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Refillable Water Stations to Teach CCS Students Life Lessons this School Year
August 11, 2021 -- Columbus City Schools students at more than 20 schools will notice something new at their school buildings this year -- refillable water bottle stations thanks to a partnership with SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio). The Franklin County landfill is partnering with the District to teach students a lesson in sustainability that hopefully will continue well beyond the school year.
“Over a million tons of material arrives at the landfill every year, and 75% of that material could have been reused, recycled, or composted,” said Hanna Greer-Brown, SWACO’s Communications Manager. “If we are serious about reducing our global impact and protecting the environment for future generations, we must commit to reducing our waste and improving our recycling and composting efforts.”
The refillable water stations connected to the drinking fountain are installed at 23 schools throughout the District. While current health protocols prevent students from using water fountains when they return to five-day, in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year, District Operations and Maintenance have figured out how to seal off the drinking fountain yet still maintain the full operation of the refillable water stations.
Columbus City Schools used more than half a million plastic water bottles during the 2018-2019 school year. By providing students with refillable plastic water bottles and stations to fill them, it’s hoped students, staff, and teachers will be encouraged to re-use first instead of drinking bottled water and throwing it in the trash.
“We will have lesson plans for teachers to utilize in the classrooms to educate our youngest students on the importance of saving our planet,” said Christine Weatherholtz, Farm to School/Nutrition Educator at CCS. “These refillable water stations are one more piece of the sustainability puzzle of educating our students on how to be environmental champions.”
For the last ten years, SWACO and CCS have been partners. In the beginning, it was as simple as schools hosting drop-off recycling containers for the community to use. Today, the partnership is more strategic and includes community gardens, school “green teams,” and schools creating and operating a small compost facility from food waste and other materials. The most recent SWACO grant for $8,000 included the water refillable stations and installation.
“All these efforts incorporate science and social studies lessons,” said Weatherholtz. “By integrating all these environmental concepts in the classroom, we are teaching our children the true meaning of sustainability.”
Weatherholtz said getting buy-in from school principals, teachers, and students is not a “hard sell.” The materials are free, and it’s fun hands-on learning.
“While SWACO is pleased to be leading many of the efforts to reduce waste, we realize we can’t do it alone,” said Greer-Brown. “We are so pleased to be working with Columbus City Schools and the thousands of students and the families they serve to put their best green foot forward this school year and for many more school years to come.”
Here is a list of the 23 Columbus City Schools where refillable water stations have been installed.
- Broadleigh Elementary School
- Buckeye Middle School
- Columbus Alternative High School
- Columbus City Prep for Boys
- Columbus Gifted Academy
- Columbus Global Academy
- Como Elementary School
- Easthaven Elementary School
- Eastmoor Academy
- Fairwood Elementary School
- Hubbard Elementary School
- Johnson Park Middle School
- Maize Elementary School
- Mifflin Middle School
- North Linden Elementary School
- Northtowne Elementary School
- Parkmoor Elementary School
- Valleyview Elementary School
- West Broad Elementary School
- Westgate Elementary School
- Westmoor Middle School
- Whetstone High School
- Yorktown Middle School