for the environment.
“Now everybody has water bottles,” said Zeigler. “They can just bring them around. We’re saving our earth.”
According to the website Ban the Bottle, around 50 billion plastic water bottles were used last year alone. Thirty-eight billion of those water bottles were thrown away, and wasted. Because of that, $1 billion worth of plastic is wasted each year. But, if we use reusable bottles, we won’t need to throw any plastic away, and we can have a healthier environment.
The Elkay water bottle fillers that the school chose have a display that shows how many plastic bottles have been eliminated from becoming waste products. As of Sept 20, 2016, our school alone has helped eliminate waste from over 72 thousand disposable plastic bottles, and overall, the brand Elkay has eliminated the usage of 4,167,319,823 plastic bottles.
The impact of the new water bottle fillers has been tremendous to both the environment, our freshmen, and the student body as a whole. They grant students easy access to water, which keeps them healthy, and they make an astounding difference on the environment.