Water is an essential component of our body and of all living creatures. However, not all water is created equal. Some water contains microorganisms, which can be dangerous for humans to drink. Thus, we need to get rid of these particles first, then use these water.
Filtration is one of the easiest methods to make drinking water safe, specifically using membranes to clean water, mainly used in families and factories. Holes on the membrane will allow the water to go through but block the small particles. There are different levels of membrane, including micro, ultra, and nano. Depending on different uses of membrane, there are normal filters and reverse osmosis which is mostly used on campus.
On campus, the students get their water mostly from the water dispensers found in nearly every building or from the beverage dispenser in the South Room. However, when there are athletic practices or games, the water is provided in jugs.
Using jugs isn’t the best way to get water for the athletes. First, there will be a huge water waste when we are doing this. If the entire jug is not drunk by the athletes, the remaining water has to be dumped. Every day, each team receives one jug of water, and, on average, only half of it will be consumed. It was a huge waste of water. This year, our year of solidarity theme is Caring For Our Common Home. We are telling our students to not waste food in the South Room, but shouldn’t that also apply to the athletic fields?
In addition, the jugs are filled with a half-open tank. When the water gets into the tank, it is clean, but when the water is placed in the jugs, there is a possibility that contaminants have entered the water, potentially posing a health risk to our students. Finally, jugs filled with water are heavy and must be around the campus by trainers. This is unnecessary because there is a better solution.
In the last few months, the environmental club has been working on making a portable water filter system that can connect to the pipes around the fields, allowing students to get water directly from the device. Trainers don’t need to carry the jugs around and there will be less waste of water with this method. The program aims to reduce waste and protect the environment. The device is about one foot wide and has wheels on the bottom, which allow it to move around easily. The general interface on the device will connect to pipes and get water from it.
In addition to being used on the fields, this device can also be used wherever there is running water. There are some similar devices in the market, but they do not meet the school’s needs. The environmental club’s vision is to make a prototype by the end of this school year, so that it can be used during the fall sports season.
If you are interested in helping with this project or reducing waste around the school in general, you’d be a great fit for the Environmental Club! Reach out to Dr. Krambuhl for more information on how to become involved in the club.
