Water & Air – Filter Systems News

(L-R) Ed Elley, Filters Fast Local Service Key Account Rep; Kym Moore, Filters Fast Brand Marketing Lead and Devin Hatley, Environmental Educator for the Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling (Photo Credit: Steven Miller, Filters Fast Media Marketing Specialist)

Each year, the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, sponsors an Earth Day Environmental Festival on campus. This is an educational-packed day with representation from various sectors of the college and commercial communities, falling within the categories of sustainability, waste management, environmental awareness and global water issues.

Subsidiaries from Filters Fast LLC, FiltersFast.com and Filters Fast Local Service, exhibited and shared information about water testing, the cost effectiveness of using water hydration stations, eliminating the waste of plastic water bottles that pollute highways and landfills, along with increasing awareness of the global water crisis through our W3 Project with TrekDesk and Wine to Water.

Photo Credit: Steven Miller

We were deeply touched and literally brought to tears during a conversation by a young lady who is a student attending UNCC. Her name is Anna and she is from Africa. As we discussed our commitment to increase awareness about the global water crisis with our W3 Project, she painted a very real picture of personally experiencing such challenges. This was a very emotional dialogue, but nevertheless, one that touched our hearts and injected us with greater momentum to do everything we can to eradicate our global water crisis and save millions of lives from drinking contaminated water. So often it takes a heart-wrenching story like hers to make us really appreciate how fortunate we are.

Students, administrators and staff from the university strongly represented the turnout for this 20th Annual Earth Day event. We want to thank Devin Hatley, Environmental Educator for the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, for inviting Filters Fast to participate in this important community event. The Earth Day Environmental Festival is a free event that is also open to the public. UNCC students volunteered to assist with this event which was held at the CHHS Plaza across from the Student Union.

With an event like the annual UNCC Earth Day event, we are inspired to continue protecting our environment by taking action to learn, teach and share our knowledge with others. Our hats off to the UNCC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling for a successful event. Keep up the good work by helping to increase our social consciousness to save our environment!

Doc Hendley and Wine To Water Team Visits FiltersFast.com

Pictured (L-R) Doc Hendley, Founder of Wine To Water; Dee Rubina, Marketing Manager at FiltersFast.com; Francene Marie Morris, Host of The Francene Marie Show; Kyle Lomax, International Projects Manager for Wine To Water; Kym Moore, Brand Marketing Lead at FiltersFast.com and Josh Elliott, Public Relations Manager for Wine To Water. (Photo  by Steven Miller, FiltersFast.com Media Marketing Specialist)

Doc Hendley, founder of Wine To Water and 2009 CNN Heroes Award Winner, along with Kyle Lomax, International Projects Manager and Josh Elliott, Public Relations Manager met with their new partners of the W3 Project for a joint radio broadcast on The Francene Marie Show. Dee Rubina, Marketing Manager and W3 Administrator with FiltersFast.com also chimed in on the interview to discuss a new benevolent partnership that would help to provide access to clean water to many suffering communities around the world.

Dee Rubina, Kyle Lomax, Doc Hendley, Francene Marie

Filtersfast.com, a locally owned and operated e-commerce business specializing in water and air filtration, recently partnered with Wine To Water, a 501(c)(3) non-profit air organization, based in Boone, North Carolina that focuses on providing clean water to needy people around the world, for the W3 Project.

The W3 partnership also includes TrekDesk Treadmill Desk, which will help to expand the importance of walking, exercising and improving your overall health. The W3 partnership between FiltersFast.com, TrekDesk and Wine To Water is such a perfect fit because it expands a greater awareness to a larger and more diverse audience locally, nationally and internationally about the global water crisis and walking to improve your exercise routine.

Doc Hendley was also in town for a fundraiser and book signing for the release of his new book “Wine To Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World.” For more information on how you can get involved with the W3 Project through mile donations or mile sponsorships, go to www.filtersfast.com/w3 and learn how you can contribute. “Walk for you. Walk for them.”

Photo by Steven Miller

Pictured (L-R) Heather Quinn, Filters Fast Local Service Division Manager, Allison Audet, Indian Trail Elementary School P.E. Teacher, Dee Rubina, Filters Fast Marketing Manager, Candice Boatright, Principal of Indian Trail Elementary School and Kym Moore, Filters Fast Brand Marketing Lead

On Tuesday February 14, 2012, the subsidiaries of Filters Fast LLC (FiltersFast.com, W3 Project: Work and Walk for Water and Filters Fast Local Service) surprised the teachers and staff of Indian Trail Elementary School, in Indian Trail, North Carolina with “Thank You for Being My Valentine” gifts. The company treasures the importance of what our hardworking teachers and administrators contribute to the growth and development of our children. Often, these hardworking professionals do not hear or receive our gratitude for what they do five days out of the week.

