The University’s Estates Directorate is installing new water fountains across its campuses, as part of sustainability efforts outlined in ‘Glasgow Green’, the University’s response to the climate emergency declared in 2019.  

The new water fountains do not use electricity to chill the water and instead make use of generally cool mains water temperatures in Scotland. Installed in convenient locations in Gilmorehill and Garscube, these fountains make it easy for colleagues and students to re-fill their reusable water bottles, providing an alternative to single-use plastic water bottles across campus. 

In the UK, the average person is now using 150 plastic water bottles every year – more than 3 a week, causing plastic pollution and a substantial carbon footprint. Bottled water releases 500% more carbon dioxide emissions when compared to tap water. Also, if 1 in 10 people in the UK refilled from water fountains just once a week, it would save around 340 million plastic bottles a year, many of which currently end up in the ocean. 

The fountains have already been installed in several locations across the University’s campuses, including the Library, Stevenson Building, McMillan Round Reading Room, Wolfson Medical School Building, Rankine Building, Fraser Building, and Garscube Sports Complex. Plans to install more sustainable fountains across UofG campuses in 2023 are also in place.   

Stewart Miller, Sustainability Manager: “We hope that staff and students will increasingly use these new fountains to refill water bottles, whenever they need to rehydrate. Doing so should help to reduce single-use plastic consumption and the associated detrimental environmental impacts. The water fountains are also free to use, avoiding the need to pay for bottled water.” 

As a university and civic institution, we are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, and declared a climate emergency in May 2019, alongside the UK and Scottish parliaments, and other universities around the globe. ‘Glasgow Green’ sets out the climate change strategy and action plan for the University of Glasgow. It outlines specific steps the University will take to contribute to the sustainability agenda. One such key step is ‘Promoting Efficiency’ which outlines the focus on improving energy efficiency and ensuring that any building refurbishment work is carried out with sustainable outcomes in mind. 

You can find your nearest water fountain using the UofG Life app’s ‘Near Me’ function.  

First published: 20 September 2023

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