Canadian Students Challenged to Make Their Schools More Water Wise

- Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating launches national competition will award $3,000 to the first-place winners of Canada's Most Water Wise School Competition on World Plumbing Day -

TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2013 /CNW/ - When Canadians turn on the faucet, many take for granted that water will instantly flow and even more will fail to give much thought to where it comes from and how it is used. As a water-rich country, Canadians live under the false assumption that this resource will never run out, however many experts believe that water will be the next contested and coveted commodity. In fact, Environment Canada predicts that in thirty years, nearly one-third of the world's population won't have access to clean water¹.

With the need to use and conserve water wisely more important than ever before, the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) is challenging the leaders of tomorrow with an exciting, real-world competition which will see students develop an action plan to decrease their school's water footprint.

The Canada's Most Water Wise School Competition offers students nationwide a unique opportunity to apply their studies towards developing a case study submission that details how their school can conserve and use water wisely. The CIPH is a not-for-profit national trade association whose members include 260 manufacturers, distributors, and allied companies which directly employs more than 20,000 Canadians in the plumbing and hydronics (modern hot water heating) industries.

About Canada's Most Water Wise School Competition

The competition is open to all students studying engineering, business, environmental studies and other relevant fields at universities, colleges and technical schools across Canada.  Teams are tasked to prepare an interdisciplinary case study that addresses ways to conserve water, covering both the technical and business/financial aspects of water conservation at their school.  The submissions must address:

• the capital investment requirement required to render the client site more efficient;
• annual water savings anticipated because of implementation;
• the impact on real estate;
• the products/materials to be used, the intended social impacts on anticipated raised awareness among students and staff of water conservation at their school;
• the importance behind the implementation of high-efficient plumbing and systems; and
• the anticipated return on investment.

"The CIPH is excited to launch our first scholastic competition that allows students to apply their education to a real-life challenge that hits close to home - the improved usage and reduced water consumption on their campus," said CIPH Chairman Robert Whitty (President & CEO, Bartle & Gibson Co. Ltd.). "The competition will also introduce students to the wide variety of rewarding career opportunities available in Canada's innovative plumbing and hydronics sector which relies on contributions from experts from various areas of study."

The winning team will be awarded a total of $3,000, while the second place team will earn participants a total of $1,000 for their efforts.

"Given the success and ongoing innovations that have improved our industry, this student competition is an important initiative for CIPH and we are eager to see the ideas students put forth in support of water conservation," adds Ralph Suppa, the Institute's President and General Manager.  "Announcing the winners on World Plumbing Day, a yearly international event that celebrates the role plumbing plays in the health and safety of modern society, will also help to underscore the importance of access to clean drinking water and sufficient sanitation as well as the essential role the plumbing industry plays in keeping people safe and healthy."

Registration for the competition is open from November 15 to December 11, 2013, with submissions due on February 21, 2014.  Winners will be announced on World Plumbing Day, March 11, 2014.  More information on the competition including additional submission requirements can be found at www.ciph.com/waterwiseschool.

About CIPH

The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating is a not-for-profit trade association.  Founded in 1933, the Institute is a vibrant organization committed to providing members with the tools for success in today's competitive environment.  More than 250 companies are members of this influential Canadian industry association.  They are the manufacturers, wholesaler distributors, master distributors, manufacturers' agents and allied companies who manufacture and distribute plumbing, hydronic heating, industrial, waterworks and other mechanical products. CIPH wholesalers operate more than 700 warehouses and showrooms across Canada.  Total industry sales exceed $5 billion annually.

--------------------------------------
¹ Because Water Matters

SOURCE: Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating

Lauren Harrison
647.259.3265
[email protected]

Elizabeth McCullough
416.695.0447
[email protected]