Graphic by AK Alilonu ’16 – Brophy has saved nearly 130,000 bottles of water since introducing the new filler stations.

Students say stations cleaner, save waste

By Jose Cardenas ’16
THE ROUNDUP

In the beginning of the spring semester of last year, the maintenance crew installed water fountains with automatic water bottle fillers in locations across campus.

Principal Mr. Bob Ryan said that the installation of these fountains is part of Brophy’s ongoing efforts to reduce the school’s environmental impact. ​

“The scope of our environmental challenges is massive and can be debilitating,” Mr. Ryan said. “It is easy to feel like our efforts won’t have an impact and so because we can’t do everything, we can be paralyzed by inaction.”

Mr. Ryan said that the first step toward this was eliminating plastic water bottles at school functions a few years ago. The new water fountains came after that.

There are a total of seven water fountains on the campus.

“In eliminating water bottles, we have encouraged the use of refillable bottles,” Mr. Ryan said. “The installation of water stations was a logical next step in this effort.”

A Roundup analysis in early Spring found that since April 2015 the water bottle fillers have saved more than 112,000 plastic bottles, enough to reach from campus to Phoenix International Raceway. That number has increased to nearly 130,000 since then.

The installation of these new fountains are also made to provide convenience to the Brophy students and faculty.

“These fountains make it easier for students and teachers to fill their refillable water bottles,” Mr. Ryan said.

Brophy students said that the fountains have made their daily trips across school better.

“I usually use them in the morning before school starts,” Grayson Taylor ’19 said. “I like the water fountains because it is a more sanitary way of getting your water.”

In addition to sanitation, students also said that they feel that they are wasting less every time they use the water fountains.

“I don’t feel like I’m wasting… I can fill my water bottle up all the way [without] spilling anything,” Wesley Sundberg ’17 said. “I like being able to reuse everything.”

Students said that the new water fountains are very fast and useful when moving across campus from class to class.

“It is much easier to fill up my water bottle without having to aim it and I think the water is a little bit colder,” Will Graham ’18 said.

The students said that with all things considered the fountains have been a great addition to the campus.

“They keep me really hydrated because I can fill up my water bottle really fast,” Miles Bimrose ’16 said. “I think they have been a huge improvement on the campus.”