Students from Mount Royal University in Calgary took the top spots in this year’s edition of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) Water Wise competition, which encourages students to design water conserving plumbing systems for their schools.
The winning team of Department of Earth and Environmental Science students Rachel Sank, Angelica Rice, Mark Bateman and Erik Cramer developed green roof implementation plans by proposing to install a demonstration multifunctional water collection site. The concept will allow all precipitation (rain or snow melt) to be retained by a live green roof and re-used for an on-demand irrigation system for the school’s greenhouse.
“This group demonstrated a thoughtful methodology that would have immediate benefits to the school and surrounding environment,” remarked Ralph Suppa, CIPH president and general manager.
The second-place team, made up of Jesse Dias, Michael Theriault, Charne Crafford and Tanner Greves, focused on water consumption by toilets, showers and faucets in the Mount Royal recreation area, including change rooms and facility washrooms that manage almost 60,000 people per year.
“This case study layered engaging options and ideas across multiple disciplines, which is both refreshing and responsible,” explains Suppa.
“Both teams are deserving and not only did they develop priorities, but followed through with detailed presentations that showed a commitment to the importance of water here in Canada – and around the world,” he added.
The winning team received $3,000 with the second place finishers receiving $1,500.