"Quench Machines" to replace bottled water

Goodbye, plastic bottles. Hello, water.

In response to Penn's commitment toward increasing environmental sustainability, Dining Services collaborated with the Penn Environmental Group to replace bottled water in McClelland in Ware College House and Hill Express in Hill College House with "Quench machines": environmentally friendly water coolers.

PEG members will be standing by the machines for the next few days to show their support, explain why the machines are there and encourage students to use them. Free Penn water bottles were also given out to the first hundred people who took advantage of the new machines.

PEG co-chairwoman and College sophomore Jenna Stahl compared the implementation of the Quench machines to the removal of trays from dining halls.

"At first people were not too happy about it, but now it really isn't a big deal," she said.

Similarly, with the Quench Machines, Stahl said she believes the "new freshmen next year will be most supportive because they would never have gotten used to buying bottled water from these dining halls."

Director of Dining Services Laurie Cousart said although the new machines will impose a small financial cost, teaching students to be environmentally conscious provides a benefit that outweighs that expense.

Business Services spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger added that, "ounce by ounce, bottled water costs more than gasoline," the price of which often causes concern. The installation of the Quench machines is "one more step in our project to help Penn's sustainability effort."

Penn is also completing another year in Recyclemania, a program which promotes recycling on university campuses by increasing the amount recycled and minimizing generated waste. Lea-Kruger said Penn has been doing well on the recycling scene compared to the other Ivy Leagues schools.

College freshman Laura Rostad, a Hill resident, said the "Quench machines sound convenient, and better yet, they are free to use." Rostad also said she would rather use the Quench machine than go out of her way to buy a water bottle at Wawa or a nearby food cart.

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