Water fountains school Bethpage students

New water fountains aimed at reducing water bottle waste have been installed in two Bethpage schools and offer a real-life lesson on conservation.

The fountains, installed two weeks ago at the district high school and John F. Kennedy Middle School, dispense chilled, filtered water for drinking and to refill water bottles.
Educators in Bethpage calculated that in just three days, JFK students reused about 360 plastic water bottles, conserving enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for 720 hours or run a computer for 3,000 hours.

The installation was part of the district’s regular replacement program for water fountains. The fountains were installed by in-district personnel at no additional cost. The district is looking to expand to the elementary school level.

“In just a few short weeks our students are taking full advantage of the opportunity to refill their water bottles with chilled, filtered Bethpage water,” district superintendent Terrence Clark said.