Slowing the Flow and Saving H2O: Conestoga College Students Awarded First Prize in National Competition

- The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) announces Conestoga environmental engineering post graduate students as winners of Canada's Most Water Wise School Competition-

TORONTO, March 11, 2014 /CNW/ - On World Plumbing Day, an annual international event that celebrates the important role plumbing plays in the health and safety of modern society, the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating CIPH announced the winners of  Canada's Most Water Wise School Competition.  The Institute's first-ever competition challenged students to identify an action plan to decrease their school's water footprint. The first place team from Conestoga College will share a $3,000 prize, while runner-ups from the University of Ottawa will share a $1,000 award

In total, seven teams of students studying engineering, business, environmental studies and other relevant fields from five colleges and universities participated in the competition.  Schools represented include: Carleton University in Ottawa; Conestoga College in Kitchener; Holland College in Charlottetown; Mount Royal University in Calgary; and the University of Ottawa.

"CIPH was extremely impressed with all of the submissions, in particular the attention to detail given to analyzing the technical and financial aspects of water conservation and the creative ideas presented to help their school reduce water consumption," said Ralph Suppa, the Institute's President and General Manager.  "Given the positive response to this competition by students from across the country, CIPH is proud to commit to sponsoring an interdisciplinary case study competition on an annual basis."

Canada's Most Water Wise School Competition Winners

The first place team from Conestoga Collegeincluded Santina Alagia, Zeshan Anjum, Andrew Joseph, Dan Marshall, Kristina Taylor and Numair Khan Uppal and was led by faculty advisors Dave Farish and Coby Lamarche.  The submission focused on reducing annual water consumption at the Conestoga College Doon campus, and stood out compared to the other submissions received in terms of technical considerations, social impact and cost recovery of the proposed initiatives.  The proposal by Conestoga College also analyzed areas such as historical relevance like references to leaks, data analysis, recognizing gaps and assumptions; considerations of added value components such as public perception; as well as the breakdown of costs including demolition and reinstallation.

Second place was awarded to the team from the University of Ottawa, consisting of Katy Bosma, Patrick D'Aoust, Jean-Emmanuel Daoust and Stephen Jones, led by faculty advisor Roberto Narbaitz.  The judges were impressed by the teams' proposal which they felt was the most technologically aggressive in addressing the realistic application of greywater reuse concepts for one of the university's sports complexes.

"Part of the focus for World Plumbing Day is to recognize the evolution and contribution our industry has had on modern society by making clean water accessible," said CIPH Chairman Robert Whitty and president & CEO, Bartle & Gibson Co. Ltd.  "The caliber of the submissions received demonstrates that tomorrow's leaders understand the need for water conservation and innovative ways to reduce their school's hydro footprint."

To submit a case study on how their school could use and conserve water more wisely, students needed to address the following:

• Capital investment required to render the client site more efficient
• Annual water savings anticipated due to implementation
• Real estate impact - how much land/space would be needed to accomplish savings
• Products/materials to be used
• Intended social impacts
• Anticipated return on investment

Students were also required to submit an infographic and video along with their written submission.  The winning video and submissions can be viewed at http://www.ciph.com/en/waterwiseschool. Students interested in pursuing the wide ranges of career paths, co-op education opportunities and potential employers within Canada's plumbing and hydronic heating industry are encouraged to visit http://www.ciph.com/en/Career-Tap.

About World Plumbing Day

Yearly, the World Plumbing Council, along with plumbing industry groups across the globe, celebrates World Plumbing Day to highlight 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.  This year, communities across Canada have proclaimed Tuesday, March 11 as World Plumbing Day.  For a complete list of proclamations, please visit www.ciph.com/waterwiseschool/.  More information on World Plumbing Day can be found at www.worldplumbingday.org  and @WPlumbingDay.

About CIPH

The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating is a not-for-profit trade association.  Founded in Montreal in 1933, the Institute is a vibrant organization committed to providing members with the tools for success in today's competitive environment.  More than 260 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 $6 billion annually.

SOURCE: Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating

Lauren Harrison
647.259.3265
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Elizabeth McCullough
416.695.0447
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