We all need water—to drink, to grow and to play. So when the students at the Neighborhood Art House discovered that 1/6 (1.6 billion) of the people on Earth do not have access to clean drinking water, they grew concerned. Worse, experts predict this number to increase to 2.3 billion by 2025. As future leaders, this Earth Force group decided to confront this water crisis head on.
Students first discussed the water cycle and the natural recycling of water. The problem is not that we are running out of water—after all, we are drinking the same water the dinosaurs drank millions of years ago—but that the water available is being diverted or contaminated. Students looked closely at their own water practices and created a list of things they could do to conserve water. Some of these include:
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth
- Cut the grass higher to reduce evaporation
- Use a bucket, not a hose, when washing your car
In addition to conserving water for personal use, students discussed industrial uses of water. Did you know that it takes 2,700 gallons of water to make one pair of blue jeans? From growing the cotton to washing the jeans of its patented blue dies, the production of this classic attire is a huge water hog. The youth suggest we reuse blue jeans when possible by passing our old jeans to relatives or shopping at the local thrift store rather than buying new.
To share the information they learned, the group designed a brochure and distributed it to the local neighborhood. By educating their friends and neighbors the Earth Force group hopes to change the water habits of their community.