Tiny Choices Earth Day Extravaganza
By tinychoices | April 22, 2009
Hey Tiny Choosers! Happy Earth Day!
What originally started in 1970 to inspire awareness and appreciation for our Earth has continued on and gathered strength. There’s an Earth Day Network! with Earth Day Events! and the government is involved!
We’ve been thinking a lot about Earth Day and how to celebrate it, and you know, there is a lot of Earth Day Specific actions out there – many companies and organizations plan specific things to do on This One Day that raise awareness and celebrate environmentalism. And this is not to say that doing that is a bad idea – not at all! It’s incredibly important to take time and educate yourself and your neighbors on what more we could be doing. That’s the backbone of Tiny Choices, after all – to make tiny choices every day and see how they become easier and bigger until you’re an Environmental Black Belt.
This year, we’d like to announce a Tiny Choices Project-In-Progress. And we will need your help to make it successful! We’ve spent a lot of time talking about drinking water, and how important it is, and what, actually, we should be drinking out of. We’ve talked about putting water in boxes, selling municipal water in bottles, and reasons NOT to drink bottled water. We’ve discussed ways to hold water, more ways to hold water, and traveling with water bottles. Then we’ve discussed using glass jars as water carrying devices, collapsable cups to hold water, and even more options for water bottles! We’ve talked about the importance of keeping our water systems safe and water with drugs in it and water with FIRE in it. We’ve even ruminated on the historically ubiquitous drinking fountain. We’ve all discussed and talked about these items with gusto!
So let us suggest a community advocacy project:
LET’S BRING BACK THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN…
also known as:
TAKE BACK THE FOUNTAIN! ™
Seriously! how often are you walking around with your reusable water receptacle, whatever it may be, looking for a place to refill it? Or, how often have you forgotten to bring your reusable water receptacle with you when you leave the house, and just want a little bit of water and end up having to buy a disposable bottles worth?
Let’s start advocating publicly for drinking fountains. This has been gaining ground lately – in just the last month or so the NYTimes has referenced drinking fountains at least twice: did you know they may slow weight gain in school kids? and check the amazing OpChart on plastic bottles vs. potentially dirty steel, and the suggestion at the bottom: “Then again, some old solutions we shouldn’t discount. Before stainless steel thermoses, before bottled water, we already had an eco-friendly method of getting water: drinking fountains.”
We’re going to be tossing around ways to advocate for drinking fountains in your community, but first we’d like you to all keep your eyes out for local fountains. Make a note of where you see them, and if you get a chance, snap a photo. We’ll be rolling out a way to keep track of all of this pretty soon and we are Very Excited.
What do you think? Will you Join Us on our Drinking Fountain Advocacy Project?
[[Photo from flickr user lenseyed via creative commons license.]]
Topics: Activism | 14 Comments »
14 Comments
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LOVE IT!! Except here in Wisconsin, we call those things “bubblers” not drinking fountains. :) Crazy, huh?
I admit, I use the bubbler here at work to fill up my Sigg . . . but rarely do I actually drink from it! I know the kids use the fountains at school and at their Tae Kwon Do studio . . . so perhaps it’s time I start using the one in our office as designed!
I love this idea! I drink from the one at the gym, etc. I would prefer to stop for a cool sip then walk around with a reusable water bottle.
When I was at Hunter there were folks trying to get funded to put signage on each floor to alert the students where the nearest fountain was; preferably putting the sign in as close enough proximity to the vending machines to perhaps alter people’s choices without pissing off Sodexho, the food vendors. Not sure what happened with this, but I suspect it’s definitely happening at other universities.
We actually don’t have a water cooler or fountain of any sort in my office, but we do have a sink and that’s where my water comes from.
we have this going on where i work: http://uhs.berkeley.edu/tapwater/campuscampaign.shtml
they are even installing new “hydration stations” which are drinking fountains specially designed to refill water bottles. and i have one of the “I <3 tap water” water bottles!
Here in New England, we call them bubblers too ; )
I do wonder what ever happened to water fountains? Did they stop putting them in new buildings? Are there still the same number, but for some reason, we’re all thirstier now? Anyway, I love the idea of your challenge!
yay – LOVE this idea! we have filtered water stations at work … if we didn’t, i’d use the fountain or sink (we actually have both).
i was recently told this factoid: $30 billion dollars would solve the WORLD’s water problems but we spend $90 billion dollars (per year?) on bottled water. no idea of the source, FYI. but, if that is true – it’s CRAZY.
Great idea! Often when I’m out on a run I find myself WISHING for a drinking fountain – it would be so much better than having to carry water!
Here in Portland, Oregon we have “Benson Bubblers” (http://www.garden-fountains.com/articles/benson-bubblers.html). These public water fountains are scattered throughout the city. Simon Benson, a lumber baron, donated money for the fountains in the early 1900s in the hopes that people would choose free water over beer from neighborhood saloons.
Several city parks installed their own versions of the bubblers — complete with dog-friendly faucets! I’m not sure how much all of this costs but it’s a resource many enjoy.
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I can NOT use a drinking fountain. Too many people’s mouths too close to the source. Ick!
Gaaahhd…when I was a tyke in the early 70′s my father got a bubbler attachment for our outside water spiggot to keep us from running in the house and opening the fridge every time we were thirsty. Every kid in the neighborhood was there because it was so cool!
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