2016, Fairfax, VA, USA
Students from Lanier Middle School are continuing their fight to ban plastic water bottles at their school. Last year, the students placed 3rd in the Caring for Our Watersheds contest for their Ban the Bottle proposal. They received about $3,200 in funding from Nutrien, and an additional $5,800 from other organizations to install six water bottle filling stations on the first floor of their school building.
Now, they want to install two additional water bottle filling stations on the upper floor, so 500 additional students will be connected to their efforts. Overall, data from the bottle filling machines shows that roughly 18,000 bottles have been refilled in only half a school year. The students estimate that is 392 pounds of plastic saved from landfills. They believe the two additional refilling station will stop over 20,000 bottles from coming into the bay. Nutrien has committed $1,600 for one additional refilling station and the students are fundraising to pay for an additional station and reusable water bottles for all students.
Media:
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2016/apr/21/lanier-middle-teams-earn-two-first-place-awards-en/
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2016/apr/15/fairfax-lanier-middle-cleans-environmental-action-/