New water refilling stations promote sustainability in Rainbow Schools

Norm Blaseg, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board, fills a water container at one of the new water refilling stations in Rainbow Schools. “As we look ahead to Earth Day, we reaffirm our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint,” says Director Blaseg. “We are proud of our efforts to date and will continue to make sustainability a priority for now and for the future.”

Less bottled water is being used in Rainbow Schools thanks to new water refilling stations installed in four elementary schools and seven secondary schools. To date, more than 250,000 containers of water have been filled as Rainbow District School Board continues to focus on sustainability.

“Our goal is to eliminate the purchase and sale of bottled water in our schools unless absolutely necessary for health and safety reasons,” says Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “We continue to educate students and staff about the benefits of using refillable containers, diverting waste from landfill sites and reducing costs. The sale and consumption of bottled water has a significant environmental impact.”

Water refilling stations have been installed at Algonquin Road Public School, Princess Anne Public School, R.L. Beattie Public School, Walden Public School, Confederation Secondary School, Chelmsford Valley District Composite School, Lasalle Secondary School, Lively District Secondary School, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School and Sudbury Secondary School.

All Rainbow secondary schools will have a water refilling station by the end of the current school year. The stations will be phased into all elementary schools by 2016.

“As we look ahead to Earth Day, we reaffirm our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint,” says Director Blaseg. “We are proud of our efforts to date and will continue to make sustainability a priority for now and for the future.”

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.