Elmvale, Ontario is surrounded by numerous artesian flows where layers of soil and sediment act as a natural water purification plant, providing pure spring water which literally bubbles up from the ground. There is no better place to launch the first annual Elmvale Water Festival which celebrates all aspects of water relevant to our daily lives.
On Saturday, August 4th, enjoy all the spring water you can drink – for free. Our water truck carrying 13,500 litres of cold, pure spring water, is generously provided by the Truax family.
Not all plastic bottles are created equal. Studies by Dr. Shotyk of 125 brands of bottled waters from 28 countries have shown that those packaged in the commonly used "PET" plastic are contaminated with small amounts of antimony because of leaching from the container.
In that study, out of all the brands of bottled water tested in a state-of-the-art lab in Heidelberg, Germany, only one brand of bottle water was not contaminated with antimony: the one made of polypropylene. Included in the price of admission is a polypropylene water bottle which is reusable and dishwasher safe. Unlike many other plastic bottles, it's a keeper.
The Elmvale Foundation is a non-profit research organization providing environmental science education.
The Elmvale Foundation and its first annual event, the Elmvale Water Festival were created by William Shotyk. Dr. Shotyk is a Canadian Professor at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, specializing in the study of trace metals in the environment.
His studies have shown that the pristine groundwaters of the Elmvale area (Springwater and Tiny Townships) are comparable in many respects to the cleanest layers of ancient arctic ice. The remarkable purification of natural waters as illustrated by these artesian flows presents a tremendous opportunity for environmental science education.
We protect what we value, we value what we understand.
The Elmvale Environmental Education Foundation is a federally incorporated, registered charity (84826 6193 RR0001)
For more information, to sponsor, donate or volunteer, please contact:
Christy Burton
Director of Communications
Elmvale Water Festival
c/o Burton Communications
christy[at]burtoncommunications[dot]ca
Peter Dillon completed his M.Sc. in chemistry and his Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Toronto in 1974. He worked for over twenty years in the provincial Environment Ministry, where he led the aquatic research programme. He established the world-famous Dorset Research Centre, where much of the research was carried out that led to sulphur emission controls and acid rain reductions in Canada. He is currently a professor at Trent University in both the Chemistry Department and the Environmental and Resource Studies programme, and is the Director of the Worsfold Water Quality centre, the country’s leading laboratory for developing trace analytical techniques. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, winner of the Romanowski Medal of the Royal Society and numerous other awards.
Tony Clarke is the founder and executive director of the Polaris Institute. He has a Bachelors degree in political science from the University of British Columbia plus a Masters and a Doctoral degree from the University of Chicago in the field of social ethics. In 2005, he was co-recipient of the Right Livelihood Award for his work on international water and trade issues. Internationally, Tony has been a keynote and panel speaker at conferences on water issues in Europe, Africa and Asia. He played an active role at the World Water Forum in Kyoto in 2003, led in the formation of the People’s World Water Movement launched in New Delhi in 2004, and assisted the movement to resist the privatization of water at the World Water Forum in Mexico City in March, 2007. He has authored and co-authored 9 books, including BlueGold: The Corporate Theft of the World’s Water, which has been published in 40 countries, and Inside the Bottle: An Expose of the Bottled Water Industry.
Colin Perkel has been senior correspondent for The Canadian Press (CP) for more than 15 years and is CP branch president of the Canadian Media Guild. He extensively covered the Walkerton Water crisis from the first revelations through to completion of the official inquiry. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book on the tragedy, ‘Well of Lies,’ which chronicles the events that led up to and followed what has been described as one of the country's worst public-health disasters.
Ron Martin is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Western Ontario and an Associate Professor of Anthropology. He studied at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and did his Ph.D. at UWO. He has been Visiting Scientist at Dow Canada Inc., in Sarnia, Ontario, Visiting Fellow at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, Visiting Lecturer at Auckland University, Auckland, New Zealand, Visiting Fellow at the University of Arizona at Tucson and at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, a Research Associate at the South Australia Surface Technology Centre, as well as Visiting Researcher and now Adjunct Research Associate at the Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide. Prof. Martin specializes in the use of advanced analytical techniques (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Synchrotron Radiation Analysis) for studying environmental problems. Prof. Martin is the recipient of many awards, including the OCUFA Teaching Award and the Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Ray Clement earned his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Waterloo in 1981. He acted as supervisor of the Dioxin Laboratory of the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Laboratory Services Branch, eventually attaining the position of Senior Research Scientist. He has published over 160 papers and technical reports concerning the analysis, sources, and fate of toxic organics in the environment, and has published five books. Dr. Clement received the Maxxam Award for A Distinguished Contribution in the Field of Analytical Chemistry and the Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Education award from the Ontario Society for Environmental Education. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Canadian Society for Chemistry, where he is assigned the professional status portfolio, and the Environmental Careers Organization of Canada. He is a prolific speaker, proactively encouraging environmental education at all levels.
William Shotyk received a B.Sc. (Agr.) in Soil Science and Chemistry from the Ontario Agricultural College of the University of Guelph in 1981, a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Western Ontario in 1987, and a Habilitation in Geochemistry from the University of Berne, Switzerland, in 1995. After twelve years at the University of Berne, he became Professor at the University of Heidelberg and Director of the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry, positions he has held since October of 2000. His research group is responsible for Inorganic and Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry. A member of the American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, and the Geochemical Society, Professor Shotyk has published more than 150 articles, mainly in refereed journals, but also in conference proceedings, books, and newspapers. Prof. Shotyk founded the Elmvale Foundation to foster, encourage and promote environmental science education, and to support relevant research. The Elmvale Water Festival is a fundraising activity to support the work of the Foundation.
