The Healing Earth Introduction outlined four steps to help you move from preparation to action. These were:
- See a problem.
- Gather information and analyze the problem.
- Develop possible responses, imagine outcomes, and select an action.
- Perform the action and monitor results.
You may want to review what goes into each step. Below are ideas that invite you to see a problem, gather information,
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How clean is your local water? The organization Engineers without Borders asks this question and provides a method for you to answer it. Go to their “Clean Water Curriculum” and see how you, your teacher, and classmates can assess your local water.
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Do research on government laws and policies in your region relating to water purity and distribution. Visit a local or state government office and ask for information about laws and policies governing water filtering and use in your region. Write a letter of support to a government official if the policy attempts to protect water ecosystems or promotes water access. The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology provides a sample Congressional letter that can adapted for use with government officials anywhere in the world.
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The average water consumption of a North American is about 550 liters of water a day. Yet one in seven people in the world do not have safe access to even 1 liter of clean water a day. If you live in an area with easy access to water, take the 4Liter Challenge and come to a better understanding of the world water crisis. Learn about the 4Liter Challenge at the DigDeep website.
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Students at several high schools, colleges, and universities in the States have started campaigns to ban the sale of bottle water. Read about the problems of bottled water and see if a Ban the Bottle campaign is right for you.
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Not bottled water, but bottles are helping rural communities around the world disinfect water for safe drinking. See how students have been involved in solar water disinfection through SODIS technology and training around the world.
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Filipino student Illac Diaz brought light to many homes in the poorest neighborhood of Manila by using discarded plastic water bottles, water, and bleach. Read about the 1 Liter of Light Project.
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What began 12 years ago as a community project to clean a local stream in the Chesapeake Bay area of the United States has grown into a major cleanup campaign that aims to involve 7,500 volunteers picking up 425,000 lbs of trash in 2015. Go the the Project Clean Stream website and learn how to organize a stream cleanup.
Students are taking action around the world to address the water crisis. How can you take what you have learned about water and put it into action?
Used with permission
Source: https://4liters.org/