David Havelick, a member of the Eco-Opportunity team spoke up when renovation plans in the Epidemiology department called for a removal of the office sink. Without a sink, people would have nowhere to wash their dishes, and thus would be encouraged to use paper plates, and plastic cups and utensils.
After talking with David and deciding to include plans for a common sink, the Director of Administration Michelle Coleman thought of getting a water filter in order to save money (much less expensive than a water bottle delivery service). With added encouragement from David (because a water filter would be much more environmentally-friendly), she asked Aida Zejnullahu, a staff assistant in the Epi department to shop around for a good water filter that could fit under the sink. After comparing a few places, Aida found a great company that came to install the water filter (and even connected it to the coffee machine).
Now, with a water filter, the department is no longer using all of those plastic bottles, which certainly were having a large impact on the planet. The department's carbon footprint is also decreased because the trucks do not need to deliver bottles monthly anymore. With the possibility of leaching chemicals from plastic bottles, the project also provided a potential health benefit. Finally, paying a lot less for water serves as an added bonus.
Michelle Coleman, Dave Havelick and Aida Zejnullahu
The importance of teamwork and the work of the embedded Eco-Opportunity member is quite evident in this project. Without the awareness David has gained through participating in the Green Team, the department might have lost its sink in the first place. Now, it has a sink in which to wash dishes, and a water filter that was able to replace the wasteful water cooler. The project has also gotten the people in the department talking about the debate between bottled water and tap water. In this way, it has encouraged education, debate, and awareness. The Epi department is moving forward with other initiatives also, including printer cartridge recycling, double-sided printing for everyone, a better recycling system, video conferencing (as an alternative to always booking flights), and communal mugs for visitors.
