Drink Up! part 2: UCF's Quest for a Greener Campus

In 2009 UCF (University of Central Florida), a metropolitan research university was on a quest. With a population of 53,000 students and 1,415 acres of land on their main campus, they were looking to drastically decrease their carbon footprint, or in other words go green.

The article I read at centralfloridafuture.com (written by William Buchanan) does not mention whether a group of students or faculty started the initiative. It does however link the new water fountain retrofits to a larger environmental campaign:UCF's effort to reduce all wastes produced.

The Water bottle refill stations have been retrofitted to all the water fountains in the Student Union, as well as the auditorium in Ferrell Commons and Brooklyn Pizza. The filling stations are all the same model from T&S Brass and Bronze Works Inc., and are very user friendly from what I've read. To refill a water bottle, all one needs to do is push the lever located underneath the tap with a bottle. Like magic out comes cold crisp water! Similar to the actions Tech Clinic & engineering students at Lafayette, a new filter was installed to certify the water's purity. "We wanted to make sure we provided a quality product to students,” said Mr. Adam Giery, the marketing and sustainability coordinator for UCF's Student Union.

Based on the information the article reveals,it is my contention that the student's reaction to the water bottle filling stations was a positive one. In the article Buchanan introduces us to John Ellis; a junior health sciences major, who says he drinks at least half a dozen bottles of water a day. To him as well as many other students who like to keep hydrated, these water refill stations are great because they're "cheaper and easier than looking for a vending machine."

*The photo above was is an example of one of UCF's many water refill stations. It was taken by Caitlin Bush.