Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
2011 project grant application
General Information
Project title: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
Sponsoring Organization:
Total amount requested from TGIF: $27,000
Amount Requested as:
Primary contact:
Name
Title and
department
Phone
Email
Grant
Loan (Estimated payback period of loan in months:___)
Trish Ratto
Manager, Health*Matters, University Health Services
642-7324
tratto@uhs.berkeley.edu
Secondary contact (if applicable):
Name
Title and
department
Phone
Email
How did you hear about this grant? TGIF announcements
Registered student organization or campus unit through which the grant funds will be
administered (if no entity is listed, your fiscal agent will automatically default to be TGIF):
TGIF, through Katherine Walsh, will serve as the fiscal agent to distribute the funds as work
orders are submitted for payment.
For each listed entity, please submit a completed “Project Approval” form. Project Approval
forms will not be counted toward your application page limit.
1
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
Project Description
1. Please give a brief history of this project/your organization. Describe the overall purpose
(goals) of the project.
The goal of this project is to improve access to tap water to support the use of reusable drinking
containers and reduce the purchase and disposal of single-use plastic water bottles. In 2006 there were
over 840,000 single-use plastic water bottles sold on campus. The analysis of beverage sales for 2010
shows a 48% decline in water bottle sales, or 430,630 bottles. This is a significant decline and a
successful indicator of campus initiatives such as The I Heart Tap Water campaign, as well as the
commitment of students to bring their refillable containers to campus. However, this analysis also
shows over 400,000 single-use plastic water bottles are still being purchased on campus, in addition to
any plastic bottles being brought to campus after being purchased elsewhere. This equates to at least
14,000 pounds of plastic waste, only about 1/3 of which will be recycled with the rest entering the waste
stream or littering our community.
As bottled water sales decrease on campus, it is more important than ever to ensure the campus has
access to tap water and refill stations to support this downward trend. A 2007 survey of students found
60% felt that the campus lacks adequate sources for refilling reusable water containers. Many campus
groups have worked collaboratively to educate the campus about tap water use and plastic water bottle
waste. Improving access to water bottle refill stations will help to foster a sustainable campus culture.
This project intends to improve access to tap water by installing four to five water bottle refill stations
around campus. This will improve the campus infrastructure for access to tap water and make it easier
for the campus community to refill their reusable bottles. The Dwinelle Hall refill station, funded by a
2010 TGIF grant as part of developing the Design Standard for Refill Stations and installed in January
2011, has already reduced the equivalent of over 11,700 bottles from going into the landfill.
2. What will be the process for implementing your project? Describe the key components
and steps of your project.
This proposal builds on the 2010 TGIF grant which funded the development of the Design Guidelines for
Installation of Hydration Stations in Existing Buildings. With the new Design Guidelines, consultation
with Physical Plant-Campus Services, and lessons learned from the installation of the Elkay Refill Station
in Dwinelle Hall, criteria to determine the locations for installing more refill stations has been identified.
These criteria include:
 Compliance with the Design Guidelines for existing Hi/Low water fountains
 Preference for the lowest cost installation (plumbing only, no construction and minimal
electrical work, if needed)
 Areas with high student traffic
With these criteria, an assessment was completed of 20 buildings. Several locations emerged as the best
match to the criteria and four have been approved by the Building/Facility Manager for installation of
water refill stations. The buildings are Evans Hall, Stanley Hall, Boalt Hall, and University Hall. To not
add any additional overhead costs, University Health Services, through the Project Lead, Trish Ratto, will
2
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
hold and distribute the funds to the building managers upon completion of the work orders. The
building managers have approved this plan, and have agreed to coordinate installation following the
Design Guidelines.
If all the funds are not used for these four installations, we would like to explore the options to retrofit
certain types of water fountains with “glass fillers” that can be used to fill water bottles, identify more
buildings for refill stations, and/or add permanent sign holders to include I Heart Tap Water posters near
the refill stations.
3. Which aspects of campus sustainability will your project address, and why is addressing
these sustainability components important? How will your project benefit the UC
Berkeley campus community as a whole?
This project addresses the following sustainability components as categorized by the 2009 Campus
Sustainability Plan:
Waste – Implementation of this project will reduce the amount of solid waste generated on campus and
in the community by reducing the number of plastic drinking water bottles disposed of in the trash.
Energy – The reduction in demand for plastic water bottles on campus will contribute to a decrease in
raw materials and energy usage required to produce, distribute, recycle, and refrigerate water bottles.
