Bringing safe water, refilling stations, reusable bottles and eco education to youth around the world.
Rethink.Refill. is an education program that empowers youth, prevents plastic pollution and delivers clean drinking water to underserved schools worldwide.
The program provides water refilling stations and reusable bottles to teach students about plastic waste. They participate in a solution that eliminates single-use plastic bottles from the waste stream.
Rethink.Refill. offers a quantifiable way to track the amount of plastic pollution they prevent from entering the environment. They can track their school’s success and use it as a tool to encourage other members of their community to join in plastic pollution prevention.
Schools can purchase additional reusable bottles for students and faculty at the program wholesale cost to enhance plastic pollution prevention. This is where Rethink.Refill. offers a social entrepreneurship component. Reusable bottles can be sold as a school fundraising tool. Profits can support the school, be donated to Rethink.Refill. or benefit another cause.
Where
Rethink.Refill. is now operating at five schools in the US and Mexico. In the US, the program is running in three elementary schools at the Mesa Public Schools system in Mesa, Arizona, including Crismon Elementary, Ida Redbird Elementary and Washington Elementary.
Plastic Oceans has donated a water bottle filling drinking fountain at Washington Elementary Tim Hacker/ Mesa Public Schools]
“Crismon Elementary feels blessed to have received a water refilling station, which we placed in the multipurpose room, where every student has physical education, and breakfast and lunch are served daily,” said Sandi Kuhn, Principal, Crismon Elementary. “We are planning a contest inviting Kindergarten to first-grade students to draw a picture about recycling, and second to sixth-grade students to write about recycling, where the winning entries will receive a reusable water bottle. Our water refilling station complements several school activities where our students help the environment, and reducing plastic pollution is another way the students can give back to make the world a better place.”
Plastic Oceans Mexico implemented Rethink.Refill. at Chumpón and Tres Reyes community schools in Sian Ka’an, Quintana Roo. Water refilling stations were placed at both schools, and stainless-steel reusable water bottles were provided to all students in November 2019.
Why
Students in the Sian Ka’an area in Mexico display their new water bottles and filters.
Rethink.Refill. levels the playing field. Plastic pollution affects everyone worldwide, regardless of socioeconomic standing.
Education is part of Plastic Oceans’ mission to inform, inspire and incite action to solve plastic pollution.
The program focuses on underserved schools to ensure that youth from underprivileged communities are educated and afforded the same learning opportunities to tackle and solve the plastic waste problem facing the planet. Rethink.Refill. aims to benefit communities with unsafe water, that experience poverty, and which lack education and resources to address plastic pollution.
How
Plastic Oceans works with schools worldwide to tailor and implement Rethink.Refill. Secondary companies (contractors) maintain the water refilling stations in schools where the program is up and running.
For More Information or to Register Your School for the Rethink.Refill. Program, Please Fill Out and Submit the Following Form