by Ian Zoundi | Sep 25, 2017 | Health & Hydration
So, you’ve had the ingenious idea to install a water bottle filling station at your school. That’s great! Now, you’ll need to convince your school to get on-board with the idea. That’s why we’ve distilled the benefits of bottle filling stations down to five key focus points.
After reading this article, you’ll be prepared to form an undeniable proposal that proves filtered water bottle filling stations help schools change the way students access and perceive water.
—01
Solution for Lead Contamination
A key benefit of filtered water bottle filling stations for schools is their ability to provide safe drinking water. The majority of stations use high-performance filters that remove common contaminants such as chlorine and lead. Elkay, one of the leading water bottle filling station manufacturers, offers filtered water bottle filling stations that remove, on average, 99.3 percent of lead from drinking water. In comparison to flushing, a practice where lead is manually pushed out of drains on a daily basis, and pipe remediation, a full removal of contaminated piping, filtered water bottle filling stations are more effective, efficient, and affordable than the alternatives.
All tap water is not created equal. Taste is a significant factor in people’s decision to choose tap versus bottled water. While one might think water fountains to be a solution to promoting the use of tap water, many models are unfortunately notorious for their lukewarm temperature and unsavory flavor. Filtered water bottle filling stations however are equipped with high-performance filters and cooling systems, making them capable of removing the usual culprits of unpleasant tasting water: chlorine and particulate. The stations purify water, making it taste crisp and clean. And regardless of whether they are stationed outside or indoors, they consistently deliver chilled water that instantly refreshes the palate. Ahh, now that’s good tasting water.
Childhood obesity currently affects around 17 percent of U.S. kids. So, why are schools continuing to invest their dollars in vending machines and sugary beverages instead of drinking stations? The health conditions currently affecting American youth make creating positive lifestyle changes, like drinking water, something schools need to prioritize. Swapping out soda for water is an easy way for young kids to form healthy habits and reduce their intake of unnecessary sugar. Safe, clean, and accessible water gives students greater incentive to hydrate more often, contributing to greater energy and productivity.
And fortunately, there are steps being made to implement more comprehensive childhood health initiatives into schools nationwide. Michelle Obama’s Water: You Are What You Drink campaign highlights the importance of water for developing minds and bodies. Similarly, the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act requires schools to have safe, accessible water options for their students. Filtered water bottle filling stations make it easy to comply with these mandates and give students the healthy drinking option they need.
Although it’s true that bottled water is an easy way to implement drinking water into schools, the subscription, disposal, and long-term environmental costs paint a much bleaker picture. It’s estimated that 80 percent of plastic bottles end up in the dump, only to be burned or end up in a landfill. Filtered water bottle filling stations serve as an alternative to plastic water bottles through encouraging the use of tap water and making safe, healthy water free and accessible. Many stations also have built in water bottle counters that track the number of plastic water bottles the station has saved from use, acting as tangible proof of the station’s impact.
One of the most telling benefits of water bottle filling stations is their attention to sustainability. Not only does this present a great opportunity for PR, it’s also an opportunity for youth leadership development around the topic of environmental sustainability. Students can help fundraise for filling stations, like Mike Fackler who raised $9,200 to go towards water bottle filling stations at Loveland High School. And once the bottle fillers are installed, the legacy lives on via Elkay’s “green ticker”—the part of the bottle filler that shows the number of plastic bottles stations saved. The University of Maryland is touting extremely impressive impact metrics, having saved 2,933,087 plastic water bottles from disposal.
So what are you waiting for? Check out our list of grants and funding options for water bottle filling stations and start the process today. And, as always, we’re only an email away at support@becausewater.com.
by Senor Agua | Jul 13, 2017 | Health & Hydration
Besides keeping us alive, drinking water contributes to a better you in a variety of ways. The body is constantly losing water through evaporation, sweat, and other normal bodily processes. As such, these fluids need to be replenished by both drinking water and eating water-rich foods. Making simple changes, like grabbing a glass of water instead of a soda or an orange over a cookie, can make a world of difference.
1. Brain Power – Not surprisingly, research shows that a hydrated mind is a productive mind. A study by Weill Cornell Medical College indicated that, “water loss of less than 5 percent of our body weight,” is able to limit blood flow to the brain and stunt areas responsible for, “short-term memory, attention, and reaction time”. So, next time you assume you need a cup of coffee or energy drink, try reaching for a glass of water instead.
2. Weight Control – Life is busy and we don’t all have time to be gym rats. Drinking water instead of soda or juice eliminates excess calories from your diet that your body doesn’t need. The sugar intake from one bottle of soda is the suggested amount you should consume for the whole day, and yes, that is scary.2 Many times, dehydration can also slow your metabolism, causing people to mistake thirst for hunger.3
3. Regulate your Body Temperature – It’s what everyone wants to do but what no one knows how. Drinking water helps the skin play its role in keeping your body temperature where it should be through sweating.
