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 knowledgable 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.

Registrations
will be accepted at tapintoyourwater@gmail.com
until Tuesday May 27, 2008

Event:
Tap into Your Water

Time: 1-4 pm

Date:
May 31, 2008

Location:
City Hall, Council Chambers

Contact
Info:

Richard
Bird

phone:
519-453-1438 e-mail:
richardabird@hotmail.com