Latest news with #FloWater
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Steph and Ayesha Curry's foundation funds clean water in Oakland schools
The Brief Stephen and Ayesha Curry's foundation provided OUSD with water machines after high levels of lead were discovered A school spokesperson says all 77 schools have more than one machine thanks to the $650,000 grant from the Curry's The FloWater machines are in about 2,000 schools nationwide OAKLAND, Calif. - Clean drinking water is a basic necessity for growing students, and now, the Oakland Unified School District is tapping into new funds to keep clean water flowing in the schools, after high levels of lead were again found last year."Currently we have 172 across the district in all of our TK to 12 schools," OUSD Spokesperson John Sasaki district first installed water filtration machines in every school back in 2018, when tests first showed high lead levels in school drinking machines from Brita, FloWater and various companies provided a quick solution, as the district inspected and replaced pipes and fixtures. What they're saying "I drank the water from the fountains, and didn't like it. Had my stomach hurting, and then they started installing the flow system, so started using it," Emanuel Funchus, a McClymonds High School says all 77 schools have more than one machine, and now, thanks to a $650,000 grant from Stephen and Ayesha Curry's foundation that was announced last month, there are another 60 additional FloWater machines being installed."It was something that needed to be addressed immediately and totally in line with our mission, so we were happy to jump in and see what role we could play." on behalf of these kids," Chris Helfrich, CEO of said says along with another 60 units, the money will help keep the machines maintained."There's also some ongoing maintenance that our grant is helping to fund as well as the purchase and distribution of 20,000 reusable water bottles so they have something to drink the water out of," Helfrich said."Every Oakland school has at least one... and we are in about 2,000 schools across the United States," Rich Razgaitis, CEO of FloWater says they provide machines in some 2,000 schools nationwide."This just strips out lead, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals," Razgaitis said. The district also has created a water filtration system dashboard for its website, showing the ratio of machines to students at each school. The goal is to have one water machine for every 100 students. Each unit costs about $7, district is using some funds from the sugar-sweetened beverage tax revenue to help fund the effort."Kids are not only better hydrated, but not drinking the sugar-sweetened beverages the way this tax was designed, and so it's really killing two birds with one stone," Sasaki machines are a short-term solution, Sasaki said, as they continue mitigating the longer-term infrastructure challenges."We're doing lots of testing in our schools we are mitigating any situation where we find a fixture or faucet, drinking fountain that has elevated levels of lead, taking those out of service," Sasaki said.
Associated Press
05-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
FLOWATER APPOINTS TINA SWANSON CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER, EXPANDS NATIONAL ACCOUNTS TEAM TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR SAFE, PLASTIC-FREE DRINKING WATER
~ Schools, Hotels, Fitness Centers, and Workplaces Across the Country Driving the Change with the Complete Transformation of Tap Water with FloWater Refill Stations~ DENVER, Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With a recent government study showing 27% of America's population may be drinking contaminated water, Denver-based FloWater, maker of Advanced Purification Refill Stations, today announces a major expansion of its sales force to meet the exploding demand for safe, plastic-free water. Tina Swanson has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer and will lead a National Accounts team that includes recent hires Jason Ferguson, Ashlie Bell, Allison Porter and Pedro Martinez. The new team significantly expands FloWater's footprint across the US serving retail, offices, fitness and wellness centers and the hospitality industry as they turn to safer and more sustainable hydration for their workforce, customers and guests. FloWater Vice-President, Brooke Stafford, has been re-assigned to lead the Education sales team as schools across the country look to eliminate lead and other toxins from their water, reduce their students' consumption of sugary drinks and reduce their plastic waste. Ms. Swanson brings exceptional leadership and a proven track record from her time at and Restaurant Technologies, where she drove growth and innovation for sustainability-focused businesses. 'Tina's expertise and passion for making a difference will play a pivotal role as we accelerate our mission to transform hydration and scale our impact,' commented FloWater CEO and Co-Founder, Rich Razgaitis. FloWater has achieved double-digit revenue growth over the past three years and recently announced the milestone achievement of saving one billion plastic water bottles from entering the environment since its launch in 2013. Partnering with FloWater, over 10,000 schools, hotels, fitness centers, and workplaces across the country have now transformed their tap water with FloWater Refill Stations into ultra-purified water, without the plastic, that eliminates up to 99.9% of all impurities including PFAS (forever chemicals), glyphosates, heavy metals, like lead and Chromium 6, and microplastics. FloWater's Advanced Purification Refill Stations, with 7x Advanced Purification technology, also enhances the water with added trace minerals for better hydration. A carbon coconut filter 'finishes' the chilled water for a great taste. 'FloWater is on a mission and leading the way in ensuring that everyone has access to the best, safest and greatest tasting water on the planet wherever they work, rest, play and go to school. I am thrilled to be part of this team,' noted Ms. Swanson. About FloWater, a Bluewater Company Incubated in Silicon Valley and now based in Denver, FloWater is revolutionizing the way the world drinks water. With proprietary 7-stage Advanced Purification technology, FloWater Refill Stations transform ordinary tap water into ultra-purified, high-performance hydration, while removing up to 99.9% of all toxins like lead, PFAS, microplastics, and more. Delivering the purest, best-tasting water available, FloWater is leading the charge against plastic pollution and, to date, has saved one billion plastic water bottles from entering the environment.
