BlueTriton Brands activates company-wide Earth Day events across North America
From beach cleanups in Connecticut and California, to trout releases in Maine and Pennsylvania, and road cleanups in Michigan and Canada, BlueTriton Brands employees across the country activated in support of Earth Day.
“This is one of the many ways we are building a better water company,” said Joey Bergstein, CEO of BlueTriton Brands. “We understand the challenges in protecting the environment and we are proud to help protect drinking water for today and tomorrow.”
In honor of Earth Day, BlueTriton Brands employees took an afternoon break from the office to clean up trash at a local beach in Stamford. Employees collected 82 pounds of trash including a large foam portion of a floating dock that washed ashore, remnants of a jacket, a cement fence post, a patio umbrella stand and some plastic toys from Cummings Park, located along the Long Island Sound.
In addition to the cleanup, BlueTriton Brands has committed to donating $500 to SoundWaters, a non-profit organization that protects the Long Island Sound through education. SoundWaters is a partner of 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses aimed at making a positive impact on the environment.
In celebration of Earth Month, BlueTriton Brands released new aluminum bottle packaging with five brands including Poland Spring®, Deer Park®, Ice Mountain®, Arrowhead® and Pure Life®. In partnering with 1% for the Planet, BlueTriton Brands has committed to donating 1% of aluminum bottle sales to environmental organizations within the network.
BlueTriton Brands Canada collect 11 bags of trash for Earth Day
Up north, BlueTriton Brands Canada employees in Hope, British Columbia participated in a roadside cleanup outside their factory headquarters for Earth Day.
The group of six employees collected trash for hours along a 6km (3.73 miles) stretch of Othello Road, a popular roadway.
Employees collected 11 bags of garbage including a light fixture, cardboard boxes, and fluorescent tubes.
The group collected more bags of garbage than they originally anticipated, which made them happy they made such an impact.
Ozarka® Natural Spring Water sponsors Texas Earth Day Festival
Ozarka® Natural Spring Water brand was a sponsor of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University as they hosted the Earth Day San Marcos Festival at Spring Lake. The festival featured a full day of entertainment with hands-on educational activities for all ages, outdoor recreation demonstrations, and live performances.
Over 30 eco-friendly exhibitors and vendors were on hand to highlight a variety of environmental and sustainability-related topics including the glass-bottom boat tours which was offered at no cost.
(L) Trey Mixon, Ozarka® Natural Resource Manager was featured on Fahrenheit 140, a podcast produced by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.
“As a water company, we are thrilled to support the San Marcos Earth Day Festival,” said Trey Mixon, Ozarka® Natural Resource Manager. “We are proud of our partnership with Texas State University and The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and the great work they do supporting environmental education.”
Throughout the day, participants visited a variety of non-profit booths to explore topics such as sustainable living, river preservation and environmental conservation through hands-on experiences and educational materials. Commemorative gear such as T-shirts, tote bags, and reusable Ozarka® pint cups were available for purchase. This was the 11th year for the event.
Ice Mountain® employees clean up Michigan highways for Earth Day
Ice Mountain® Natural Spring Water brand employees picked up litter along two two-mile stretches of highway as part of the State of Michigan’s Adopt-A-Highway program.
Ice Mountain employees have maintained the two sections of highway for more than 13 years. One stretch of highway, M-20 is near the Ice Mountain factory in Stanwood and the second stretch on US-10 is outside of the community of Evart.
Employees cleaned up the two sections in the spring as part of Earth Day celebrations and in the fall.
“Adopt-A-Highway is one way we give back and make a difference in our communities,” said Arlene Anderson-Vincent, Ice Mountain® Senior Natural Resource Manager. “Removing litter from our roadsides not only beautifies the landscape but also helps to protect nearby lakes, streams and rivers.”
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan’s Adopt-A-Highway program began in 1990. Around 2,900 groups have adopted more than 6,000 miles of state highway. In a typical year, volunteers collect 60,000 to 70,000 bags of trash annually, an estimated $5 million value for the state.
"Our Adopt-A-Highway volunteers come back year after year to keep roadsides in their communities clean," said State Transportation Director Brad Wieferich. We want to thank them for their hard work and remind everyone to help them stay safe."
Also, in celebration of Earth Day, 500 white pine seedlings were gifted to Ice Mountain® employees, who planted them in their own yards, in local parks and along trails.
“This year’s donation of white pine trees provides our employees and their families the opportunity to plant a tree and enjoy the experience of watching it grow,” said Mitch Plosz, Ice Mountain® Factory Manager. “It’s also a way we can help improve the quality of our environment and grow understanding of the crucial role trees play in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to mitigate climate change.”
Trees provide a multitude of benefits, including reducing air pollution, providing habitats for animals, helping reduce storm water runoff, and reducing noise. Trees provide beauty, character, and shade to the landscape. Michigan’s state tree, the white pine, is fast growing and can reach up to 150 feet!
