Thursday, December 8, 2011

London, ON: “Tap into Your Water” – London Citizens organize Water Forum to raise awareness about this precious resource.

Prior to the announcement concerning Bisphenol A in plastic water bottles a concerned group of London citizens were in the process of organizing a Water Forum for May 31st. Representatives came together from the Council of Canadians - London Chapter and wastefreeworld.org, to design a forum around water that would educate and encourage participation of interested Londoners.

“This forum will provide citizens with an opportunity to learn first hand, from those working with water every day, what the concerns are with bottled water, what is done to protect our drinking water at source, what the benefits are of our municipal water system, and what to do if there are water advisories. This is a unique opportunity for Londoners to Tap into their Water”. quoted Richard Bird, Water Protection Committee Council of Canadians.

Organizers have obtained knowledgeable panelists from Polaris Institute, UTRCA, City of London, and the Waterloo Region District School Board, to equip attendees with a wealth of information with respect to municipal and bottled water.

“When we are asked for water at The Tea Haus, our customers can receive a glass of filtered water (no bottles!) free of charge. Water is a necessity of life and we don't believe in charging for it. Most people complain about the cost of gas these days but are more than willing to pay $2 for 591ml of water...just a thought..”. said Stefanie Stoelzel, The Tea Haus website.

The facilitated session will include breakout groups. These groups will be asked to formulate a water strategy from what they have learned and to participate in an ongoing dialogue in their community.

“We know that this forum is just a first step to get the interest flowing, but as with any long journey it begins with the first step” said Gary Brown, Water Chemist. “We are excited by the prospect of what people will contribute as a result of discussions in the break-out groups. If we can coalesce a group of water enthusiasts we will be able to cause ripples of positive change in the community.”

More information is available at Council of Canadians – London Chapter website.

This community forum has been made possible through the dedicated efforts of a few volunteers. In addition, the City of London, the Upper Thames Region Conservation Authority, Novack’s, Trojan Technologies, The Tea Haus, Ten Thousand Villages and locals of CAW and CUPE have come forward to sponsor this event and bring it to Londoners for no admission.

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