Hamilton, Ontario, a city with nearly 700,000 residents in Canada is considering banning the bottle. Well not quite. But the city is at least trying to start campaigns aimed at curbing bottled water sales.

The strategy is aimed at encouraging Hamiltonians to tap into the city water supply as much as possible while reducing reliance on bottled water.

Bottled water is big business in Canada. Sales of bottles of water less than 18 litres in size have soared to $430 million in 2006, up from $280 million in 2002.

But to address environmental concerns over waste and the loss of confidence in municipal tap water, some 39 Ontario municipalities have posted restrictions on bottled water in municipal facilities.

As well, in cities such as Toronto and London, Ont., where bottled water is banned from municipal premises companies have found a way around the prohibition by selling flavoured water products instead.

Read the full article here: http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/751866

On May 28, 2009 the Central Okanagan Regional District Board became the 50th municipality (and the 33rd in 2009) to implement restrictions on bottled water. The Canadian board noted the bottled water continues to cause numerous environment problems.

This is another big win for Canada and the Ban the Bottle movement!

A college in Canada is taking steps to ban the bottle and stay hydrated using a new product called Hydration Station.

The water-dispensing device is a unique system/filling station for re-usable bottles. The College is the first facility in Canada to have a working unit. The hydration station is manufactured by the Haws Corporation and is sold in Canada through Dobbin Sales.

The hydration station processes tap water into pure water using state-of-the-art filtration technologies, which can be substituted whenever a specification calls for a drinking fountain. Before water reaches the nozzle, it runs through an NSF-certified filter to remove sediment, chlorine taste and odour. The system provides a hygienic, safe source for refilling personal re-usable bottles says Phil Kelly, Dobbin Sales.

Georgian College’s commitment to environmental sustainability has been underscored by the recent installation of a hydration station at the Barrie Campus as a pilot project.

“The hydration station provides an excellent alternative to plastic water bottles,” he said. “The fact that Georgian College is the first facility in Canada to adopt this technology says a great deal about its dedication to a ‘green’ community.”

The hydration station fulfills the College’s environmental sustainable directive, says Dianne Corrigan, Environmental Sustainability Co-ordinator.

“Georgian’s Physical Resources department and the Environmental Sustainability Committee are continually looking for ways to embed environmental sustainability into the College’s day-to-day operations,” she said. “The hydration station is the perfect answer to our mandate, which includes finding ways to diminish our environmental impact and incorporate ‘green’ living into corporate culture.”

The hydration station was acquired by Physical Resources in response to a request to reduce the use of plastic bottles on campus. The unit, which is located on the third floor of the C Building at the Barrie Campus across from Room C315, was generously donated to the College by the Haws Corporation. There is a potential for more than 30 units College-wide when fully implemented.

For more information on environmental sustainability initiatives at Georgian College, visit http://www.georgianc.on.ca/environment/.

[via Georgian News]