School, Town Install New Eco-Friendly Water Fountain

by Rebekah Davis, SSLI ‘16

This morning, the school was abuzz with the news of a new water fountain being installed on the main level of the Upper School Campus. Students rushed down to see the new water fountain, which includes a tap that refills water bottles using sensors.

The new water fountain includes a tap that can efficiently refill plastic and reusable water bottles. (M. Kulchinsky)

There were some discontented comments questioning why we upgraded the only working water fountain in the school, when we have three that are broken. However, this new fountain is only the first of four total new fountains, all with the new filters.

Besides having a basic need met, this new gadget can aid our school in going green. With the new water bottle filter, students won’t have to buy plastic bottles in the cafeteria and can use less bottles altogether.

Student Government President Max Hirsch gave some information about the water fountains. He said, “We got four new water fountains. They have only installed one so far because it took them much longer than expected. The rest are in the building and just need to be installed. Hopefully, the rest will be put in soon."

“It’s so useful, since I bring my own reusable water bottle every day,” said junior Naomi Brill. She added, “Hopefully, students will bring reusable water bottles instead of plastic to help the environment. We’re going to save so much water.”

By the end of the school day, about 73 plastic bottles were saved thanks to the new fountain. (R. Davis)

By the end of just one school day, the counter on the filter that shows how many bottles had been filled was up to 73. Not only will students be able to drink more water thanks to the fountain, but they can also eliminate their trips to the water fountain during class time by refilling their bottles easily.

Sophomore Elijah Corwin was excited about the new water fountains. He commented, “In the past, we had to hold our water bottles to fill them up, and it would be difficult to angle the stream into the bottle. Now, it’s so much simpler. The key to helping our planet is every individual taking a part in going green, so I’m proud that our school is doing its part.”

Editor's Note: Due to some inaccuracies and omissions in the report, this article has been modified from its original form. Paw Print Now regrets the errors and will report more fully on the water fountains when the second is installed.

Rebekah Davis is a writer for Paw Print Now, and has been published on the site since October 2012. Rebekah is currently in her sophomore year at the Schechter School of Long Island, and can be reached at the following email: rdavis16@ssdsnassau.org