| [TORONTO] – Lake Ontario Waterkeeper (http://www.waterkeeper.ca) and G-Team (http://www.groupon.com/g-team), the philanthropic arm of Groupon, announce the launch of a local campaign to clean up Toronto’s beaches. The Swim Guide campaign will be available on Groupon Toronto’s G-Team page beginning on Tuesday, January 24 and running through Thursday, January 26. Utilizing G-Team’s collective action model, Groupon subscribers can pledge support for the Swim Guide initiative in increments of $10, with each $20 level reached providing beach monitoring at one beach for one month. Please make a $10 donation to help us reach our $300 tipping point. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper monitors water quality at 1,100 of beaches in the USA and Canada each day throughout the swimming season. Your support will allow us to sustain our monitoring program in Toronto for the 2012 beach season. “We are excited to employ the collective action model of G-Team to raise support for clean beaches in Toronto via Swim Guide,” said Mark Mattson, President and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. “We look forward to creating new awareness for Lake Ontario Waterkeeper as one of the local organizations in Toronto to be featured on G-Team.” 100% percent of the G-Team campaign proceeds will be used to monitor each of Toronto’s official beaches. Swim Guide solves the beach information problem. It educates you about beach water quality issues. It draws attention to areas in need of better environmental protection. And it fosters a community’s connection to its local water. Every donation made through G-Team will monitor beaches in Toronto in 2012. Help us solve the water quality problem.
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Press Contacts:
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
Allie Kosela
416-861-1237
allie@waterkeeper.caGroupon
Erin Yeager
312.999.3434
eyeager@groupon.com
About Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper (LOW) was created to address the need for clean water. Sewage and stormwater pollution release billions of litres of bacteria-laden water into the Great Lakes annually causing tens of thousands of people become ill after swimming or paddling. 75% of the beaches in Toronto failed to meet provincial water quality objectives in 2011.Water quality at many beaches is declining. As many as 300,000 Canadians and Americans will become ill after being in contact with contaminated water this year, posing a real threat to human health. Contaminated beaches are environmental concerns. Near-shore pollution degrades fish habitat, alters genes of aquatic wildlife, cripples the food chain, and threatens human health. This must change. To safely connect more people to their beaches and to strengthen our beach communities’ local economies, people need basic information about where it’s safe to swim. They need information to be trustworthy, up-to-date, easy to understand, and accessible. About G-Team
G-Team, launched in July 2010 in Chicago, features a weekly local campaign in more than 65 markets nationwide, enabling Groupon followers to do good, have fun, and make a real impact in their communities. G-Team uses collective action to gather support for worthwhile causes and produce tangible results for local organizations. To learn more about G-Team and how to become a featured organization, visit http://www.groupon.com/g-team. To subscribe to Groupon, visit http://www.groupon.com. | 
