On a mission: Middle school student installing refill stations to eliminate plastic bottles on Hawaii Island

  • FloWater installer Robert Hennessy explains Friday to Nikki Montenegro how the various filters will not only purify, but also enhance, water for students at Holualoa Elementary School. (Chelsea Jensen/West Hawaii Today)

  • Middle school student Nikki Montenegro, left, and Keahole Center Sustainability Executive Director Candee Ellsworth, right, pose for a photo following Friday’s installation of the FloWater machine at the Holualoa Elementary School. (Chelsea Jensen/West Hawaii Today)

  • Middle school student Nikki Montenegro and Keahole Center Sustainability Executive Director Candee Ellsworth put the final touches -- a Keahole Center for Sustainability sticker -- on the new FloWater machine installed Friday at Holualoa Elementary School. (Chelsea Jensen/West Hawaii Today)

  • FloWater installer Robert Hennessy explains Friday to Nikki Montenegro how the various filters will not only purify, but also enhance, water for students at Holualoa Elementary School. (Chelsea Jensen/West Hawaii Today)

A middle school student is on a mission to eliminate plastic bottles on Hawaii Island — one specialized refill station at a time.