Spanish Springs High School Brita Hydration Station Case Study

SPANISH SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL ADVOCATES CONSERVATION WHILE HYDRATING

Spanish Springs, Nevada

BACKGROUND

Spanish Springs High School in Northern Nevada continually seeks new ways to support and motivate their large student body as they prepare for a productive future. with nearly 2,700 students roaming the halls and filling the classrooms, the school initiated a sustainability push to raise student awareness of the connection between behavior and environmental impact.  Administrators were tasked with discovering what new sustainable efforts could be implemented throughout the facility to encourage the school’s strong focus on an eco-friendly environment.

OBJECTIVE

As a teacher of Environmental science, Charleen Hutton was concerned with the plastic bottled waste within the school’s facility and knew immediately that would be a good place to start. She decided to research ways to transform the school into a more environmentally-friendly place to work and visit through the reduction of single-use bottled water.

SOLUTION

While researching the topic, Hutton discovered the Brita® Hydration Station® and learned that the unit provides filtered water from standard tap lines and encourages students to reuse containers instead of throwing them away. She recalled that the University of Nevada installed a Brita® Hydration Station® and saw huge success and support from the campus. After meeting with a Brita® Hydration Station® representative, Hutton learned about the Fundraising Program option. Through the Program, the school receives custom-logoed Nalgene® bottles to sell, and uses proceeds from the bottle sales to pay for a Brita® Hydration Station®. Hutton saw this Program as a cost friendly option because no funds would come from the school’s budget. In addition, it is an efficient way to encourage students to use the unit by providing them with reusable bottles. with all the Program benefits, Spanish Springs moved forward with the Fundraising Program, selected a recessed unit and installed it within their common area.

RESULTS

The school saw immediate usage of the unit, even before it was announced during the morning news and featured in the spanish springs Cougar Network News. while some students continue to purchase single-use plastic bottles, the staff at Spanish Springs High School is confident that more students will convert to the multi-use Nalgene® bottle that is sold at the student store. Hutton is pleased with the reduction of plastic bottle waste and will continue to encourage complete  limination of single-use bottles from the campus.

ABOUT BRITA® HYDRATION STATION®

Brita® Hydration Stations® offer users the benefits of great-tasting, Brita® filtered water away-from-home without the waste and cost of bottled water. The multiple product options transform regular tap water into healthier* drinking water using a certified advanced filtration system. Brita® Hydration Stations® are certified according to NSF/ANSI standards 42 & 53 for the reduction of chlorine (taste and odor), lead, and 99.99% of cysts.

*Certified to reduce Lead & Cysts. substances reduced may not be in all users’ water.