Bottle free schools 101 – a guide for eliminating bottled water at your school

Meet with your Board of Education, your school PTOs and the mayor of your town to review the relevant facts about bottled water vs. tap water: bottled water is 1000 times more expensive than tap water, requires 800 times more energy to produce and results in a staggering amount of waste, to name a few. Show them the educational video about benefits of tap water to get the message across quickly and clearly. During these meetings, decide on a district-wide policy regarding bottled water.

Half the battle is just letting people know what is expected of them and why. The bottled water policy should be explained in each school newsletter and on the school district website and by live presentations at PTO meetings, faculty meetings, and administrative meetings. Re-articulate the policy in announcements for specific events and have teachers reinforce it in the classroom using the Back2Tap video, bottled water vs. tap water

Request that students, teachers, parents, and other visitors to the school bring their own Reusable stainless steel water bottles or mugs to school each day and to all special events. Consider having a Reusable bottle Green fundraiser or simply issuing school water bottles to every student. custom water bottles with the school logo are a big hit with students. In order to keep bottles from getting mixed up, make sure they are labeled with the students name and contact information in permanent ink. Consider issuing incentives to encourage students' cooperation. Awards for classes with the most reusable water bottles, for classes with the lowest number of disposable beverage containers, or for individuals with the coolest looking water bottles will help build excitement.

Provide access to tap water throughout the school by maintaining water fountains and cleaning them daily. Better yet, upgrade to bottle-less water coolers that supply chilled filtered tap water in order to allay concerns about the spreading of germs at water fountains and to improve the taste of the tap water, if necessary. Coolers could be funded by holding a stainless steel bottle Green fundraiser.

The quality of the tap water is an important issue to address upfront. Many people don't realize that tap water is more closely regulated than bottled water. Overseen by the EPA, the vast majority of public water supplies are excellent. This can be confirmed by checking local water quality reports on the EPA safe drinking water webpage. School districts with old buildings should conduct independent water testing to make sure no lead is leaching from old pipes. Bottle-less water coolers are definitely recommended for schools with water quality issues.

bottle-less water coolers are hooked up to an existing water line in the building, and they filter and chill tap water before it is dispensed. This type of system is more cost-effective than standard coolers with bottles and is far more eco-friendly. New filters are required annually, and frequent disinfection of the dispenser spouts and overflow tray by local custodial staff is required. These water coolers can be placed on each floor of the school or in the cafeteria, or both. Schools may want to install a filtration system at the sink in the teachers lounge so that teachers may enjoy great tasting filtered tap water, too.

Containers for serving tap water or tap water-based beverages in classrooms and other venues will need to be supplied to the teachers, administrators, and PTO leaders. One gallon pitchers can be filled at faucets or water coolers and used to refill Reusable school water bottles
in the classrooms. Using a pitcher, large 2 or 5 gallon portable coolers can be filled from faucets or water coolers in order to serve beverages to large crowds at special events. If a variety of drinks need to be served or an especially large number of people, several large coolers may be required.

Have a limited number of biodegradable disposable cups on hand for those who forget their reusable bottles. Provide a recycling bin where they can be collected. For the few (hopefully) disposable plastic bottles that may accumulate, be sure to provide recycling bins throughout your facility, located prominently during special events.

All in all, becoming a bottle-free school is not as daunting as it sounds. Putting resources like reusable bottles, water coolers, portable coolers, and pitchers in place is easier and cheaper than you'd expect. Then the key to getting cooperation from the community will be establishing and communicating the school-wide bottled water policy and letting everyone know how to efficiently utilize those resources.