By Mubarrat Choudhury
Senior Ian Miller can remember the times he was disgusted by the fountain water he drank before the new A hall Oasis VersaFiller water fountain which automatically pours him filtered water was installed.
“Never again will I be bound to the regular, old and unfiltered water fountains this school provides,” Miller said.
Last Monday, AP Environmental Science installed a new filtered water fountain in A hall in front of Office 1. Students can bring water bottles to fill up at the fountain.
“The new water fountain is pretty cool,” Miller said. “I bring my water bottle every day, and I like to fill it up, and it is much easier with this new water fountain. It is also much more environmentally friendly, encouraging people to bring their bottles instead of buying water bottles from the school.”
AP Environmental Science teacher Tony Strohmeyer said the new water fountain provides a filtration system which is much healthier compared to the regular water fountains. Since it requires students to bring their own bottle, it limits the overall plastic bottle usage in the school.
“The environmental effects are extensive – land degradation from oil wells, air pollution from refining the oil to hard plastics, loss of animal and plant life, human health effects from said air pollution, and a solid waste issues with the disposal of temporary water bottle,” Strohmeyer said.
The water fountains cost about $400 and $100 for installation. The filter was paid in part through AP Environmental Science fundraisers, like the garden plant sales, Eagle Scout donation and the ink/cell phone recycling program. The other half was paid from the Project Green award money which Strohmeyer won last year.
AP Environmental hopes to install three more of these new water fountains by the end of the year with the help of students and faculty.
“If every student and teacher in school donated about 50 cents, we could buy all three of those systems and installation costs,” Strohmeyer said.
Though the fountain filters water to make it cleaner, it also has a secondary filter added within the system that improves taste.
“It tastes much better than the other water fountains in the school,” junior Hosanna Yemiru said. “A lot of the water from the other fountains taste like refined toilet water, so it’s good to see a step up.”