Public drinking fountains cool down New Yorkers

As temperatures approach 40 degrees Celsius, New York offers drinking fountains to cool down the public and reduce consumption of bottled water.

 

In a bit to reduce consumption of bottled water, New York City has begun providing residents with portable drinking fountains for use over the coming months. The ten fountains located around the city are attached to fire hydrants and are rotated around the city on a schedule to hydrate residents as the temperatures are expected to reach around 37.7 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).  

The project named ‘water on the go' is run by volunteers who set up and dismantle the water fountains at the start and end of each day. This is the latest initiative from the city which announced plans in May, to begin phasing out bottled water from state owned agencies over the next six months.

Several US cities including San Francisco have already banned the use of state funds to purchase plastic bottles, and the New York Times reported earlier this month on the City of Concord in Massachusetts, where local level voters are attempting to pass legislation banning supermarket sales of bottled water in the town.

Similar schemes are in place around the world, including England where, under the ‘Give me Tap' campaign, consumers can take reusable bottles to several restaurants and have them refilled free of charge.

It was estimated that consumption of bottled water in 2009 were around $100 Billion, required 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce and 80% of bottles consumed were not recycled.