HCC staff member conducting research study to examine water consumption habits and attitudes

Hopkinsville Community College (HCC) staff member Kristy Howell is conducting a research study to examine water consumption habits and attitudes at Western Kentucky University (WKU)and HCC. Ms. Howell isencouraging participationin an online survey that will take about half an hour.

Howell is performing this research with fellow students Leslie Nichols and Cristin Pullman as part of their graduate work in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities atWKU (IRB # 12-175). Research participants will help us learn more about how students, faculty, and staff view bottled water consumption and tap water quality, stated Howell. In the long run, I would hope that this research would lead to an appreciation of how students view water quality and how their perceptions are reflected in the amount of money spent on bottled water products. Currently, many students at Hopkinsville and Western rely on bottled water for hydration; with both campuses working in their institutional sustainability plans to install water bottle refilling stations, our research will allow us to establish a baseline for possible changes in behavior as our students appreciate this new opportunity.

Hopkinsville faculty, staff, and students completing the questionnaire will be entered in a drawing for a $30 gift certificate for lunch at Harper House, courtesy of the Hopkinsville Community College Foundation.

Please feel free to complete the survey.