May 08, 2008 01:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time 

Water Vend Transforms the Bottled Water Industry by Being the First to Market Eco-Friendly Vending Machines in North America

EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Many schools in the US and Canada are boycotting bottled water in hopes of making a point about green living. To them, there’s no reason to sacrifice the Earth’s health for something that can be acquired through a faucet.

Yet, bottled water is often a more palatable choice than tap, since it doesn’t contain as many impurities. But this benefit should not come at the expense of the environment, a fact few bottled water manufacturers realize… except for Water Vend.

Water Vend is the only company in North America that has created an eco-friendly water vending machine. Known as the Azure, this vending machine doesn’t even store water in bottles or cans. Instead, it pours cold water into a sports bottle, (which is supplied by the customer).

In terms of the water itself, the Azure works by filtering tap water. Everything undesirable, such as chlorine, unusual odors or tastes gets removed instantaneously. From there the customer is given the option to add flavoring and/or carbonation. This means that through Azure, customers can get freshly-made club soda, sports drinks or iced tea.

“Basically it’s bottled water without producing a new bottle every time you want a drink. It will save tremendously on greenhouse gas production, oil consumption for both bottle production and product hauling/delivery, eliminate empty bottle waste and on and on,” explains Lindsay Brooks, company spokesperson.

The Azure also offers other eco-friendly advantages. The machine uses LED lighting and flash water chilling technology, which help conserve electricity. Additionally, the Azure operates without releasing CO2 byproducts or waste water into the environment.

For more information please visit: www.WaterVend.com.