This is a critical time where we find so many of our schools suffering for basic core necessities due to budget cuts for the fiscal year. Many teachers have to use their personal money to provide these basic and much needed items for their students. For Valentine’s Day, Filters Fast wanted to reach out and simply say thank you to the hard working professionals at Indian Trail Elementary School. We hope that at least for one day, we were able to put a smile on their faces and let them know how very special they are to our community and the educational system.

Filters Fast wants to extend a special thank you to the following staff members from Indian Trail Elementary School who were instrumental in helping us to pull off our Valentine’s Day surprise and for working with us to help them with upcoming projects to benefit the school:

Candice Boatright, Principal
Kelly Ransbottom, Bookkeeper
Allison Audet, Physical Education Teacher

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”
– Anthony J. D’Angelo

Having clean water is a major concern and in some areas of the world people don’t have access to it. That’s why Filters Fast is making a commitment to bring clean water to those parts of the world that need fresh water. We are launching the W3 campaign, a unique water charity designed to raise money and draw awareness.

Filters Fast is specifically making a difference by walking. Several of our employees are making a corporate effort to do their part for this water charity by using what’s known as a “Trekdesk” to log each single mile they walk, then converting each mile into a donation that will go towards W3 and providing clean water access to those areas lacking it.

A TrekDesk is a combination desk and treadmill, allowing users to work out while they work. Instead of sitting all day you can walk, which will allow you to log miles that can be used towards our W3 charity. And with the start of a New Year, it’s a perfect time to reach your resolution of being healthy and getting into shape. W3 is an easy way to stay involved and also allows you to get in shape while helping out those less fortunate.

In addition, it’s a good idea to get your children involved. Childhood obesity is becoming a major issue, so encouraging your children to participate in this initiative will allow them to help a good cause, while also keeping them physically fit and active. We also invite high school, minor league and major league sports teams, college sororities and fraternities, and any other types of organizations to join this initiative.

Check out our W3 promotional video for more information:

Filters Fast is proud to announce the launch of our charity, W3- Work and Walk for Water. We want to do our part to make it possible for people around the world to have access to clean, fresh drinking water. Every time you flush your toilet, wash your hands, or take a sip from the hose on a hot summer day, remember that millions of people around the world are not able to enjoy these taken for granted pleasures. It is estimated that as many as 76 million people will die in the next 8 years of preventable water-related diseases. That is why now, more than ever, it is important for all of us to get up and do something.

So, how can you help? It’s easy! We have designed W3 so that you can choose to donate money, or donate miles, or both! For every mile you donate, a sponsored dollar will go to providing clean water to those who require it most. So don’t just sit there, do something! If your New Year’s Resolution is to get in better shape, you can reach your goal while helping those in need. Ask your family to sponsor your 20 mile donation (20 dollars), and reap the benefits of walking and helping others.

Here in the Filters Fast office, we have brought our commitment to providing clean water to the workplace.  Two of our employees have chosen to install Trek Desk’s, which allow them to walk on a treadmill while at work. We believe wholeheartedly that it is possible that every man, woman, and child has access to fresh, clean water, and we want to do our part.

Filters Fast will donate 100% of all proceeds, and they will go directly to water projects. This will provide wells and clean water to those who need it most.

How far would you walk for a glass of clean drinking water? One mile? Two Miles? Did you know that in many countries, like parts of Africa for example, women and children have to walk approximately 3.7 miles to carry gallons of water back to their homes and villages? Generally speaking, women and children usually bear the burden of collecting water by walking to the nearest water source that is contaminated, because that particular water source is shared with livestock and other animals. Thus, consuming contaminated water is their only option.

Image Credit: charity:water

Water is inter-related with health. We take the ability and freedom to walk a few steps to our faucet and turn it on in order to get a glass of clean drinking water for granted. There are poor developing countries and communities who are challenged with being able to meet basic needs. When we refer to basic needs, it goes beyond what we need to drink or ingest for our daily survival. It includes the need for water to maintain a basic standard of hygiene that is sufficient to maintain health.

At W3, as we reflect on our children and loved ones each day, we think about how it would break our hearts to helplessly watch them suffer and die from simply drinking contaminated water. This could leave them susceptible and vulnerable to diseases such as viral hepatitis, cholera, typhoid, diarrhea and dysentery. When our global neighbors are suffering and dying from not having access to clean drinking water, it is a critical matter and our W3 Team just cannot sit here and do nothing.

We invite you to join us on our mission to Work and Walk for Water. There are many ways to contribute and participate in this humanitarian effort. To learn more about our W3 initiative and how you can get involved, check out our W3 – Work and Walk for Water website.