Do you always bring your water bottle to class? Is it disposable? Is it reusable? Or do you even bring a water bottle to school?

According to a non-profit focused on environment impact on plastic water bottles, “banthebottle.net,” the recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400.

If the cost isn’t enough to convince you, consider the environmental aspect. You may have thought you were helping the environment by recycling your plastic water bottle, but think again. Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year.

In assembly, art teacher Joe Madres explained the importance of separating recyclables and trash. He disproved the myth that if they are thrown away together, the recyclables will be separated automatically.

Senior Libby Grimond says, “I bring a water bottle at the beginning of the day and then I buy one again at lunch.”

Fortunately for students like Libby who also consume water from plastic water bottles, most of the new water fountains have been designed for students to bring their own water bottle from home to refill, rather than throwing away a plastic water bottle and buying a new one.

It also uses less energy and doesn’t waste as much water than using a standard water fountain to fill a water bottle. Not only do they save plastic, but they look cool too.

Mr. Seldis says, “It adds to the college atmosphere of the new building. Once we saw it in the STEM building, we decided to put them everywhere.”

ODA isn’t the only community thinking of the environment, but Targets in Sarasota recently introduced “Boxed Water.”

Senior Dana Saltz has started purchasing Boxed Water. “I got it from Target,” she says. “But it’s cheaper if you buy it online on Amazon.”

Why Boxed Water? According to the company website, “We started with the simple idea of creating a packaged water brand that is kinder to the environment and gives back.” The website goes into more detail of explaining their environmental responsibility.

The next time you pack your lunch, think about your impact. Whether you are buying Boxed Water rather than plastic bottled water or even bringing your own water bottle to fill up using the new fountain system, your contribution counts.