My name is Izzy Sutton and I am an 8th grader at Slauson Middle School.  For years now I’ve been learning from the classroom and the media that our oceans and landfills are being overwhelmed with single use plastics.  My peers and I recognize and comment on how much waste we see in our own school district and we support limiting this waste as much as possible. This is why I’m proposing the Ann Arbor school district follow the lead of several other school districts across the country and take a zero use policy on plastic water bottles at all school events.  Schools have successfully installed water refill stations and the option of providing refillable coolers with paper cups is underutilized. My estimates suggest we could save over 7200 bottles a year from the landfill by doing this. Imagine the impact if we encourage every school across the state! 
Recent statistics show that less than 30% of single use plastic sent to recycling is processed due to the cost involved. Plastic water bottle contamination not only invades long term due to it not being biodegradable, but has contributed to the discovery of micro plastics in everything we drink and eat.   Finally, by reducing the use of single use plastic water distribution we actually protect our local water supplies which are negatively  impacted by water manufacturing and industrial purchase. 
Please sign this petition and urge schools to promote 100% refillable water bottles at all school events and start the process of weaning schools off of single use plastic entirely. 
Izzy Sutton / JustIZZY