Promoting Health and Sustainability: Water Refill Stations at UC Berkeley

Eric Ellisen, Capital Projects Teri Mathers, Capital Projects Trish Ratto, University Health Services - Health*Matters

Promoting Health and Sustainability:

The Built Environment --

Water Refill Stations

Promoting Tap Water Goals:

Campus

Sustainability goal:

Zero waste by 2020

UCB Nutrition & Physical Activity Workgroup

Health goal:

Promote tap water, pledge, google map of refill stations, share success stories

Built environment goal:

Add water bottle refill stations

Water fountain bottle fillers

Water at events served in bulk containers

Water cooler conversion guide

48% decrease in sales of single-use bottled water between

2006 - 2010

21 Water Refill Stations on campus (14 in high traffic areas)

Survey of 800+ students, 2006 and 2011

Increased consumption of water:

2 cups/day in 2006, 5 cups/day in 2011

Increased use of a refillable container:

50% of students carry a refillable container in 2006;

70% in 2011

Decreased aversion to water fountains on campus:

40% never drank from water fountains in 2006; 19% in 2011

Successes

Additional initiatives to

improve access to tap water

Arrowhead Water Cooler Conversion Guide (under development)

• Take back the tap – use the

sink

• Add instant hot to sink

•Plumb the Arrowhead

filtration unit to water source

•Other solutions

TGIF Funding

2010 TGIF

• Water Refill Station

Design Guidelines

• Dwinelle Hall Refill Station installation

2011 TGIF

• Funded 5 refill stations

• Bottle filler water fountain retrofits

Design Guidelines: Water Refill Stations in Existing Buildings

Existing Hi/Lo fountains: a) Replace the high fountain with a refill station

Design Guidelines: Water Refill Stations in Existing Buildings

Existing Hi/Lo fountains:

b) must have rails if not in a niche

Design Guidelines: Water Refill Stations in Existing Buildings

Existing single fountain:

a) Replace with the combination unit – fountain and refill station –

at ADA compliant height, rails required if not in a niche

Design Guidelines: Water Refill Stations in Existing Buildings

Existing single fountain: b) No rails required if in a niche

New Buildings

BOALT Hall Place holder for LKS

New buildings-- looking ahead

Campbell Hall The Stadium

More built environment goals:

Design goals for new buildings:

StairWells – visually accessible, visually appealing, motivational

signage

Showers and lockers, bike storage, lactation rooms

Campus:

Walking paths/way finding

Campus maps identified with walking paths,

refill stations, etc

Labyrinth

Space needed:

Teaching kitchen

Educational garden

Discussion and Questions

How to prioritize -- Number of refill stations

per building/per occupants/high traffic areas?

Bottle fillers

Owner for this water infrastructure

642-7324

Trish Ratto:

tratto@uhs.berkeley.edu