Rethink the Drink: Reducing the use of plastic water bottles in local schools

"Rethink the Drink" is a pilot project to reduce plastic water bottle usage at three local schools and colleges by at least 75% this school year. Water bottle production is very energy intensive. More than 17 million barrels of oil are used each year to transport bottled water to our stores — enough to fuel one million vehicles for a year. Despite being recyclable, most bottled water is consumed 'on the go' and fewer than 30% of the bottles are recycled. The rest end up in landfills or as trash in storm drains, watersheds and the ocean. ; OUR PROGRESS As part of a pilot project funded by the Orfalea Foundation and Medbridge Development, CEC is installing water refill stations at local schools so students have access to cold, filtered water. Through this project we are currently working with: Franklin Elementary School Montecito Union School Santa Barbara Junior High Santa Barbara High School Westmont College We hope to expand to more local schools in the near future. We have distributed stainless steel water canteens to every student and staff member at Franklin Elementary, and two hundred canteens are being distributed at SBHS through a partnership with the student-run Dons Net Café. That’s thousands of water bottles. With a counter on the stations that displays the amount of bottles saved by refilling, CEC has eliminated more than 5,000 water bottles in the first two months of the project. HOW YOU CAN HELP Follow Rethink the Drink on our Facebook page for photos and stories of students enjoying cold, clean water in their canteens. Sign up for email alerts from CEC. Bring your own refillable canteen whenever possible instead of using disposable plastic water bottles. Support CEC to keep Rethink the Drink expanding to other schools, as well as parks and recreation areas. Want Rethink the Drink at your school? Contact usThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tell your friends, neighbors and kids about Rethink the Drink. We hope to expand this program in the coming year.