Emily Rovner, a Political Science and Jurisprudence major, is in her first year as Opinion Editor for The Montclarion.
Montclair State University has made many improvements over the last year. However, no improvement has amazed more than the new water fountains placed in the School of Business and Center for Environmental and Life Sciences.
Of course, water fountains seem like a mundane, forgettable aspect of the two new state-of-the-art buildings, but these are not just any old water fountains.
Years ago, Montclair State decided to place the first Elkay devices on campus. The most recognized and commonly-used Elkay product is their EZH2O machine, which is located outside of the Rathskeller, in the Student Recreation Center and at other locations around campus.
Although these water fountains are in areas with a high volume of ongoing foot traffic, few people rarely stop to recognize and to pay tribute to these godly devices. But, the EZH2O is truly one of the best parts of Montclair State University.
Since the implementation of the EZH2O in the lower level of the Student Center, over 50,000 water bottles have been refilled at that location. This means that just one EZH2O station has saved more than 50,000 disposable water bottles from finding themselves a new home in a landfill. That number is remarkable and will only continue to grow with the addition of several more units in the new buildings.
Not to mention, the units around campus are extremely clean. This is thanks to the small sensor located in the middle of the device that is able to detect a water bottle’s physical presence. In turn, the built-in sensor does not require anyone to place their hands on the EZH2O machine in order to fill a water bottle. This brings an end to the problems commonly associated with water fountains: germs.
By using a sensor, the EZH2O prevents the transfer of germs because there are no buttons to push in order to fill a water bottle. Since there are two separate areas that dispense water, one for drinking and one for filling water bottles, there is no concern of germs from others’ mouths coming in contact with the area that dispenses water for bottles. This serves as a great triumph for germaphobes across campus. By greatly reducing the amount of germs on the actual device, students and faculty are able to stay healthy and hydrated even during cold and flu season.
While running across campus between classes, one does not have time to wait for any regular water fountain to fill up their bottle. The EZH2O is able to complete this task in just a few seconds because the EZH2O refrigerated models are able to generate an impressive 1.1 gallons per minute. This eliminates the need to stand in line to fill up a water bottle, as this device has the ability to reduce wait time and get everyone to class on time due to its ease.
It is clear that the Elkay’s EZH2O is one of the greatest additions Montclair State has ever made. While it may be ineffective to place the $1,000 device in older, outdated buildings, it is imperative that they are placed in all new and updated buildings in the future.
Montclair State students are lucky to go to a school that has the EZH2O, but would be even more lucky if they began to pop-up all around campus.
