From the Executive Director: Watersheds Unite Us as a Global Community
Water is life. That is the title of a curriculum module I wrote in partnership with EL Education for Achieve the Core, an online source of classroom resources for educators. Teaching students about water, water conservation, and watersheds is deeply important to me. We all need clean water to survive. It is one of the most fundamental elements that connect us to the more than human world, no matter where we live. With water scarcity escalating and clean water sources dwindling, it is more important than ever to have an understanding of where our water comes from and how it sustains us.
Growing a Greener and Cleaner World with Ocean Friendly Gardens
Marie Culver, a teacher at Seatack Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, shares how her school partnered with the Surfrider Foundation to install a garden that teaches students about caring for their watershed and its ties to the Atlantic Ocean.
Watershed Education: Integrating Science and the Humanities
Cleary Vaughan-Lee, Education Director at the Global Oneness Project, relates several examples of watershed education she has encountered, including students studying the habitat of the Great Lakes and others using water as creative inspiration for writing and art.
Creating a Sense of Place Instills Love for River and Environmental Stewardship
Lisa O'Malley, Curriculum Specialist at Genesee Community Charter School, discusses how her school uses the Genesee River to teach students about their community, its history, and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Philippe Cousteau, Jr. and Stacey Rafalowski of EarthEcho International share how their organization is engaging students around stormwater management in their communities and challenging them to come up with sustainable solutions.
Milawaukee's Emphasis on Water Sustainability at Schools
Justin Hegarty, Executive Director of Reflo, relates how his nonprofit got involved in the green schools movement by helping local schools design creative and meaningful green infrastructure.
Caring for Our Watersheds: International Contest gets Students to Think Global, Act Local
Chloe Sprecker, Sustainability and Stakeholder Relation Intern at Agrium, gives an overview of the Caring for Our Watersheds contest, the benefits it provides for student participants, and a sampling of student projects that are making a real world difference.
Jesse McElwain at the Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council shares how two schools have used the annual Green Apple Day of Service to teach students about watersheds and water conservation.
Teach teenagers about our impact on watersheds in this multidisciplinary cartography project. Reprinted with permission from Green Teacher magazine and originally authored by Lauren Wulker.