Refill_H2O: An IoT-Enabled Smart and Sustainable Water Dispensing Ecosystem

Within the scope of sustainability and sustainable practices implementation, the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC) is developing a pioneer project for phasing out the consumption of single-use plastic water bottles on campus premises and facilities, and consequently contribute to the compliance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under this scope, this article presents the design and implementation of the Refill_H2O Ecosystem in which a reusable water bottle interacts with an intelligent water dispensing station, enabled by the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies on campus, to eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles in the premises of IPVC, a Portuguese Higher Education Institution (HEI), with nearly 6000 students. Three main contributions have been identified in this research: (1) by under-taking projects designed to foment innovation towards environmental issues, HEIs become a sustainability reference model to society as a whole; (2) a pilot that takes advantage of IoT technologies for broader interoperability and simple integration among the smart bottle (i.e., the interactive artifact), and the intelligent water dispensing station; and (3) the promotion of environmentally sustainable solutions designed to encourage practices that foment innovation, is the key to raise awareness of future generations concerning sustainability issues.