Sabrina and Elysha Trigg show off one of the green www.tru.ca/sustain waterbottles handed out during the first week of classes.

Part of this week’s orientation at Thompson Rivers University has been an effort to decrease the use of bottled water on campus. The office of environment and sustainability coordinated the effort that saw nearly 4000 reusable water bottles handed out to new and returning studentsTRU Student Union (TRUSU) along with several faculties, departments and clubs on campus pooled resources to supply the stainless steel bottles emblazoned with logos.

The objective is to encourage the use of public water sources”. The quality of the water in Kamloops is among the best, if not the best in Canada, ” said Dr. Tom Owen, TRU Director of Environment and Sustainability“It’s important that everyone on campus can take advantage of this and at the same time reduce waste by using reusable water bottles.”

The Environmental Advisory Committee, which reports jointly to the Board of Governors and Senate of TRU, has put into place a progressive strategy to increase the use of public water sources on campus The TRU approach is a positive one. The new House of Learning, being built to Gold LEED standard, will have water dispensers throughout the building, which will be completed in 2010. TRUSU included water bottle filling stations in their recently completed million dollar renovation of the Independent Centre. For the university’s existing buildings, six new water refill stations are being installed.

Additional steps include a public awareness campaign to maximize the use of existing refill sites, including on the second floor in the Campus Activity Centre and in faculty and staff lounges and lunch rooms in various buildings across the campus.

Contact: Dr. Tom Owen, TRU Director of Environment and Sustainability,
(p) 250.852.7199 or (e) towen@tru.ca