Refillable water bottle stations more hygienic, eco-friendly than water fountains

Plastic water bottles are a huge cause of pollution and a waste of resources to manufacture. It is no secret that the damage caused by mass amounts of plastic in landfills and oceans is horrific and irreversible. There are already countless campaigns and advocates for the usage of refillable water bottles as an alternative. Why has UCHL not done more to alleviate this problem?

UHCL is home to the Environmental Institute of Houston and is located on a wildlife preserve. The university works extremely hard to protect the environment and educate others on environmental issues. The lack of refillable water stations is counterproductive because it is enticing people to purchase plastic water bottles.

Students have access to recycling bins, however most people are still trashing their plastics. UHCL should be focused on the elimination of plastic water bottles or cutting back at the very least. As an environmentally conscious campus, one would think refilling water bottles would be more encouraged.

The newest buildings on campus offer water refill stations, but the older buildings are left with room temperature water from the old fountains. For example, the Recreational and Wellness Center has a brand-new water bottle refill station. It is a massive upgrade from the water fountains in the other UHCL buildings. The refill station conveniently fits most bottles underneath the spout, contains cold and refreshing water and is more sanitary due to the hands-free function.

One could argue that water fountains could be used to refill water bottles, but there are so many problems with them. First, the water simply tastes bad — like rusty metal, which pushes students to buy water bottles for the fresh taste. Although the tap water that comes though the drinking fountain is supposed to be safe and regulated by the city, it still is not filtered or pleasant to drink. The fountains are also old and corroded around the spout, which is very unappealing and unhygienic.

Drinking fountains contain most of their bacteria on the handles and in the sink of the fountain. Many people spit into the drains or pour out old beverages and food remains. As it sits in the sink, bacteria can form and easily be transmitted to one’s mouth.

If you have used the water fountains in the Bayou Building you know they are not the best, and we could use an upgrade. Sure, the new rec center has a great water bottle refill station, but most students are not able to stop there between classes just for water. It is much quicker to grab a bottle from the numerous vending machines in every building. Each building on campus should have at least one refill station to service people who spend their time on various parts of campus.

Last spring a student campaign led by the Student Government Association (SGA) representative Jeffery Ryan was created to raise money for the installment of a water refill station in the Bayou Building. Ryan created a GoFundMe page where members of the UHCL community could donate money to pay for the expenses of the machine, installment, maintenance, and filter replacements. The goal was to raise $1,000 by the end of the spring 2018 semester.

The plan was to have the machine installed by summer 2018, unfortunately, the goal was not met, and Ryan was not able to go forward with the installment. Despite the bad news, Ryan did not give up on his objective to bring a water bottle refill station into the Bayou Building.

Ryan decided to reach out to Eric Herrera, associate vice president of facilities, maintenance and construction, about his initiative. After speaking to Herrera, Ryan learned that the installment of water bottle refill stations has already been brought up to facilities by the new AVP. With this exciting news, Ryan is currently following up with Herrera about plans to add a water refill station to the Bayou Building.

As of now, it is not clear when UHCL will add these machines to the Bayou Building or if they will be added to the rest of the buildings on campus; however, the outlook seems optimistic. Refill stations have been around for years, and it is important that the eco-friendly UHCL campus gets on board.

With new water refill stations, students, staff and faculty of UHCL will have easy access to fresh water while saving money on daily water bottles. This will make it so much simpler for people to be environmentally conscientious. The purchase of a reusable water bottle or cup will be paid off with only a few refills and can hold more liquids and stay cold longer. It’s a win-win for yourself and the environment.