A higher education that’s worthwhile, in the eyes of Gen Z undergraduate students (and graduate Millennials, we’re sure), includes a campus experience that’s memorable and supportive. Access to mental health support. Honest sustainability initiatives. Opportunities for community engagement. And access to great tasting food and refreshing beverages as they go about their day.
It doesn’t have to be a capital-intensive academic building or dining hall renovation; just innovating on the common systems students interact with everyday—like beverage dispensers and water fountains—can dramatically improve satisfaction with the college experience they’ve chosen.
Here’s why you—as a director of higher education, campus experience, or food service—should focus on your hydration offering when improving the student experience.
Upgrading your dining hall’s beverage experience
It’s common these days to see graduate and undergraduate students alike carrying gargantuan reusable water bottles—made of dense plastic or durable stainless steel—everywhere they go on campus. Young people are far more aware, today, how important it is that they stay hydrated as often as possible.
But the infrastructure may not be there to support them. Water fountains have been on the decline since the 1980s. Traditional fountains and limited bottled water options don’t match how Gen Z actually hydrates.
That’s where smart hydration stations come in. They provide filtered water in multiple formats: still, sparkling, and flavored. Some, like Bevi’s Smart Water Cooler machines, also include functional enhancements with necessary electrolytes and immune-boosting vitamins. Bevi’s smart water coolers allow students to go for everything from just plain, regular water to a multi-flavored and enhanced sparkling beverage.
High-use smart hydration stations can offset tens of thousands of single-use plastic bottles annually, depending on location and student usage. Few sustainability initiatives deliver this breadth of impact with such visible results.
Examples of water station upgrades on college campuses
Dartmouth shifted from soda-forward environments to water-first choices, increasing time spent in dining halls by students. (Their Bevi machine is extremely popular.)
USC eliminated bottled water sales by installing smart water stations across campus.
Coastal Carolina installed 100+ stations and has helped avoid millions of plastic bottles.
Western University went even further, installing over 200 water refill stations and even creating a public refill map so that they’d all be easy to locate.
Go bottle-free after the right infrastructure is in place
Going bottle-free means removing bottled water from campus vending and dining locations. This only works after refill stations are widely available. For Gen Z, this removes friction between values and convenience. The institution makes the sustainable choice the default.
Western University transitioned to bottle-free after building campus-wide infrastructure
UC and Cal State systems eliminated bottled water across campuses.
UC San Diego reported ~$70,000 in annual savings by eliminating single-use plastic products altogether.
Successful campuses follow a consistent path. They install the right bottle-less water dispenser infrastructure first, then run education campaigns to build awareness for using this system. Next, they phase bottles out of vending machines and refrigerator units before removing them from dining halls altogether. Students feel empowered to particiapte in the campus sustainability plan and aren’t worried about missing all that much.
Move fast on what students notice
You don’t need a master plan or a multimillion-dollar renovation to make a meaningful impact on student satisfaction. You need to improve the experiences students interact with every single day. Hydration is one of them—and it’s one students already care deeply about. With a Bevi machine, you can deliver a Gen Z–approved, sustainability-forward beverage experience that feels modern, supports student wellness, and visibly reflects your institution’s values. It’s a simple upgrade that students notice immediately—and one that signals your campus is investing in the future they want to be part of.
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Hillary Lyons
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