District Preps off to a healthy start

01 May 2017

Noorat Preps Enjoy Their Water Bottles

More than 1300 prep students across the south-west enjoyed a healthy start to the year thanks to an ongoing initiative by Wannon Water.

They each received free 600-millilitre water bottles, which are designed to use at school and be refilled from the tap.

Wannon Water’s education officer, Catherine Grist, said the annual program encourages students to drink water, become aware of their hydration needs and raise awareness about reuse and recycling.

“Our Choose Tap campaign aims to educate our community about the health, environmental and economic benefits of drinking tap water,” Mrs Grist said.

“We know that only a two per cent drop in body water can cause a 13 per cent decrease in concentration, so keeping kids hydrated throughout the day is imperative for their learning and overall health.

“By giving the new Prep students a free Choose Tap drink bottle to keep in their classroom or school bag, we hope to give them the best start to school possible.

“Many people don’t realise that you can refill a one-litre bottle from a tap every day for around two and a half years for the same price as a one-litre bottle of water purchased from a shop,” Mrs Grist said.

“PET plastic is the main material used to produce bottles for bottled water. A great deal of water and energy goes into making these single-use bottles, and more than half of the bottles end up as litter and in landfill.”

The Choose Tap initiative supports education, community sport, local festivals and events across the region. As well as the prep water bottles, Wannon Water also provides hundreds of larger 800-ml reusable water bottles to sporting teams and community groups each year as part of its annual sponsorship program.

General Manager Community and Corporate Services Kellie King said the initiative complemented Wannon Water’s corporate vision of ‘beyond water for strong communities’.

“The campaign helps contribute to a liveable and sustainable south-west Victoria,” Ms King said.

“Wannon Water is also proud to be working with organisations such as Deakin University, the Southern Grampians Glenelg Primary Care Partnership, GenR8 Change and SEA Change Portland to improve broader health outcomes for people living in the region – particularly children.”