Worldwide Water Education
Educate. Empower. Act. The mission of Project WET is to reach children, parents, educators and communities of the world with water education. We invite you to join us in educating children about the most precious resource on the planet — water.
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World Water Day: Learning about Your Water Footprint
It's World Water Day! The theme of this year's World Water Day observations is Water and Food Security. What's the link? As UN Water says on the World Water Day website,
"There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Statistics say that each of us drinks from 2 to 4 litres (.5 to 1 gallon) of water every day, however most of the water we 'drink' is embedded in the food we eat..."
At the recent 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, Project WET organized a session around water footprinting, including information about "virtual water"--the water that is used to produce the food we eat and manufacture the products we need. Raising awareness about virtual water and water footprints was identified as a solution for addressing water issues, and Project WET has made a commitment to continue to reach people around the world with relevant water education.
At the "Your Water Footprint" session at the 6th World Water Forum, participants traced their footprints as part of learning about how to teach the concept of water footprinting.
In that spirit, Project WET has materials available for kids to learn about virtual water and water footprints. On World Water Day, make your own commitment to learning about your water footprint--and teaching others. Visit the "We all use water" lesson at DiscoverWater.org and then share it with friends, family and colleagues.
It's a great way to spend World Water Day!
Project WET Arrives at the World Water Forum
Project WET staff are on hand at the 6th World Water Forum, which launched today in Marseille. Forum participants can find us in Hall 3 at 3.009-3.011. Project WET President and CEO Dennis Nelson will speak tonight at the Intro to Target 3.2, Promoting Water Efficiency, Pressures and Footprints. Senior Vice President John Etgen will be speaking at the same time (5pm-7pm) at the CS3 Intro: Enabling Environments.
We would love to see all Forum participants and look forward to interacting with the world of Water!
“Time for Solutions” at the 6th World Water Forum
The Project WET Foundation will be highly visible at the Sixth World Water Forum, which starts on 12 March in Marseille, France. The theme of the Forum this year is "Time for Solutions", and we will be there to advocate water education as a solution to pressing water issues.
In addition to exhibiting in a triple booth space in the main hall at the Forum, Project WET is a leader in the water education and water footprinting target areas and will convene two sessions addressing those topics. Project WET will also present a case study and sit on the panel for a UN-HABITAT session on Global urban access to safe water, as well as co-host a side event on Healthy Hydration in partnership with the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR). In collaboration with the Korea Water Forum (KWF), Project WET will deliver a keynote in their target session to establish a regional water education center in North East Asia by 2018.
Project WET is also hosting "Celebrating Solutions through Water Education," a reception to honor leading organizations and individuals in the water education sector. At that event, we
will present our Water Visionary Award to Professor András Szollosi-Nagy DSc, PhD. Dr. Szollosi-Nagy is the Rector of UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in The Netherlands.
A complete schedule of Project WET's activities at the Sixth World Water Forum will be available on the Project WET Facebook page. Project WET staff will be updating social media in real time, so please "Like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to see what's happening in Marseille!
Heading to Houston to Make a Splash with NBA Legends
The Project WET Foundation is partnering with the Houston Chapter of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) to teach more than 100 Houston-area students about fundamental water concepts at a "Make a Splash" Water Festival on February 29th. With games, races and other interactive learning methods, the Leap Day event will allow participants to learn about water in a fun and hands-on way.
Middle and high school students from the Tekoa Charter School will participate in the half-day event, which will be held on the campus of Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston. Approximately 20 NBA Legends will join Project WET's water education experts to conduct five different learning stations. Station activities will cover water topics such as the water cycle, the role of water in health, international water issues and the need for cooperation in water management.
Based on the award-winning Project WET curriculum used nationwide, the Make a Splash Water Festival provides a solid educational framework for teachers and students to engage with the topic of water. While grounded in water science principles, the water festival also promotes a multidisciplinary and interactive approach to learning by incorporating social studies, geography, language arts, fine art and history. The event also fosters awareness of, and respect for, water resources, encouraging a personal, lifelong commitment of responsibility and positive community participation.