Circular Economy > Rethink the Drink
Rethink the Drink
CEC’s Rethink the Drink helps reduce plastic bottle use by providing bottle filling hydration stations at schools. We educate students and staff on how to ditch plastic and reduce waste. The program has expanded to include outdoor bottle filling stations in Santa Barbara City parks.
7 MILLION+
SINGLE-USE WATER BOTTLES NOT USED because of 121 school and community water refill stations that were installed as a direct result of CEC’s Waste Reduction program.
HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION
Bring A Bottle
Bring your own reusable bottle whenever possible instead of using single-use, disposable plastic water bottles.
Encourage Others
Tell your friends, neighbors, and kids about the importance of “rethinking the drink.”
Stay In The Know
Follow CEC’s Facebook page and Instagram page to catch photos and stories of students enjoying cold, filtered water in their reusable bottles.
Inquire About a Refill Station in Your Facility
Want Rethink the Drink at your school, community center, or after school facility? Contact us.
Make A Donation
Support CEC with funds to help Rethink the Drink expand to other schools, community centers, parks, beaches, and after-school facilities.
Get Educated
Visit the Circular Economy Resources page to learn more about #plasticfree options and sign up for email alerts from CEC that provide info on our latest refill stations.
What CEC Is Doing
In January 2011, CEC launched Rethink the Drink as a part of an overall vision to lead the community away from energy-intensive products, aiming to reduce single-use plastic bottles by seventy-five percent in two pilot schools. That metric was achieved and the program moved to other schools. As of July 2023, CEC has prevented more than seven million plastic water bottles from being used by installing over 100 bottle filling hydration stations. We’ve educated more than 40,000 students and staff at school assemblies on the importance of reducing single-use plastic.
The program began with funding from the Orfalea Foundation, in partnership with their S’cool Food Initiative. Current partners include the Audacious Foundation, the Brittingham Family Foundation, the El Gato Channel Foundation, and the Johnson Ohana Foundation.
