The Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS)’s Take Back the Tap (TBT) program has grown its water bottle refill station network by seven locations since the spring. The tap program now has 34 stations, 29 of which have been installed by VCS.
In Vineyard Haven, new stations can be found at the MV Chamber of Commerce, Chicken Alley Thrift Shop, and the Vineyard Haven Public Library.
In Oak Bluffs, new stations are at Healey Square, Penn Field, and Viera Park.
In Edgartown, a new station is up at Memorial Wharf.
Collaborative partners behind these stations are the MV Chamber of Commerce, Vineyard Haven Public Library, the Memorial Wharf Committee, M.V. Community Services, and MV Little League.
Different Island businesses also offer public refill stations through TBT. All refill locations, including at these businesses, are online on the VCS Tap Map shown here. A QR code to the map is also scannable at refill stations.
TBT stems from plastic-reduction work in 2015 between the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School environmental club and the VCS. The collaborative effort led to a refill station at the high school. Through donations, the project spread to all Island schools by 2017, and then to more public buildings and outdoor spots. TBT’s goal is a station for every Island public building, transportation hub, and tourist destination.
More outdoor stations are coming soon, including the West Tisbury School soccer fields and comfort station at the Menemsha docks.
According to electronic counters at the stations, TBT has so far provided the amount of water equivalent to tens-of-thousands of plastic water bottles.
Signe Benjamin, VCS director of membership and resource development, says TBT remains interested in opportunities for network growth and funding. “We definitely would like to invite [for funding] anyone who is interested in the refill stations,” says Benjamin.
Benjamin also has bikers in mind for the future. “I’d love to expand to a sort of outdoor unit network, [like for] if you’re going to bike from Vineyard Haven to Edgartown. Like one in the [Airport Road/Barnes Road] roundabout.”
Businesses, nonprofits, and town officials looking to join the Tap Map can do so via a form available through VCS.
I am so very proud of the longstanding and obviously successful efforts of the Vineyard Conservation Society to expand the network of water refill stations across the Island! We must continue to eliminate the use of plastics (and styrofoam, etc.) on the Vineyard and be creative about finding solutions like this. Working with businesses and other Island organizations has, once, again, demonstrated the VCS’s willingness to be a collaborative organization…kudos to the VCS team!
Thank you so much to the Vineyard Conservation Society for recognizing the importance, taking the initiative to install these valuable water stations and raise funds to cover all the costs involved with the installations. ❤️
The Vineyard Conservation Society has a long history of acting on behalf of its mission:
The Vineyard Conservation Society is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving the environment, character, and quality of life of Martha’s Vineyard through advocacy, education, and the protection of the Island’s land and waters.
Take Back The Tap is only one of its many effective efforts. Others are Vineyard Lawns Initiative, The Art of Conservation High School Art Contest, Ban The Bag, Beach Befrienders and the Annual Beach Cleanup Day, amongst many others. VCS is also the Island’s watchdog on unwise development and has led many efforts to conserve the Island’s most special places.
Please join VCS and support this important organization.
Why won’t the Land Bank install any?
Have you asked them?
Comments are closed.