Over 100,000 Water Bottles Filled At BAHS

Over+100%2C000+Water+Bottles+Filled+At+BAHS

Hannah Cook

On Sept. 16, 2014, the 100,000th water bottle was filled up at Bel Air High School using the EZ H2O water bottle refilling station.

In 2012, C. Milton Wright High School challenged BAHS to see who could recycle more cans. Bel Air dominated that challenge. Andrew Cassilly, the Resource Conservation Manager of HCPS, picked the prize: the EZ H2O water bottle refill station.

The water bottle station was put in the` school on April 10, 2012, and the second station was put in the school on June 10, 2014. They allow the students and staff at Bel Air High School to save money on buying water bottles every day and then putting them in the waste stream.

Mr. Skelton, an English teacher at Bel Air High School, said “It’s great because it keeps me from buying water and keeps me from putting plastic into the environment.”

Cassilly chose that model because it fit best with the existing systems. Every school that gets ‘Green School Certified’ has a system. Currently, 19 schools in Harford County have the same type of system.

“The excitement on the system spread and many schools in HCPS wanted one, too. We spread the program throughout the schools and now most schools in the county have the system,” said Cassilly.

HCPS will continue to fund the systems being put in the schools because it promotes a greener environment. It also motivates the students to recycle and challenge themselves to keep the environment healthy and free of waste.

Mr. Hedelson, an Environmental Science teacher at Bel Air High School, said “Actually I think it’s a pretty amazing our students keep plastic out of the waste stream and save money at the same time.”

Bel Air High School along with the 19 other schools in the county have been drinking cleaner water since the great can clash back in 2012.