4. Does your project tie into any broader campus sustainability initiatives? If so, how?
This project ties into the following campus sustainability initiatives:
 I Heart Tap Water collaborative campaign between Cal Dining, Environment, Health & Safety,
Recreational Sports and University Health Services addressing health and sustainability by
promoting the message to drink tap water, reduce the purchase of plastic water bottles and use a
refillable container.
 Building Sustainability@Cal, a group of students working to improve sustainable practices in
buildings and departments.
 UCB Nutrition and Physical Activity Work Group’s goal to improve access to tap water for
refilling reusable water containers.
 2020 Long Range Development Plan (Sustainable Campus -- Section 3.1.11 draft), which includes
a policy calling for “minimizing the use of nonrenewable energy and material resources.”
 2020 Campus Sustainability goal of zero waste.
Project Approvals (Projects will not be considered without the relevant approvals).
5. Do any aspects of your project require approval from an entity on or off campus? If so,
please explain. (For example, a project which affects campus grounds or buildings must be
approved by the Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services) For each listed entity, please submit
3
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
a completed “Project Approval” form. Project Approval forms will not be counted toward
your application page limit.
Trish Ratto, Health*Matters Manager, has approved UHS’ role to manage the TGIF funds, coordinate
with the building managers for the installations, and work with I Heart Tap Water partners on publicity
and outreach of the new bottle refill stations. It is hoped that this model will eliminate the potential for
additional overhead costs because the Design Guidelines are completed, the building locations have
been identified and approved, and the building managers have agreed to manage the installations
directly with either PP-CS or Facilities for L&S.
Nick Pigati, Head Plumber with PP-CS, has reviewed the building and installation locations and agrees
these sites are the lowest cost installation and they meet the Design Guidelines. PP-CS will respond to
the work orders for the installation at their recharge rate.
Brian Joseph, Director of Facilities for L&S, has a small team of plumbers and contractors, and is
interested in bidding on this work at their recharge rate.
Building Managers:
Evans Hall: approved by Ruben Mejia, Facilities Manager
Stanley Hall: approved by Stewart Brown, Building Manager
Boalt Hall: approved by Lisa Ferrari, Building Manager
University Hall: approved by Janis Honda, Building Manager
Metrics and Measurability
6. What quantifiable sustainability impacts will your project have and what will be the cost
savings to the campus? How do these impacts fit into the larger campus context (For
example, what fraction of campus electricity use does your savings represent)? Please use
the CalCAP Statistics spreadsheet in your calculations and submit it separately from your
application. The 2009 Campus Sustainability Assessment contains additional information on
campus resource usage.
Implementation of this project is expected to have measureable impacts on waste, energy and
purchases of plastic water bottles. We expect that access to water refilling stations on campus will
continue to reduce the sales of bottled water on campus, thus decreasing waste and the associated
energy costs.
Quantifiable measures that can help determine the impact of the refill stations include analysis of
bottled water sales and the number of single-use plastic bottles saved from the landfill measured by
every 12 ounces used to fill a container at the refill stations. The two primary models of refill stations
that meet the Design Guidelines come with a counter showing the number of disposable bottles saved
from the landfill.
In 2005-06, sales of bottled water equaled 35,173 cases. In 2008-09, the first year of the I Heart Tap
Water campaign, water sales dropped to 21,986 cases. This decline of approximately 38% equates to
4
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
316,488 single-use disposable, plastic water bottles prevented from becoming thousands of pounds of
plastic bottles entering the waste stream. The decrease in water bottle sales has continued in 2009-10,
dropping to 17,943 cases, primarily declining in retail operations, while vending sales have remained
essentially unchanged. We expect to see further reductions in these numbers with an increased
investment in bottle refill stations in new and existing campus buildings for easier refilling of water
containers.
7. How will you measure these impacts after your project is implemented in order to see if
you have met your goal? In addition to TGIF, who will you report your information to?
This project will determine the reduction in campus waste using the refill stations counters showing the
number of disposable bottles saved from the landfill.
This project will report on increased awareness of refill stations and the likelihood to bring a refillable
container to campus. This will be assessed in coordination with the I Heart Tap Water by adding
questions to the online pledge and questionnaire.
