TakingITGlobal

Education on Water Sustainability "To instill a deeper sense of appreciation and respect and environmental sustainability in our society, that begins with education. " - Branda Le, NWT "Canadians use water without a thought, but to have a sustainable planet means everyone would have to be aware of their impact on the environment and prevent people from using water excessively." - Hannah O'Neil In our survey of Canadian youth, 84.3% said that Canadians need to learn more about water-related issues and potential future water concerns. What is taught, how it is taught, and how we apply it is vitally important to creating change. Right now, youth education on water sustainability is poor because youth lack a true connection to knowledge about water and its importance in our daily lives. We must fix this to sustain the health and availability of this precious resource. To ensure that positive change is made, educational curricula must be modified to teach youth about sustainability. They are the ones who will take what they learn and use it to affect the future and future generations. Current teachings need to be changed because they do not allow students to develop the necessary drive to commit to and lead a sustainable lifestyle. Curriculum should include information on issues surrounding water sustainability and water insecurity so that students can gain an understanding early on about water issues that affect them. Examples of this could be the health of their local water sources table, what factors affect their water security, and information on communities that do not have access to clean water, such as some Indigenous communities. As students become informed they would be taught sustainable practices and what types of actions they could take in their own communities, developing the idea of taking lessons outside of the classroom and applying them in their lives. Throughout all of this, educators should support environmental appreciation through hands-on experiences to maintain students' sense of responsibility for the environment and natural resources. Experiential Education Experiential education allows students to gain more of a sense of purpose and connection to their learning and what they are doing, enabling them to be more passionate, especially if they start learning at a young age. Learning about water issues at a youthful age in fun, interactive ways allows one to establish a deeper, fundamental appreciation for nature and water sustainability and engages students further, making it easier for them to recall what they have learned. Classroom work in which you are actually looking at what you're learning about can be incredibly interesting and engaging to students at a young age, inspiring them to grow into environmentally- conscious

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