Students partner with Rotary

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR An investment from the Rotary Club of Youngstown is helping students and faculty at Youngstown State University reduce the use of plastic water bottles through the Water Bottle Refill Station Project. In 2013 the Student Government Association of YSU began replacing an outdated water fountain with a water bottle refill station. This allowed students to fill reusable water bottles with filtered fresh water. Working with YSU recycling, the SGA learned that water bottle waste dropped by more than 100 pounds for the first station, also saving money. The Rotary Club Foundation gave the first grant to help expand the initiative to all student centered buildings and academic buildings by matching contributions for the installation of water bottle refill stations. From left are Ashley Orr, SGA president; Becky Keck, Rotary Club of Youngstown president; and Mariah DeFuris, a YSU student.