In addition to TGIF, the measurable results will be provided to the Office of Sustainability, Capital
Projects, UCB Nutrition and Physical Activity Work Group, and campus leadership to report cost savings
and waste reduction, and to support continued installation of refill stations and/or retrofits to water
fountains in existing campus buildings. Through the leadership of Capital Projects over the last year,
new campus buildings have included refill stations in the design. To date, these include LiKa-Shing, Boalt
In-fill Project, the Blum Center, and the Athletic Performance Center.
8. How does your project go above and beyond the requirements already mandated by UC
Berkeley and/or state law?
Water bottle refill stations are not required by any state or federal law, nor are they required by any
specific UC Berkeley policy or mandate. An initiative to request the end of all bottled water sales on the
UC Berkeley campus may be on the ASUC ballot this April. Some concerns that students have expressed
around drinking fountains include: the inability to use a water fountain to refill a reusable container,
poor functioning water fountains, cleanliness of water fountains, and safety of the water from water
fountains. This project would help to alleviate many of these student concerns, and provide students
with improved access to tap water for filling a reusable container on campus.
Project Team
9. Please identify the project manager(s) as well as the member of the team (liaison)
responsible for reporting project status and success in the following tables (each project
will be expected to report regularly to the TGIF Coordinator with frequency based on the
scale of the project). For each entity listed, please submit a completed “Project Approval”
form. If you want to list additional team members, please add the entries to the end of the
application. Additional team member information will not count toward your page limit.
5
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
Name
Title and
department
Project Role
Phone
Email
Relevant
experience or
knowledge for this
project
Trish Ratto
Manager, Health*Matters, University Health Services
Name
Title and
department
Phone
Email
Relevant
experience or
knowledge for this
project
Nick Pigati
Lead Plumber, Physical Plant-Campus Services
Name
Title and
department
Phone
Email
Relevant
experience or
knowledge for this
project
Brian Joseph
Director of Facilities for L&S
Coordination with Building Managers, Plumbers, L&S Facilities, and TGIF
(510) 642-7324
tratto@uhs.berkeley.edu
Trish has been a member of the I Heart Tap Water team, and helped to facilitate
the 2010 TGIF grant on the Design Guidelines for Installation of Hydration
Stations in Existing Buildings. She serves as Chair of the UB Nutrition and
Physical Activity Workgroup that is working to improve access to healthier food
and beverage options on campus, including tap water. Trish does not have a
recharge rate for her time, which has helped to not have an additional cost to
facilitate planning, approvals and identification of the locations for refill
stations.
(510) 643-6594
Pigati@berkeley.edu
Nick’s team of plumbers has already installed the HAWS Hydration Station in
Wurster Hall. They have reviewed the locations identified to get refill stations
and determined an approximate cost per installation.
510 643-9934
bjoseph@berkeley.edu
Brian and his facilities team primarily serve to complete small construction
projects for L&S. They would like an opportunity to assist with this project and
bid on the work at their recharge rate.
10. If your project team is partnering with other organizations, departments, individuals, or
other stakeholders, please explain their involvement and include their contact
information. For each listed entity, please submit a completed “Project Approval” form.
Project Approval forms will not be counted toward your application page limit.
6
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
The Building Managers are excited about the possibility of their building getting a refill station and they
are willing to coordinate the work order and payment process.
Evans Hall: approved by Ruben Mejia, Facilities Manager
Stanley Hall: approved by Stewart Brown,, Building Manager
Boalt Hall: approved by Lisa Ferrari, Building Manager
University Hall: approved by Janis Honda, Building Manager
11. Please be specific about the ways in which you can ensure that your team will have time
available to work on this project. (For example, students might choose to take fewer classes
in order to have time to devote to the project. Staff might receive permission from a
supervisor to devote X hours per week to the project).
The preliminary work has been completed – the Design Guidelines, the location of buildings that match
the criteria (described previously), the approvals by the building managers and the engagement of PPCS
and L&S Facilities Team.
The majority of the work will now be completed by the Building Managers and either Physical PlantCampus Services or Facilities for L&S team.
12. How much of your project will students be involved in? What roles will students play in
your project? Does your project target involvement of a certain section of the student
body?
Student involvement will primarily include outreach and promotion of the new refill stations in various
student publications and social media outlets. We also anticipate that student word of mouth will play a
significant role in promotion of refill stations.
Project Education, Outreach, and Publicity Plan
Note: This section is about letting the campus know what your project has accomplished after
you’ve met your project goals. If outreach and education are the primary goals of your project,
please describe them above in the section entitled “Project Goals and Quantifiable Impacts.”
