(Introduction) ?led? ?to other? ?inventions,? ?it? ?has?

(Introduction)   Plastic,? ?the? ?ultimate? ?revolutionary? ?product!??Though??it??has??simplified??our??lives??and??led??toother??inventions,??it??has??taken??a??toll??on??our??environment.

??Did??you??know??that??there??are??100??milliontons??of??plastic??floating??around??the??ocean???(Tanner,??20)??According??to??the??National??Geographicthere? ?is? ?a? ?new? ?continent? ?being? ?formed? ?in? ?the? ?Pacific? ?Ocean? ?and? ?it’s? ?about? ?the? ?size? ?of? ?Europe.? ?I? ?bet Leo? ?Hendrick? ?Baekeland,? ?an??inventor??and??founder??of??plastic,??never??saw??this??coming;??but??he??can’tjust??take??all??the??blame.??Every??one??of??us??is??responsible??for??pollution,??not??only??plastic??pollution,??butair??pollution,??waste??pollution??and??everything??else??that??is??hurting??our??environment.

??This??leads??meonto??our??watersheds??and??how??terribly??they??are??being??polluted??with??plastic??waste.            Here??in??Greeley,??Colorado??our??local??watersheds?are???the??Big??Thompson??River?and???theCache? ?la? ?Poudre.? ?Many? ?people? ?are? ?unaware? ?of? ?their? ?local? ?watersheds.? ?The??only??time??we’ve??heardabout? ?these? ?rivers? ?was? ?about? ?4? ?years? ?ago? ?when? ?there? ?were? ?massive? ?flood? ?incidents.

? ?The??Cache??laPoudre? ?runs??through??Northern??Colorado.??In??1996??this??river??was??nominated??as??a??National??HeritageArea.??The??Big??Thompson??flows??through??Rocky??National??Park,??Estes??Park,??Loveland??and??theSouth? ?Platte? ?River.? ?According? ?to??USGS,??there??have??been??two??major??deadly??and??destructiveevents.? ?The? ?first? ?being? ?a? ?nasty? ?amount? ?of? ?rainfall? ?that? ?fell? ?in? ?4? ?hours? ?and? ?killed? ?143? ?people.

? ?This happened? ?in??1976??and??has??been??recorded??as??the??worst??natural??disaster??in??Colorado.??The??nextincident? ?happened? ?in? ?2013,? ?where? ?a? ?massive? ?rainfall? ?caused? ?flooding.? ?The??floods??damaged??manyhomes? ?and? ?establishments? ?in? ?the? ?mountains.? ?Not??only??did??these??floods??damaged??homes??and??killedpeople? ?but? ?as? ?the? ?water? ?rose? ?it? ?picked? ?up? ?trash,? ?harmful? ?chemicals,? ?and??not??to??mention??humanwaste.? ?We? ?must? ?start? ?caring? ?for? ?our? ?watershed? ?because??they??are??our??only??resource? ?to??clean??freshwater. Another??thing??that??causes??so??much??waste??to??go??into??our??watersheds??is??the??lack??of??respect??peoplehave??for??their??own??environment.??Several??people??go??up??to??the??mountains??like??Estes??Park??and??tendto??leave??a??big??mess??(like)??plastic??water??bottles,??and??they??don’t??pick??up??after??themselves.

??That??iscalled? ?pollution.? ?The? ?wind? ?blows? ?all? ?that? ?pollution? ?into??rivers,??causing??our??watersheds??to??getpolluted.? ?There? ?may? ?be? ?laws? ?for? ?littering? ?and? ?pollution? ?but??they??aren’t??reinforced??as??they??shouldbe.             With??the??whole??rise??of?plastic???consumption,??I??think?that???one??way??that??we?can???reduce??it??isby??using??refillable??water??stations??at??my??school.

??Students??will??be??able??to??bring??their??own??refillablewater? ?bottles.? ?This? ?mean? ?with? ?less? ?plastic? ?consumption? ?there??will??be??less??plastic??pollution.Students? ?won’t? ?have? ?to? ?bring? ?multiple? ?plastic? ?water? ?bottles? ?to? ?school? ?anymore.? ?We? ?may? ?have three? ?water??refill??stations??at??our??school??but??I??think??it??would??be??great??to??be??able??to??add??more??to??ourschool? ?because? ?sometimes? ?students??are??not??able??to??go??to??those??certain??drinking??fountain.??We??onlyhave??a??five??minute??passing??periods.

