Saint Louis University
IN-2: Innovation 2

Over the summer of 2014, the Student Government Association (SGA) Wellness Committee submitted a proposal to reduce the total number of disposable water bottles purchased on campus by 50%. The proposal included a plan to install 31 new water bottle filling stations across campus along with an engagement program. The use of plastic water bottles has been a growing concern raised by students and student organizations across the Saint Louis University campus. This practice has proven to have large environmental risks and concerns both in production and waste. For instance, it has been reported that 86% of all plastic water bottles, or around 30 billion, end up in a landfill every year in the U.S. The production of plastic water bottles also has social justice implications. Often times, the privatization of water results in a net loss of resources for the surrounding communities in part of the world where local residence cannot afford the price of bottled water. In order to address these concerns the SGA Wellness Committee created “The Water Fountain Initiative”. In order to significantly decrease bottle waste campus wide, the SGA Wellness Committee deemed it necessary to fund infrastructure needs to encourage the use of tap water. This infrastructure improvement added 31 new filling stations in various locations at a cost of $70,000. The locations were strategically selected by the SGA Wellness Committee based on convenience, accessibility to current water bottle fillers, and other high traffic areas. During the fall 2014 semester, reusable water bottles were purchased to provide students with the accessibility and promotion of the new water bottle filling stations scattered throughout campus. Campus engagement activities occurred during Fall Welcome, new student orientation, and other campus activities. In support of this initiative the University has added water bottle filling stations as a standard in all new building projects.

As of December 2014 a total number of 384,494 disposable water bottles have been saved due to the installation of these new water bottle filling stations.