Oakland U goes green with new hydration station

Going green could be as easy as offering people a choice to do so. That's what Oakland University is doing by adding a hydration station to the mix for its students.

Most of the time the term 'hydration station' comes across as fancy jargon for a water fountain. The university replaced one in the Oakland Center with a water dispenser that makes using a refillable bottle more convenient and lessens the need to buy bottled water.

"It's designed to refill water bottles quickly," says Richard Fekel, director of the Oakland Center.

The idea is to encourage more students to carry their own containers instead of buying disposable plastic ones that too often clog landfills. While this is the first hydration station on Oakland University's campus, however, more might be in the future.

"My guess is this will start a new trend," Fekel says. "We sell a lot of bottled water on campus so this is just another way for our students to give back to their environment."

Source: Richard Fekel, director of the Oakland Center
Writer: Jon Zemke
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