4. Beautiful Skin – Most important benefit on the list? Our skin is the largest organ of the body and one of the only ones we show to everyone on a regular basis.4 The spaces between the cells of our skin are filled with water. By staying hydrated, you’ll likely have fewer wrinkles and more glow! Good hydration also helps in the process of building new cells properly with a smaller chance of irritation or cracking.5,6 Translation: fewer red spots and less acne.
5. Muscle Efficiency – During any sort of exercise, dehydration contributes to muscle breakdown and reduces the growth of new muscle. What’s more, if there’s an inadequate supply of water in the body, protein will not be produced efficiently.7 Studies have shown that even small amounts of dehydration have a sizeable effect, so fill up your bottle before you leave your house and not when you get to the gym.
6. Reduced Muscle Pain – When they’re not working out, muscles still need water to stay healthy. If you’re not drinking the water you need, joints can ache, muscles can cramp, and strains can happen.
7. Flush Out Bodily Toxins – Evolution did not prepare human beings for McDonald’s. Our bodies are taking in toxins, now more than ever, from both processed foods and the chemicals sprayed on our non-processed foods. The body has its own natural detoxification system that uses water as its main ingredient. Dehydration inhibits the cleansing process and, overtime, can lead to the buildup of toxins in our system.8
8. Living Close to Water Linked with Good Health – It’s a rather wordy benefit but a fascinating one. Researchers in England have shown that close proximity to blue stuff, whether it be the oceans, lakes or rivers, has a positive impact on health. “Blue space”, as they call it, may make people healthier by lowering stress levels and lifting mood.9
9. Happiness – Take our word for it folks. Researchers at Tufts University studied just mild dehydration in college students and found that not drinking enough can affect your mood.10 Hydration is vital for balancing mood and emotions, and the symptoms of moderate dehydration include tiredness and headaches, both of which have never made anyone happy. Happiness is positively correlated with overall wellness, so yes, this is a health benefit, and, anyways, we all want to be happy, right?
To wrap up, drinking water and staying hydrated is good for your body in just about every way you can imagine. Grab a water bottle (reusable please) and get to guzzling; your body will thank you.
by Senor Agua | Jul 13, 2017 | Health & Hydration
The brain is a mysterious place. While there are a lot more questions than answers, there have been many studies examining the relationship between drinking water and brain functionality. While the research is young, the human brain is composed of over 70% water, making the potential benefits plentiful.
Think More Clearly – One of the symptoms of dehydration is a shrinkage in brain tissue, and any one of our human ancestors will tell you a smaller brain doesn’t mean a better one. When we haven’t been drinking water our brains need to do a lot more in order to function at normal levels, affecting cognitive performance and perceived mental effort.1 While the researchers say nothing is definitive, why take the risk?
Reduced Anxiety – Staying calm enough to use all that brainpower is essential to acing an exam or making a deadline. The link between drinking water and reduced stress is well documented and been shown to reduce cortisone levels.2 Plus, in one study, researchers found that college students who brought a water bottle to their exam scored higher than their waterless peers. While this doesn’t prove anything definitively, the researchers hypothesized that the water either helps overall cognitive function or works to reduce anxiety and assist the body in staying calm.3
Concentration and Alertness – Studies in adults suggest that restricting fluids enough to lose just 1 percent of body weight can decrease concentration and alertness. Furthermore, increasing fluid intake has been proven to boost alertness regardless of initial thirst beforehand.
Eliminate headaches and migraines – Your brain won’t be solving any advanced physics problems if it’s yelling at you in pain. And even if your work is a tad less complicated, a headache will throw a monkey wrench into any amount of productivity. Studies have shown drinking water not only keeps the headaches at bay but also serves as an effective cure. Headaches are one of the first symptoms of dehydration (as well as fatigue) and often just a little H2O will do the trick. Instead of taking your Tylenol with one glass of water, take it with two.
Attention and Memory – In studies of children 7 to 9 years old, researchers showed improvements in memory and attention between two groups where the variable element was just one drink of water.4 Because the majority of our brain, over 70 percent, is composed of water, hydration is critical to both body and mind.
Energy Level – Feeling tired is one of the first signs of dehydration and filling back up on H2O could zap the sleepiness.5 Measures of intelligence differ but everyone agrees motivation and drive are imperative to any successful accomplishment, be it an A on that Biology exam or a game changing goal at the state championship.
Mood – Staying hydrated is a proven regulator of mood and studies have shown that even a little bit of dehydration can bring you down.6 Mood is linked with energy as well as motivation, two factors key in determining whether you just get that project done and whether you get it done and enjoy yourself throughout the process.
So drinking more water and staying hydrated can keep you smart and happy. What was that someone once said? Water is life? Sounds about right to me.
