Free drinking water provided

CUT exhibits high sensitivity to environmental, social, and health issues and has developed polices based on its strategic sustainable development plan, that promote the implementation of good and sustainable practices. Hence CUT provides all its employees with free access to filtered drinking water, sourced directly from the public water supply managed by the District Local Government Organization (EOA). The Estate Management Services, with the support of the Environmental Policy Office of CUT, have installed filtration units are installed in the kitchens of all university buildings, ensuring that staff members have convenient and safe access to potable water at all times.

The benefits of reducing the use of plastic bottles include, among others, the decrease in the production and disposal or recycling of plastic bottles, as well as the reduction of water transportation in plastic containers- resulting in lower emissions from vehicle movements used to replace the bottles. Also, personnel is protected from the exposure to plastic- leaching pollutants that act as endocrine disruptors, as CUT research has indicated (Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2013, 5, 25-33).

In addition, an outdoor drinking water fountain has been installed in the courtyard of the teaching facilities, offering students free access to clean and safe drinking water and further promoting sustainability and the well-being of the university community. This initiative was part of the “Refill, don’t landfill” campaign of the NGO “Let’s make Cyprus Green” which sponsored the water filter and its installation, as documented on the dedicated webpage of the Environmental Policy Office of CUT.