Fleming College

Fleming College is the first institution of its kind taking action on the environmental issue of disposable water bottles. The college has officially launched a socially responsible project, F-H2O, to reduce the use of bottled water, on and off campus. Fleming College has installed a reverse osmosis water filter and introduced four new water filling stations and two new water fountains at the Sutherland Campus. These will compete against the bottled water in the vending machines, the cafeteria and from home. The new systems have proven, through research, to be equally as tasteful as bottled water but for one unique selling point – it’s free. Students no longer have to spend their money to obtain cold, refreshing, great tasting water. The manufacturing, distribution and disposal of bottled water, has been proven to have a negative impact on the environment. According to the Environment and Plastics Industry Council, 88 per cent of water bottles are not recycled and 65,000 tonnes of beverage containers ended up in landfills or incineration (2002).“ Fleming is committed to the environment and practises what it teaches, emphasizing sound and sustainable environmental practices at our campuses, in our facilities and in all our work. We are very pleased with the contribution our Water Project will make towards reducing our college’s footprint on the environment,” said Dr. Tony Tilly, President of Fleming College.A taste test event in the Sutherland Campus main foyer will kick off the launch of the project on March 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., three days before World Water Day. The new F-H2O will be introduced in an interactive and informative way by having students taste the reverse osmosis water as well as municipal and bottled water. They will be taken on a small tour showing the locations of the filling stations and reminded that it is free to use. The Fleming Applied Agency (a Marketing agency at the college run by teachers and students) is taking care of all aspects of marketing and branding with the project. It is branding these products as “F-H2O refresh, retain, refill” with “free” being the key driver targeting students to make filling stations part of their daily routine at school. The significance of the project is that it’s “a marketing solution to an environmental problem,” says Scott J. Peterson, project manager of the Fleming Applied Agency. Logos and taglines have been developed to create brand identity, as well as campus advertisements to create awareness throughout the school community.