Cupanion – Fill It forward
Radford University is partnering with the Cupanion Fill it Forward program in an effort to reduce the amount of single-use items on campus and deliver clean water to people in need.
Beginning with the Fall 2019 semester, Radford University students, faculty and staff can participate by downloading the Fill It Forward app to their smartphones and placing a sticker tag with a barcode on their refillable water bottles.
Participants will use the app to scan their tags each time they refill. With each scan, users donate a cup of clean water and earn points for prizes. The app calculates donations and points, and it helps participants track their environmental footprints and hydration.
Water bottle filling stations, located in all residence halls and most campus buildings, make refilling easy. Radford University’s participation in the program underscores its commitment to engage students, faculty and staff to learn, discover and contribute to positive current and future environmental solutions.
Radford University continues to reduce its carbon footprint in becoming a model institution for sustainability practices in the Commonwealth of Virginia and across the United States. The University has been included in The Princeton Review’s “Top Green Colleges in the Nation” since 2010, and 11 campus buildings have earned either LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold or silver certification.
“The Fill it Forward program is a fun and interactive way to engage the campus community in reducing single-use water bottles,” said Sustainability Manager Josh Nease. “It will encourage our students, faculty and staff to pay attention to their environmental footprint, reduce campus waste and make positive contributions to other communities around the world.”
The Radford University Fill It Forward app will provide data specific to the campus, providing information into how participants are making an impact toward the University’s sustainability goals.
When students return to campus in the fall, they may download the app at Google Play or the App Store and acquire a barcode sticker for their refillable water bottles. Stickers will be available through the Radford University Sustainability Office and at events such as Club Fair and information tables around campus.
The Sustainability Office and a group of students — Cupanion Ambassadors — will launch the program on campus and assist students, as well as faculty and staff, in registering. Cupanion works to help numerous colleges and universities across the United States fulfill their goals and initiatives through the Fill it Forward program.
“At Cupanion, we believe in a healthy planet and clean water for all,” the company states on its website. “We’ve created a product that makes giving water as easy as drinking water. Our hope is that every time you refill a Cupanion product, you appreciate the value of clean water and celebrate the positive impact you’re making by choosing to reuse. The power to make a difference is in your hands.”