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Expanding ‘Take Back the Tap’

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Last year, students kicked off a campaign to convince their peers, faculty and staff members to stop purchasing water in plastic bottles and start drinking from reusable containers.

To support reusable bottles and provide quality drinking water, Facilities Operations installed water bottle refill fountains in Pollak Library, the Kinesiology and Health Science Building, the Humanities-Social Science Building and Langsdorf Hall.

Associated Students Inc. installed refill fountains in the Student Recreation Center and the Titan Student Union, and Auxiliary Services Corp. placed one on the first floor of Titan Shops.

Now, the first outdoor water bottle fountain is available at the northeast corner of the Clayes Performing Arts Building and Pollak Library.

“We hope that it brings additional attention to the importance of using reusable bottles, which reduces our plastic consumption and waste. This is a great location that has lots of foot traffic,” said Kevin Mattson, sustainable waste management specialist. In 2014, the campus  recycled 100,518 plastic bottles, approximately 1.41 tons.

Across campus, efforts are being made in being more sustainable and water conscious. Among the current projects: Landscaping with drought-resistant plants; installation of bioswales and drip irrigation systems; installation of low-flow fixtures in buildings; and recycling bins and a recycling kiosk are located in highly traveled areas.