IGA promotes using rainwater with free barrels

More than 12,000 Quebecers may be watering their flowers and lawns with rainwater collected in barrels this summer, thanks to an environmental program launched by IGA stores in the province.

Under the program, Quebecers can enter a contest to win a rainwater barrel worth $30 from participating IGA stores. Each of the participating 186 stores gave away at least 70 barrels this year, for a total of 12,385 rainwater barrels distributed in total. The rainwater barrels are made of recycled plastic and can each hold 200 litres of water.

“There’s an increasing need to not use drinking water for outdoor uses,” says Geneviève Paradis, environmental advisor at Sobeys Quebec, of the program.

It’s all part of the Fonds Éco IGA (IGA eco fund program), which launched in 2008 to finance environmental projects.  “We aim to finance projects that have a concrete impact on the environment and on people’s lives,” Paradis says. “We’re looking for solutions that are pretty simple and doable.”

The fund collects $1 million each year from all 282 IGA stores in Quebec, with merchants making contributions based on a percentage of sales. It’s managed by the environmental organization Jour de la Terre Québec.

Aside from the rain barrels, the Fonds Éco IGA gives project funding of up to $10,000 each to municipalities, schools and organizations, for such things as bike racks or recycling bins.

Since 2012, municipalities have been eligible for projects worth up to $100,000 to rejuvenate rundown, unused areas. One project is seeing the town of Nicolet reconnect access from its downtown to a nearby river.

As well, IGA stores can make use of the fund to participate in composting programs.

Since its inception, the fund has collected $7 million. To date, 49,125 rainwater barrels have been distributed and more than 900 environmental projects have been funded.