Palo Alto Students Curb Plastic Water Bottle Use on Campus

News from the Palo Alto Unified School District:

In an effort that represents the combined dedication of many student organizations and individuals, the Gunn High School community proudly unveiled their first water bottle filling station on Earth Day. This water filling station is the first one to be used on a PAUSD secondary school site and is the first in a collection of filling stations on Gunn’s campus that are jointly sponsored by the school and a City of Palo Alto Utilities Department grant.

Water bottle fillers are a crucial way to raise awareness about and curb the impact of single-use water bottles. Water bottle filling stations are water outlets that allow for easy filling of reusable water bottles, and are ubiquitous on many college campuses. While disposable plastic bottles offer convenience, they are a burden on the environment, the user’s health, and the economy. The City of Palo Alto sources tap water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, one of the naturally purest municipal water sources in the world, making a movement away from bottled water a logical move as students look for ways to reduce waste.

Recognizing both the weight of the issue and the simplicity of the solution, two Gunn students Aitan Grossman and Josh Kaplan, started a campaign in March 2014 to ban the sale of water on campus and to request funding for filling stations at Gunn as a more sustainable way for students to stay hydrated. Their campaign—dubbed “Tap Out Gunn” after Tapped, the documentary that inspired them—garnered signature support of over 500 students and faculty.

In the beginning of this school year, Grossman and Kaplan were interviewed by Gunn’s student newspaper, The Oracle. The interviewer, Kush Dubey, writes, “The public response has been welcoming...with students and staff members providing the campaign with official and informal support.”

Working with Gunn Librarian Carole Langston, who was motivated by the efforts of Grossman and Kaplan, the group applied for funding to cover the purchase and installation of water bottle fillers on campus. In the process, they connected with the City of Palo Alto Watershed Protection group who offered to fund two fillers for Gunn. It was then that “Tap Out Gunn,” The Gunn Green Team (an environmental club led by Rohan Hofland), and other Gunn staff came back together under the guidance of Langston to pursue the next steps in securing the stations.

Aitan Grossman shared, “Josh and I were blown away by the support we received from Gunn students and staff, and even concerned Palo Alto citizens. We started out afraid that our petition would be seen as radical, but our campaign was met with high fives and enthusiasm all around.”

Analyzing waste samples, scouting potential locations, and gathering student feedback were among the various tasks completed in preparation for the installation. James Lubbe, Assistant Principal, as well as the maintenance department, were instrumental in helping move the project forward. Once all the data were synthesized and approvals were in place, the band of enthusiastic water bottle hunters set to planning these new installments on the Gunn campus.

The team believes the impact of this humble step reaches beyond the environmental, health, and economic implications of the reduced consumption of water bottles, representing the pillar of Gunn’s Mission Statement that states the importance of fostering a community of “resilient, responsible, respectful, contributing citizens.”

While this is only the first step in a journey to sustainable water drinking at Gunn, and in Palo Alto at large, Carole Langston and the rest of the team are hopeful and excited for what the future holds.