Bottle Filling Stations Honored for Innovation; Relied on for Sustainability

OAK BROOK, Ill., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Elkay EZH2O rapid bottle filling station was recently named one of 10 winners of the 2011 Chicago Innovation Awards, an honor that afforded Elkay representatives the opportunity to open the NASDAQ Stock Market in New York City on Tuesday, November 15.  The Chicago Innovation Awards recognize the most innovative new products or services brought to market or to public service each year.  In addition, during the same week as the Innovation Awards ceremony, Elkay was also named Supplier of the Year – Marketing Excellence by Affiliated Distributors, North America's largest wholesale marketing group.

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The highly acclaimed EZH2O bottle filling station offers an alternative solution to the environmental and economic waste of plastic disposable bottled water.  The EZH2O provides end-users with a rapid fill of clean, cold drinking water for their existing bottles and cups, eliminating the need to purchase single serving plastic bottles.  

With today's ever-increasing concern about the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposing of plastic bottled water, the Elkay EZH2O product line continues to provide innovative solutions for this issue.  Since its introduction in February 2010, the EZH2O has become a fixture on hundreds of college and university campuses throughout the country, within major terminals at some of the nation's busiest airports, as well as on corporate campuses and in countless other high-traffic public venues.  

Among the many advanced features that set the Elkay EZH2O apart from other units is the built-in presence of its Green Ticker™ tracking software.  This visual counting mechanism records the number of 16-ounce water bottles saved from landfills, reinforcing the sustainability efforts made by each person who uses it. The EZH2O unit also contains a sensor that dispenses water into a container without requiring the end-user to touch the water cooler or hold the container while it is being filled, ensuring sanitary operation.  In addition to offering a green, clean solution, the EZH2O provides a rapid fill of cold, filtered water three times faster than a standard drinking fountain. In fact, the EZH2O can fill a 16-ounce sports bottle in as little as 6.5 seconds.

According to Rod Magnuson, director of product marketing for commercial plumbing at Elkay, "As a company committed to developing sustainable, innovative products for today's marketplace, we are honored that the Elkay EZH2O has received such remarkable recognition – not just for the product itself, but also for our nation's need to alleviate bottled water waste.  With concern for the environment at an all-time high, the EZH2O is truly the right product at the right time for our customers."

In addition to countless public facilities where the EZH2O is installed as well as awards ceremonies throughout the country where it is honored for innovation, an outdoor version of the bottle filling station can also be found on an upcoming episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  As part of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's effort to help the tornado-stricken community of Joplin, Missouri, Elkay donated the outdoor  bottle filling station for the renovation of a public park.  

For more than 90 years, Elkay has been an innovative manufacturer of stainless steel sinks and faucets for residential and commercial use. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, Elkay expanded its commercial offerings more than 38 years ago to include efficient water coolers and drinking fountains.

For more information on the EZH2O, visit elkayusa.com, key word EZH2O or visit the EZH2O Million Bottle March on Facebook.

About ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" - The Emmy award winning reality program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," now in its 9th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. Episodes air Friday nights from 8:00 – 9:00pm, ET on ABC. 

SOURCE Elkay