Did you know that New Yorkers purchase 2.5 billion bottles of water annually? According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, only 10 percent of these bottles are recycled, and 30 million plastic containers end up in landfills or as litter every day. But there are ways to help contribute and stop this problem – this is where Port Washington residents Cindy Lyman and Sandy Grayson come in.

Lyman and Grayson, who have two children in the Manorhaven Elementary School, are the owners of Long Island Pure Water and Air, Inc., a Mineola-based water filtration and air purification company.

Back on April 14, the two owners helped improve the environment by donating 500 steel water bottles to Manorhaven Elementary to help celebrate Earth Day and to cut down on the wastes of plastic water bottles.

"We are thrilled that we were able to work with the PTA to make this donation to the school," said Grayson of the LIPWA's donation. "Our company is all about being healthy and helping families and businesses to be more green. With two kids in the school, it was an easy decision for us."

The donation was made as part of the Manorhaven Nutrition Committee program, "Rethink the Drink," designed to help kids focus on choosing water for lunch and snack rather than juices and other less healthy, sugary beverages.

Helping Lyman and Grayson spread the word about "Rethink the Drink" were Manorhaven Nutrition co-chairs Stacey Satovsky and Julie Kramer. After two days of presentations about the benefits of making healthy choices for food and drinks, the water bottles were provided to the students in an effort to give them a chance to act on the lessons they were taught.

"It was amazing," Lyman said of the Earth Day festivities at Manorhaven Elementary. "The kids were really into it, the teachers, the staff, everybody…the kids were so into it. They loved the water bottles. I see them all the time because my kids go there. They have them clipped to there backpacks, they bring them in everyday, they reuse them. It's been great."

Manorhaven Elementary School Principal Bonni Cohen was enthusiastic not just about the donation, but of the positive message that Lyman, Grayson, Satovsky, and Kramer provided her students.

"Manorhaven School is extremely grateful for this very generous donation," Cohen said. "From an educational perspective, we will be able to teach children not only about the benefits of drinking water instead of sugar-filled drinks, but also continue to teach our children about 'going green' by using stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic water bottles to cut down on waste."

The impact of LIPWA's donation was felt almost instantaneously. In the first week alone, Head Custodian Walter Clark reported that disposable water bottles were reduced by more than 33 percent. LIPWA plans to take that momentum and build on it.

"Our company is committed to donating every new school year to the incoming kids," Lyman explained. "It's primarily the kindergarten kids that are coming in, but any new student is going to get a bottle."

And with that kind of continued commitment, LIPWA and Manorhaven Elementary will demonstrate how schools and businesses can partner to benefit the environment.