Campaign appeals for volunteers to help distribute 40,000 free water conservation kits in Ottawa over next seven weeks
Ottawa, September 17, 2011 – One Change Foundation, an award-winning Ottawa-based charity that empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment, has launched its newest campaign – this blue dot. The campaign, sponsored by the RBC Blue Water Project® and in collaboration with the City of Ottawa, was launched today at the Ottawa EcoFair. It aims to mobilize Ottawa residents to take action on residential water waste. Volunteers and One Change staff will go door to door to distribute simple kits that show people how to detect and repair common toilet leaks.
“Over 20 percent of all toilets leak and fixing one leaky toilet can save up to $250 a year on your water bill and thousands of litres of water,” said Stuart Hickox, President and Founder of One Change Foundation. “The easy-to-use dye tablet being distributed through our blue dot campaign allows people to take one simple action that can help find the leak. Fixing leaks is easy and can cost as little as $5. But we need volunteers to help us get this message out in communities across Ottawa!”
The campaign, which will run until early November, will see 40,000 blue dot kits distributed to Ottawa residents door-to-door by volunteers and through hands-on, community-oriented events. The free kits will also be available atparticipating Ottawa RBC Royal Bank branches. To complement the simple actions message, RBC will also offer a chance to win one of 27 home energy audits – worth up to $500 each. More information on the campaign and a volunteer sign-up form can be found at www.thisbluedot.ca.
“RBC is proud to partner with One Change for the launch of the blue dot campaign in the Nation’s Capital as it is the perfect example of how we can take a grass roots approach to create a culture of water stewardship,” says Paul Chiasson, Regional Vice President, Ottawa East, RBC. “We recognize the power of giving back to the communities we serve in helping to foster a better future, and this campaign aligns perfectly with our longstanding commitment to support the protection and conservation of fresh water through our RBC Blue Water Project.”
“It is great to see the City of Ottawa partnering with One Change on this important campaign to save water and money,” says David Chernushenko, councillor for Capital Ward. “There are so many ways for individuals to take action close to home, and One Change has a proven track record in mobilizing people to take simple actions that lead to others.”
Photos and backgrounder/factsheet available upon request.
About One Change
One Change is an award-winning not-for-profit, non-partisan charitable organization and 501(c)3 foundation with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and project offices throughout Canada and the United States. One Change delivers innovative community-based social marketing campaigns aimed at delivering conversations to empower people to adopt money-saving, environmentally friendly behaviors. To date, One Change has engaged over 14,000 volunteers and 3,400 community groups in more than 1,200 communities across North America; and has delivered over 3.7 million free energy conservation measures alongside its Simple actions matter™ message. For more information, visit www.onechange.org or follow us on Twitter at @ONECHANGEorg.
About RBC Blue Water Project®
The RBC Blue Water Project® is an innovative, wide-ranging, 10-year global commitment to help protect the world’s most precious natural resource: fresh water. It includes a $50 million philanthropic commitment to organizations that protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water. Since 2007, RBC has pledged over $28 million to more than 400 organizations worldwide.
About the City of Ottawa
For information on the City of Ottawa’s water efficiency program, visit ottawa.ca/waterwise, any City of Ottawa Client Service Centre or call 3-1-1.
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For more information, please contact:
Sara Haskill
Manager, Marketing
One Change Foundation
613-232-5892 ext. 208
or
Alayne Martell
PR Consultant
902-308-1067
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