Greening Nipissing’s RAIN project gets support from Union Gas

Greening Nipissing
News Release

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Greening Nipissing is happy to be awarded a $1,000 Centennial Community Grant from Union Gas to support a demonstration rain garden and www.slowrain.ca workshops reports Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy, Project Director of Greening Nipissing.

Union Gas is celebrating 100 years of delivering safe, reliable and affordable service to customers and communities across Ontario in 2011. This award is one of 100 Centennial grants of $1,000 each that Union Gas is giving out to support charitable projects focused on the environment, community safety and education across the province. Darcy Watson says “We can’t think of a better way to mark this occasion than by giving back to a community program that so closely aligns with these business values.”

“A passionate commitment to stewardship, safety and win-win relationships are all central to our business culture and operations,” said Darcy Watson, Utility Services Manager - North Bay.

Greening Nipissing’s RAIN project speaks to the problem of stormwater runoff that impacts water quality and quantity by:

 transporting pollution directly into lakes and rivers;

 eroding shorelines, loss of topsoil that hastens further runoff;

 warming up surface water, making it more susceptible to waterborne bacteria and hazardous to fragile marine life;

 overflowing sewage treatment facilities, allowing untreated human waste to flow directly into surface water; and

 robbing groundwater aquifers of adequate recharge capacity

What's the solution? Slow it down, Soak it up and keep it clean. “Through rain gardens that soak up the water, rain barrels that slow down the water and pet waste digesters that keep the water clean, everyone can do their part.” Chaylene Grieve-Saunders new rain garden coordinator at Greening Nipissing.

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