Zip 2
“A fresh take on fresh water – our new Zip 2 system quickly delivered great tasting, filtered water from our existing tap. Our switch from bottled water to Zip 2 was a big change in our quest to create little environmentalists.”
-John O’Flaherty , executive director of Community Boating Center, Providence, RI
Food for thought:
- In the United States, 24 percent of bottled water sold is either Pepsi’s Aquafina (13 percent of the market) or Coke’s Dasani (11 percent of the market). Both brands are bottled, purified municipal water3
- In the U.S., public water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires multiple daily tests for bacteria and makes results available to the public. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water, only requires weekly testing and does not share its findings with the EPA or the public7
-
Of the 50 billion bottles consumed annually in the US, 80% end up in landfills, rivers, lakes and oceans.
- Only 1 in 5 plastic bottles are recycled in the US – only 1 in 10 globally.
In an effort to demonstrate best practices and decrease the demand for single use, plastic water bottles, 11th Hour Racing supplied Zip 2 water filtration systems to a few community sailing programs on the east coast. This system is an easy step any sports team, school, or organization can adopt. The amount of waste generated from single use plastics is significantly diminished when individuals switch over to reusable canteens and refill them at stations like this. Many sailing programs have adopted such a system and as the years go by, we see more and more people at refill stations, freeing themselves from the expense and unhealthy environmental implications that are associated with single use plastic water bottles.
“The Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center relies on the Zip 2 Water Barrel as a primary fresh water source for all visitors and students. We are limited to one fresh water nozzle at the center, which adds immense value to the Zip 2 Water Barrel because it increases our fresh water access. The barrel is much appreciated!”
-Ryan Robinson, Education Director
“The Zip2 water system was very well received at Community Boating Boston. It provided endless, tasty and cool water to hundreds of people per day during a dramatic heat wave this past summer. Just to give you some figures, on an average day during the summer, there are up to 350 youth sailors on the dock and on the water (every day!). In the Adult Program, it is not uncommon to have an average 250-300 per day in the summer, with really busy weekend days peaking at over 500 bodies per day. At first it was welcomed with skepticism, but when we used social media to advertise that it was our drinking-water source for the summer, and when more and more people started to recommend it, I can say it was in constant use. We greatly enjoyed having it and are looking forward to seeing how to best use it for next year. Thank you”.
-Marcin Kunicki Community Boating, Inc.
Resources: