We all know that there are serious water problems going on right now – from droughts to water pollution. Sometimes we can feel like these issues are so large that they’re out of our control, but it’s important to stay positive and remain hopeful. We need people to view themselves as active change-makers that can play a role in the health of their environment and therefore, their community.
There are dozens of great educational programs teaching students about the important water issues in interesting and engaging ways. Yet, awareness alone does not bring about a consistent behavior change. The teachers need to take the next step and give the students an opportunity to get involved in solving water problems that are relevant to their region. I wanted to develop a project to join this gap.
aquaAction is a program that educates middle school students in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky about their specific water issues, and gives students the opportunity to create meaningful change through the planning and implementation of a real world project to combat this strain. For example, in Louisville, polluted stormwater runoff into our local watershed is the biggest problem. School classes will plan and implement rain gardens on their school grounds, in order to remedy this situation!