??The??water??refill??stations??are??located??in??the??bottom??floor??by??themain??stairs.??Which??means??if??your??class??isn’t??anywhere??near??those??drinking??fountains,??it’s??hard??torefill? ?your? ?water? ?bottle? ?and? ?be? ?on? ?time? ?to? ?class.? ?Something? ?else??to??mention??is??that??it’s??also??reallyhard??to??fill??your??water??bottle??with??the??old??school??drinking??fountains.(Methodology)               In??order??to??solve?the???plastic??pollution??problem?that???we??have,??we??must??install??more??waterrefill? ?stations,? ?as? ?I? ?mentioned? ?before.??According??to??an??article??in??Loyal??Phoenix??”The??installmentof??49??water??bottle??refill??stations??on??both??the??Lake??Shore??and??Water??Tower??Campuses??has??’saved’approximately? ?370,000? ?bottles? ?of? ?water? ?and? ?counting…

“? ?(Bunnage,??2012).That’s? ?7,551??per??waterrefill? ?station.? ?My? ?school? ?may? ?not? ?be? ?as? ?large? ?as? ?that? ?campus,? ?but? ?water? ?refill? ?stations? ?are? ?saving the? ?environment??from??a??lot??of??plastic??pollution.??There??are??about??1,205??students??at??my??school??andstudents? ?drink? ?about? ?4? ?bottles? ?of? ?water? ?per? ?day.

? ?This? ?means? ?about? ?4,820? ?bottles? ?of? ?water? ?would be? ?saved? ?per? ?drinking? ?fountain? ?and? ?that? ?doesn’t? ?include? ?the? ?staff? ?who? ?also? ?drink? ?water. If? ?I? ?am? ?to? ?win? ?this? ?contest,? ?I? ?will? ?help? ?install? ?two? ?water? ?refill? ?stations.? ?I??will??put??the??waterrefill??stations??in??the??bathrooms??by??the??main??stairs,??on??the??second??floor.??This??will??be??a??great??placeto??place??them??because??since??we??don’t??have??any??water??refill??stations??in??our??second??floor,??studentswill??be??able??to??refill??their??water??bottles.??There??will??be??no??need??to??go??down??stair??and??be??late??toclass.? ?It’ll? ?be? ?great? ?for? ?all? ?the? ?staff? ?and? ?students.? ?Not? ?to? ?mention? ?drinking? ?water? ?is? ?great? ?for? ?your body? ?and??health.

??Moving??onto??the??budget??portion??I??did??go??little??above??the??budget.??In??order??to??fixthat??I??will??talk??to??the??finance??office??and??the??principal,??to??see??if??it??will??be??okay??if??I??use??some??of??themoney? ?that? ?they? ?have? ?left? ?over? ?from? ?previous? ?Caring? ?for? ?a? ?Watershed? ?Project??winners.??That??wayI??could??see??if??it??would??be??okay??to??spend??some??of??the??extra??money??from??previous??winners??in??orderto??install??more.??For??the??installation??part??of??the??project??I??will??talk??to??our??schools??plumber??and?  ?he will? ?be? ?installing? ?the??water??refill??stations,??the??school’s??custodian??and??I??can??make??sure??that??thewater? ?refill? ?stations? ?are? ?always? ?working.? ?I? ?will? ?also? ?keep? ?track? ?of? ?how? ?much? ?water? ?is? ?being? ?used because? ?if??more??water??is??being??used,??more??people??are??drinking??it??and??the??plastic??consumptions??isgoing? ?down.? ?I? ?will? ?be? ?advertising? ?by? ?putting? ?an? ?announcement? ?in??the??morning??announcements,this??way??students??and??teachers??will??be??aware??that??we??have??new??water??refill??stations.

In? ?conclusion? ?as? ?I? ?mentioned? ?earlier??about??4,820??bottles??of??water??would??be? saved???perdrinking??fountain??that??shall??be??installed.??This??will??not??only??be??only??benefiting??my??school??but??itwill??also??be??benefited??the??environment??and??more??importantly??our??local??watersheds.  The? ?materials? ?I??will??need:-       2? ?Elkay? ?Drinking? ?Fountains? ?(??1??Elkay??Drinking?Fountain???=??$807.84??so??two?would?? ?be $1,615.68) –       Plumber/Electrician? ?($1,100)