“Wishing Well” to Hydrate Wesleyan Community During Reunion & Commencement

As a part of its commitment to be a bottled water-free campus, Wesleyan is continually seeking alternatives to hydrate the campus community.

During Reunion & Commencement, May 23-26, a group of students will debut their sustainable solution, “The Wishing Well,” a custom-built mobile water station. The two-piece water tank, constructed by Wesleyan’s Scientific Support Services, features eight water filtration dispensers. On May 25, the stations will be positioned on Andrus Field, and on May 26, near North College. The stations will dispense filtered water from the public water supply.

The students, Nina Gerona ’15; Tavo True-Alcalá ’15; Brent Packer ’15; and Madeleine O’Brien ’16, received a shared $1,000 prize on May 8 for their design, which won a competition sponsored by the Sustainability Office, Center for the Arts’ Feet to the Fire Initiative, the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and the College of the Environment. The water station also will be used at Homecoming/Family Weekend, and other outdoor events.

Kleindienst and True-Alcalá  presented the design contest to sustainability professionals from across the U.S. at the Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference, held in Bethesda, M.D.

During R&C weekend, Wesleyan will provide campus guests with the reusable water bottles. During Commencement, one will be placed under each attendee’s seat.

Read a Hartford Business Journal article on the water filtration systems online here.