RBC supports second annual Canada Water Week and celebrates World Water Day

March 14, 2012 - The RBC Blue Water Project is back as a supporter of Canada Water Week (March 19-25, 2012 ), a week-long celebration of water from coast-to-coast-to-coast, held annually in the third week of March to coincide with World Water Day (March 22). World Water Day and Canada Water Week are special occasions for RBC, because water is RBC’s global cause, to which we’ve committed $50 million over 10 years. Already, we’ve donated or pledged $32 million to some 500 organizations worldwide.

This year, Canada Water Week will focus its efforts on the theme “Our Water Footprint.” Did you know that Canadians consume twice as much water per day than Europeans? Or that next to the United States, we are the second highest water consuming country in the world? Yet over and over again, Canadians state how important water is to them and that they are concerned about its safety and protection. For more information, visit www.canadawaterweek.com

Here’s what else we’re doing to mark World Water Day:

• On March 20, we will announce the winners of the third annual Imagine H20 Innovator’s competition in San Francisco. RBC sponsored this competition to solicit business plans that offer the greatest promise of breakthroughs in wastewater management.
• On March 22, we will release the findings from our fifth annual RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study.
• On March 22, we’re launching an online “RBC Watertude Poll” for employees, clients and the public.

We’ve just received over 200 applications from organizations worldwide for 2012 RBC Blue Water Project Leadership Grants. We’ll evaluate those proposals and announce our finalists in early summer. And of course, we’re making plans for the third annual RBC Blue Water Day, to be held on Friday June 8, in all RBC locations worldwide.

We thank all of our 500+ RBC Blue Water Project members for the work they do to help protect the world’s most precious resource.

5 ways you can celebrate World Water Day

1. Learn one new thing about the water issues in your region. Pay attention to the news stories about water that are sure to appear in the paper, on radio, television or online around World Water Day.
2. Calculate your ‘water footprint’ by visiting the Canada Water Week website at www.canadawaterweek.com or www.waterfootprint.org/?page=cal/waterfootprintcalculator_indv
3. Find out where your drinking water comes from.
4. Volunteer for a few hours with a local RBC Blue Water Project grant recipient. Find grant recipients at: bluewater.rbc.com/projectLocator.php?rnd=1517686164
5. “Like” the RBC Blue Water Project Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/rbcbluewaterproject