NEW ROCHELLE, NY — As part of its ongoing awareness and advocacy efforts, Iona Prep’s Human Rights Club at the Upper School hosted two speakers focused on the topic of water bottle consumption during an activities period.
Greenburgh Nature Center Sustainability Coordinator & Educator Rachel Carpitella led things off with a presentation on the environmental impact of disposable water bottles, along with the economic and marketing factors that led to their meteoric rise in popularity. She was followed by Katia Barker, a student at Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Conn., who created her own fundraising organization, groundSWELL, through the Thirst Project to raise money to drill a clean-water well in Africa. Through various fundraisers, she has raised more than $16,500, well exceeding her goal of $12,000.
The two speakers kicked off the Human Rights Club’s campaign to reduce disposable bottle usage at the Upper School. The club is installing a second water fountain and water bottle filling station in the school. It is selling Iona Prep reusable water bottles in order to raise funds for the purchase of a third station.
