The Fountain Hills High School chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) invite the community to take part in the “Water Bottle Challenge,” a project geared at cutting down on waste by encouraging individuals to switch to reusable water bottles.

One of the many prongs of the year-long “Sustain” project being organized and carried out by FCCLA, the Water Bottle Challenge tackles, you guessed it, drinking water.

To take part in the pledge, residents are encouraged to contact an FCCLA student or teacher Claire McWilliams (cmcwilliams@fhusd.org) to obtain a pledge form.

Simply sign the pledge and you or your company, club or organization’s name will be included as part of a massive display on the high school campus.

So what, exactly, does taking the pledge involve?

According to the form, participants agree to do two things. First, avoid using disposable water bottles from Jan. 1, 2015, through May 21, 2015, the last day of school.

Second, bring and refill your own reusable water bottle for use at school, work, sports events, social gatherings and the like.

“We have been made to believe through advertising that bottled water is ‘safer’ and ‘better’ than tap water. The data that shows this just isn’t true,” reads the pledge form.

“Single use water bottles cause concern in the BPA’s (toxins) that can leach from the plastic. Purchasing bottled water costs 1,000 times more than tap water and is part of a lucrative, multi-billion dollar industry.”

The statement goes on to highlight the fact that the average American uses around 29 water bottles per year and, for this country alone, a year’s worth of bottles could wrap around the Earth five times.

Not only are fossil fuels used in the production of the bottles, but only 23 percent of bottles are actually recycled.

FCCLA helps to curb that trend locally by encouraging residents to drop the plastic bottled and start using reusable containers.

As a fundraising effort for continued projects, a “Reminder” bottle for the project can be purchased for $6. FCCLA encourages everyone to use this bottle, or one already lying around the house, to make the pledge a reality.

For more information or to order a bottle, contact Claire McWilliams at cmcwilliams@fhusd.org.