Arrowhead® 100% Mountain Spring Water partners with Inland Empire Kids Outdoors to cleanup California beach
Inland Empire Kids Outdoors, in partnership with Arrowhead® 100% Mountain Spring Water brand, organized a cleanup of the Santa Ana River beach at McLean Park in Riverside, California in honor of Earth Day.
Volunteers removed a variety of waste materials including food wrappers and diapers from the river beach near McLean Park. The cleanup was sponsored by Arrowhead® to beautify and support the community.
“We are so grateful to the Arrowhead® Mountain Spring Water team for continuing to support the health of our watershed and our community by sponsoring and volunteering at clean-ups like this,” said Megan Brousseau, IE Kids Outdoors President.
McLean Beach was chosen due to the water brand’s support of the IE Kids Outdoors River Camp by providing scholarships to underserved kids. The camp is held at McLean Beach. This year marks the 10th Anniversary of River Camp.
IE Kids Outdoors is the Inland Empire’s leading advocate for clean, healthy access to nature for the children of the Inland Empire, including water quality and healthy ecosystems within the Santa Ana River Watershed. The large geographical basin includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Poland Spring® partners with local school district to sponsor Brookie Buddies program
Fifth graders at the Poland Community School in Poland, Maine spent their morning releasing more than 200 brook trout fingerlings into nearby Waterhouse Brook. The release is part of the Poland Spring® Brookie Buddies program, helping to foster the next generation of environmental stewards. More than 60 fifth grade students began caring for the trout eggs, provided by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, back in January and raised the fingerlings in their classroom aquarium until release day.
During Earth Week, students completed their care by releasing the inch-long trout into a state-approved body of water in the local watershed. The Poland Spring® Brookie Buddies: Water, Fish and ME program, started in 2007, was modeled after similar programs developed by Trout Unlimited. Since then, thousands of Maine students have enjoyed participating in this hands-on environmental education experience.
Also in Maine, almost a dozen Poland Spring® employees took part in a clean up event for Earth Day. The group collected trash for hours outside their Poland factory. They collected so much trash, they filled the back of a pickup truck!
Tyler Wallace, Plant Manager for Poland Spring® says, “we are thrilled to see this group come together to participate in this trash pick up event to support the community in which they live and work.”
Zephyrhills® employees volunteer at Earth Day recycling event
In Florida, Zephyrhills® Natural Spring Water brand employees spent their day volunteering at Earth Day which was presented by Reworld held at Crews Lake Wilderness Park in Spring Hill. The event is in partnership with Keep Pasco Beautiful, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate. Zephyrhills® employees set up a booth where they answered questions and spoke with Floridians about the importance of recycling while handing out ice cold Zephyrhills® bottles of water.
“We were honored to support such a fun and informative event,” said Bill Myers, Zephyrhills® Springs Operations Manager. “We connected with many Floridians at our booth, and they were engaged on the importance our sustainability practices and our impact to the local community.”
Hundreds of people showed up to the Earth Day event to dispose of electronics and household hazardous waste including lightbulbs, batteries, oil, gas, old thermostats or thermometers, and paint. There was also a plant sale, upcycle vendors, ladybug release, and educational displays.
Zephyrhills® Production Supervisor Everett Brown discussed the positive impact the plant has on the local community and how sustainability practices are implemented.
Zephyrhills® Factory Manager Travis Moore interviewed with a Hits 106 Radio Host about the company’s plastic recycling program and the company’s commitment to the Florida community. The company donated 1,920 bottles of Zephyrhills® water to the event.
Zephyrhills® employees also supported the High Springs Pioneer Days Festival in High Springs. The company donated 1,920 bottles of water. Firefighters with the High Springs Fire Department helped unload the cases of water for the event held at the end of April.
Deer Park® partners with Pennsylvania schools as students release fingerlings for Trout in the Classroom program just after Earth Day
In its seventh year, Deer Park® Natural Spring Water brand has partnered with the Eastern Lebanon County School District (ELCO) in Myerstown to sponsor the Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom program.
Starting in January, 16 students began raising rainbow trout from eggs to fingerlings in their AP biology and environmental science class. Students learned about the importance of watershed conservation efforts, ecosystems, habitats, natural resources, and management strategies to protect and enhance cold water resources.
After months of care, sampling water quality and testing nitrate levels in the fish tanks, students were able to release dozens of fingerlings into Mill Creek on May 1, a week after Earth Day. The trout release occurs downstream from the company’s Newmanstown Spring site.
BlueTriton Brands Springs Specialist David Dennis coordinates closely with the school district from the beginning of the program and provides aquarium equipment and technical support as needed. David joined the students as they verified that stream conditions are acceptable before releasing their rainbow trout fingerlings into the creek.
Mill Creek is a thriving headwater stream. Allowing riparian buffer zones to flourish along the stream as it winds through the property prevents streambank erosion and helps to moderate temperatures in the stream, providing a shaded environment for all the aquatic life. BlueTriton Brand’s daily stream monitoring plan ensures that plenty of pure spring water flows through these protected streams, nourishing not only the trout fingerlings but the aquatic insects and macroinvertebrates that comprise most of the trout’s diet.
The program is also made possible by a unique partnership between the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
