DePaul’s Water Bottle refill stations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Illinois in their twenty-second annual landfill capacity report of 2008 stated that approximately 50 million gate cubic yards of solid waste was accepted of the State's 47 landfills with only 14% of that being recycled.

There are many factors that contribute to the enormous amount of solid waste and one of them is water bottle production.

Water bottle production has seen a huge increase over the past 10 years. According the Container Recycling Institute, there has been an increase of bottles sales in the US from 3 billion in 1996 to 36 billion in 2006 with about 40 million bottles a day ending up in trash or becoming litter. Food and watch reported that there is about 1.5 millions tons of plastic used per year to produce water bottles with 47 millions gallons of oil used to match the production. They also estimate that 8 out of 10 water bottles will end up in a land fill or as litter. Water bottle production has become a huge environmental concern since it uses up so much of the Earth's resources.

To help tackle the issue of reducing solid waste in Illinois, one of the truly outstanding sustainable development idea at DePaul university has implemented is the water bottle refill stations. It will take large scale recycling initiatives to counter this growing concern, but finding alternative ways like installing the ELKAY ezH2O water bottle stations around the campus will help contribute to reducing the solid waste and fossil fuel issues.

Considering these EPA statistics, implementation of the ELKAY ezH2O stations on the DePaul Lincoln Park and Loop campuses has been beneficial on many scales. Students and faculty can now enjoy cleaner tastier water without worrying about whether germs are can be transmitted during fountain use contact. Reusing water bottles at these stations will help reduce the litter factor caused by the huge cultural need of water bottle production of the past decade. Other advantages of the station are the ELKAY’s unique filter system. It aids in the ability of quick refill capabilities and the ultra modern design that makes the water station more approachable than the outdated fountains from the past. These features will help keep up with the fast pace lifestyle most students are accustomed too.

DePaul has found an effective way to contribute to the growing concern of solid waste management by providing a service that will contribute to the overall well-being of the individual and the environment. the University also serves as an example for neighboring college institutes, companies and other organizations that can follow. In addition to being more environmental conscious, this also promotes a healthy lifestyle for the individual.

Education and awareness are essential tools that are required to inform people of the innovative ideas that help the environment. DePaul's water bottle station is an excellent example of reducing the carbon footprint and using these fountains will encourage people to take a more self-conscious and active approach to recycling and reusing not only at our school but in their own personal homes.

By: Mary Deemer
Photo Credit: Container recyling Insitute, ELKAY company

Water Conservation: Conservation through Bathroom Visits

DePaul has taken significant steps in its efforts to conserve water on campus through various means, such as installation of low flow showerheads and faucets in its residence halls. Other initiatives include installation of dual flush toilets in the LEED certified building at McGowan South. In addition to dual flush toilets, bathrooms at DePaul already have motion activated water faucets, which also help reduce the use of water. However there is another method to significantly reduce water consumption through bathroom activities at DePaul which has been considered.

DePaul’s Facility Operations website indicates that DePaul also hopes to install waterless urinals on its campus sometime in the near future. Waterless urinals such as those provided by the Waterless Company help to conserve as much as 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water per year, depending on daily use. Unfortunately, currently in the City of Chicago, it is against city regulations to have waterless urinals due to city building codes that require commercial buildings to have copper piping in indoor plumbing. Waterless urinals require non copper piping or other forms of plumbing material such as pipes made from Polyvinle chloride (PVC). At one point, waterless urinals were installed at City Hall, and were eventually removed due to urine buildup behind the wall caused by corrosion in the piping. The urine buildup caused a stench in the bathrooms which should be prevented by a gel like seal in the urinal if the pipes are not corroded. Proper maintenance and cleaning would prevent odor and cleanliness issues. Other reasons the City of Chicago may resist changing codes to allow waterless urinals in the city may be due to resistance from plumber unions. Installation of waterless urinals would result in less work for plumbers as the new urinals would cut down on the work required to fix and maintain water related products. The City of Chicago and surrounding areas are extremely lucky to have an abundant source of fresh water that comes from Lake Michigan. Although Chicago may have such a rich supply of water, the source is not infinite. It is estimated that about 1 billion gallons of water is pumped from Lake Michigan on a daily basis for use in the Chicago region alone! It’s unimaginable the amount of water that could be saved by installing waterless urinals around the city, especially in commercial and high traffic buildings.

Although schools like DePaul are unable to install waterless urinals, other schools around the country have taken the steps to conserve water on their campus by installing these water saving bathroom fixtures. Schools like the University of California at Santa Barbara have already installed over 50 waterless urinals on campus which will lead to water conservation up to 2 million gallons of water per year. Other schools such as Hartford Community College have installed waterless urinals on their campus and will continue to replace conventional urinals with waterless urinals as renovation projects get underway. The desire to install waterless urinals at DePaul exists, however it will need the support of the City of Chicago to champion the efforts of water sustainability and conservation on campus as well as within the city.

Posted by: Julio C. Puentes

Image Credit: Lab Safety Supply