13. What is your plan for publicizing your project on campus?
To educate and inform the campus community about the new refill stations, publicity and outreach will
be coordinated with the assistance of the I Heart Tap Water Campaign. University Health Services (UHS)
is committed to coordinating this outreach.
The new refill stations will be added to the Water Refill Station locater map, which sits on the I Heart
Tap Water web page.
7
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
8
Articles will be provided to campus publications (the Daily Cal, Berkeleyan Online, Bright Green News) to
help promote the new refill stations. Outreach will also be conducted at campus events such as
Welcome Week, Caltopia, PLAYgreen, tabling at Sproul Plaza, and special events held during Earth Week.
14. Do you have any specific outreach goals? If so, how will they be measured?
Outreach and awareness of refill stations will be determined through the I Heart Tap Water campaign.
This program hopes to see an increase in the number of I Heart Tap Water pledges with at least 25% of
new pledges being familiar with refill stations on campus, as well as a 10% increase in web traffic to the
Bottle Refill Station locater map.
Budget
15. List all budget items for which funding is being requested under the appropriate category.
Include cost and total amount for each item requested. Please be as detailed as possible.
(Insert additional rows if necessary).
If you have price quotes from vendors or additional historical budget information for
projects that have occurred previously or are on-going, please submit those with this
application. Additional budget documentation will not be counted toward your application
page limit.
Item
Cost per
Item
Quantity
Total
Request
4-5
22,000
5,000
Equipment and Construction Costs
Cost of the Bottle Refill Stations, plus installation
4-5,000
An additional installation of refill stations, bottle filler retrofits on
fountains, permanent sign holders and/or contingency fund for
unforeseen problems
TOTAL $27,000
16. If your project is implemented, does is require any on-going funding after its completion?
What is your strategy for supporting the project after this initial period to cover
replacement, operational, and renewal costs? (Note: TGIF is unlikely to provide funding
beyond the initial year for ongoing projects).
This project is not requesting on-going funding for this specific project year. Once these new refill
stations are installed; we may apply for a 2012 TGIF grant to fund more refill stations. Maintenance
associated with the bottle refill stations will be covered by Physical Plant-Campus Services.
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
9
17. List all non-TGIF sources you are pursuing for funding, volunteer time, in-kind donations,
etc.
Source/Description
Amount
Date Request
submitted
Project lead – Manage the TGIF funds, coordinate
approvals and installations with building managers.
Assessment of 20 potential locations for low-cost
installation and meetings with the plumbers
already completed.
Project management of the installations by the
building managers.
Date received /
date funding
will be
announced
In-kind
In-kind
Coordination of publicity by campus departments
involved with assistance from student volunteers
Written outreach materials
Electronic Outreach
In-Kind
In-Kind
In-Kind
Project Timeline
18. Please complete the following table to describe your project timeline. List milestones
chronologically. For the “Timeframe” column, please estimate how long each task will
take to be completed. (Insert additional rows if necessary).
Each one of the following items must be included on your timeline:
 Project start date
 Target date for project completion
 Date by which you will need the first installment of TGIF money
 Date by which you expect to have spent all TGIF funds
 Target date for submitting final project report to TGIF
 Any significant tasks or milestones along the way (For example: identifying an equipment
vendor, begin installing equipment, finish installing equipment, etc.)
Task
Project Start Date: June 1
Once this TGIF proposal is approved (based on June 1 date or as soon
as the funds are received); hold meeting with all the project
managers to distribute work order template, and review the models
Timeframe
(# of wks to
completion)
4 weeks
Estimated
completion
date
June 30
Primary Contact Name: Trish Ratto
Project Name: Installation of Water Bottle Refill Stations
of refill stations that match each specific location.
The work of identifying the right refill station model, the building
locations, and approvals has already been completed in preparation
for submitting this proposal
Building managers to proceed with submitting work orders
Installation work to be completed
Distribution of the TGIF funds will begin after June 30 and continue
through completion, estimated at Aug 30
Target Date for Completion of Installation
This would be ideal to be completed at the beginning of the Fall 2011
semester.
Target date for submission of budget report following installations
Target date for submission of final TGIF report to include all
measurable results
10
4 weeks
8 weeks
July 1
Aug 30
12 weeks
Aug 30
Aug 30
3 months
Dec 1
April 30.
2012