Jointhepipe.org is a non-profit organisation which aims to ensure fair distribution of drinking water worldwide, as well as to discourage the usage of bottled water.

At Aquatech, a trade show for water technology in Amsterdam, Jointhepipe.org and Vitens signed a Memorandum of Intent  to prioritise the provision of safe water worldwide. Having already worked together several times, the two organisations plan to continue their hard work in encouraging the people to drink tap water by installing public water taps.

Jointhepipe.org has produced a public tap water station, which Vitens is responsible for installing. Thus far, six of the eight public tap water stations produced have been installed by Vitens in Urtrecht, Netherlands. Along with Urgenda, an independent organisation in the Netherlands which promotes sustainable living, a national campaign was launched – “I jump over – to tap water”.

Jointhepipe.org has requested that the tap water stations be installed nationwide, in many public areas such as parks, museums, and public transport stops, and Vitens provides the installation free of charge.

With the tap water stations come durable BPA-free water bottles, shaped like parts of water pipelines, which are intended to make the tap water stations easier to use on-the-go.

From the proceeds of Jointhepipe.org products, funding is put towards maintaining water and sanitation projects such as water wells and water pumps in developing countries across Africa and Asia. Jointhepipe.org keeps the progress of these projects updated on the website for donors to follow.

Vitens is the largest water company in the Netherlands, providing top quality drinking water to 5.4 million people, delivering 350 million cubic metres of water annually.

K Clerkin

You will need the following ; Liquid De-scaler , Paper Towels and a Grout Brush.

1) Spray the descaler directly onto the drinking fountain. Descalers remove rust, calcium and lime deposits from Stainless Steel without damaging the surface. Leave the descaler on for the amount of time indicated in the manufacturer’s instructions. Use damp paper towels to wipe away the descaler.

2) Spray a disinfectant cleaner onto the entire drinking fountain. Make sure to spray directly into the Bubbler and surrounding areas. Allow the disinfectant to sit for a minimum of 10 minutes.

3) Spray a grout brush with disinfectant. Use the brush to thoroughly scrub the inside of the Bubbler. After scrubbing, run water through the Bubbler to clear out the disinfectant.

4) Spray another coat of disinfectant onto the grout brush. Use the brush to scrub the grate covering the drain. Make sure to also scrub around the edge of the grate since mold and mildew can accumulate in this area.

The modern drinking fountain was invented and then manufactured in the early 1900s by two men and the respective company each man founded: Halsey Willard Taylor and the Halsey Taylor Company; and Luther Haws and the Haws Sanitary Drinking Faucet Co. These two companies changed how water was served in public places.

Halsey Taylor’s father had died of typhoid fever caused by contaminated public drinking water. His father’s death motivated him to invent the water fountain, to provide safer drinking water.

Luther Haws was a part-time plumber, sheet metal contractor and the sanitary inspector for the city of Berkeley, Calif. While inspecting a public school, Haws saw children drinking water out of a common tin cup that was tied to the faucet. Haws also feared that there was a health hazard in the way the public was sharing their water supply.

Haws invented the first faucet designed for drinking. He used spare plumbing parts, taking the ball from a brass bedstead and a self-closing rabbit ear valve. The Berkeley school department installed the first model drinking faucets.

This exciting new sparkling water fountain is plumbed into the city water supply and has an integrated cooling unit giving drinkers a choice of chilled or regular temperature water. Water is carbonated by a mechanism that dissolves carbon dioxide into the water resulting in chilled and sparkling water. Drinkers that prefer the still variety of water have the option to bypass the sparkling process ensuring that this ingenious fountain fulfills everyone’s water needs.

On average the French consume about 128 Litres of water per person which also generates over 262’000 tonnes of plastic waste so it makes sense that they are pioneering the drinking water fountain revolution. Minimizing the need for disposable plastic bottles can only be a good thing and free chilled (sparkling or still) water in popular parks and social hubs is a step in the right direction.

Drinking Water Fountains.co.uk follows drinking water innovation with a passion and we are always interested in eco-conscious options that reach the masses. We will track the progress and hope the uptake for this fountain spurs other cities to follow suit by providing freely accessible high quality chilled and filtered water.

In need of a drinking water fountain for your school or office? We have a growing range of high quality fountains available with or without installation for UK based customers and we also dispatch outside the UK. Contact us on 0845 500 4455 or contact@drinkingwaterfountains.co.uk should you have any queries.

Onward with the drinking water fountain revolution!

London's Green Park - where are the drinking water fountains?

Carrying on from our last blog about water fountains getting fancy, we thought we’d have a look at why London doesn’t have more outdoor water fountains in it’s parks, especially the big ones such as Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and Green Park.

Politicians have realised the need for more fountains as London get’s hotter and people are going off buying bottled, some have even said they think London needs a new era of public fountains.

So what’s the hold up then and why are we still having to buy bottled water instead of being able to quench our thirst with access to public drinking fountains?

Darren Johnson, a member of the Green party on the London Assembly said Boris Johnson promised more public fountains.

“This vision unfortunately has evaporated. To date there is no visible action and his draft water strategy has no specific proposals for delivering water fountains in parks or public spaces. Currently there are no plans to install water fountains from the Mayor’s park fund. Installing water fountains in parks and public spaces would provide free water and help discourage people from buying plastic water bottles.”

We couldn’t agree more, so let’s all get behind the petition for more public drinking water fountains and hopefully Boris will listen up and get some fountains in those parks!

If you would like any information on Drinking Water Fountains please call us on 0845 500 4455 or email contact@drinkingwaterfountains.co.uk