by Lexi Paidas ‘17

Students might have noticed construction going on and the large metal boxes appearing above the school’s water fountains. The efforts of Eco Sherwood have led to the installment of refillable water bottle stations in the G hall, outside of the cafeteria, and by the main gym.

The first station was installed in the beginning of January and the next two were installed just weeks later. The idea behind the stations came from the many college campuses that have implemented a Ban the Bottle Policy, an initiative which aims to reduce the enormous use of disposable water bottles on colleges and universities. “The first step is to establish a water supply for the refillable water and then look for ways to reduce the number of recyclable/disposable bottles used on campus,” said science teacher Laura Dinerman, the Eco Sherwood club sponsor.

Eco Sherwood collects data on how energy is being used in the building, primarily monitoring the use of the school’s heating and lighting. Through the club’s efforts, money is awarded to the school and is sometimes shared with Eco Sherwood so that they may start conservation projects like the refillable water bottle fillers. The club also received funding from the School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT), which supports schools that excel in conservation and recycling efforts.

Now that the refillable water bottle stations are in place, the club, led by senior Annie Shigo, senior Andrew Dunn, junior Juliana Gross, sophomore Hailey Papagjika, and sophomore Sarah Alameh, plans to continue their efforts to reduce water bottle waste with innovative ideas and initiatives similar to the refillable water bottle stations. The club is now partnering with the Smithsonian to gain volunteer status in order to help Dinerman, a Smithsonian fellow, determine the impact humans have on the Chesapeake watershed and the Anacostia River. The club will present their findings at a symposium in the spring.