ECOCAMP
WATER POLLUTION
WHAT IS WATER POLLUTION?
Water is not only polluted, but water is also scarce. Wasting water is as irresponsible as adding contaminants or pollutants to it
Did you know that we have the same amount of water on Earth today as there was when the dinosaurs roamed? That we have just less than one percent of the planet's water is available to meet the daily drinking water, sanitation and food needs of nearly 7 billion people and millions of other species.
EPA or the Environment Protection Agency suggests the following ways kids can save water
SAVING WATER
Turn off the Tap!
Just by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to 8 gallons of water! That adds up to more than 200 gallons a month, enough to fill a huge fish tank that holds 6 small sharks! The same is true when you wash dishes. Turn off the tap! Scrape your dirty dishes into the trash—then put them in the dishwasher.
Shower Power!
Taking a shower uses much less water than filling up a bathtub. A shower only uses 10 to 25 gallons, while a bath takes up to 70 gallons! If you do take a bath, be sure to plug the drain right away and adjust the temperature as you fill the tub. To save even more water, keep your shower under five minutes long—try timing yourself with a clock next time you hop in!
Fix That Leak!
Fixing a toilet leak is a great way to reduce household water use and boost water conservation. If your toilet has a leak, you could be wasting about 200 gallons of water every day. That would be like flushing your toilet more than 50 times for no reason! Try this experiment: ask your parents to help you test for leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak!
Beat the Heat!
Watering your yard first thing in the morning is a great first step to water-efficient landscaping. Avoid watering your yard in the middle of the day. Watering when it's hot and sunny is wasteful because most of the water evaporates before the plants have time to drink it. Also, when you're helping your parents water the yard, make sure not to water the plants too much—remember that a little sprinkle goes a long way!
Who Needs a Hose?
An easy way to save water is to use a bucket and sponge when washing cars and bikes. Washing your bike or car with a bucket and sponge instead of a hose saves a lot of water. A hose can waste 6 gallons per minute if you leave it running, but using a bucket and sponge only uses a few gallons! Also, some car washes recycle water instead of letting it run down the sewer drains. Ask your parents to check if a car wash near you recycles water.
VIDEO LESSONS
Let’s learn more about water in all its forms and how we can make a difference from this 2.29 mins national geographic video
https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/env-freshwater-whycare
Did you know that your T shirt has a major impact on the planet Producing it took 2,700 liters of water, plus it takes a lot of energy to get it from the cotton fields to your closet. But some of your t-shirt’s biggest impacts are in how you care for it. Find out how you can help reduce its effect on the environment by watching this 1.51 mins National Geographic video
https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/cotton-tshirts?source=relatedvideo
Water is scarce as it is. We are harming this scarce resource by dumping plastic into our oceans. As per UNEP (United Nations environment program), more than 8 million tonnes of plastic leaks into the ocean each year – equal to dumping a garbage truck of plastic every minute. By 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by weight.
Plastic pollution poses one of the biggest known threats to the ocean, influencing all ecosystems from beautiful coral reefs to abyssal trenches, eventually accumulating in our own food. Learn more about how to upend the current system of produce-use-discard, and transition to a system which promotes reuse and repurposing of plastics by watching this 3.10 mins video
https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/160916-society-plastic-pollution-our-ocean
Plastic is both a wonderful invention and a scourge on our planet. United Nations estimated that over 300 million tons of plastic will be produced just in one year. Most is never recycled and remains on our land and in our seas forever.
The UN Environment launched a major global #CleanSeas campaign to end marine litter. An unprecedented global campaign to eliminate major sources of marine litter: microplastics in cosmetics and the excessive, wasteful usage of single-use plastic by the year 2022.
Closer home, Middlesex Water has identified high levels of pathogens and medium levels of pesticides and VOCs that get into the water from the land. Teflon byproducts are also pre sent. Let us make our own individual pledges not to throw litter into rivers, lake or ocean or throw paints, oils and medicines down the drain. If each of us do not waste or pollute our water today, we can make a change. After all, little drops of water make an ocean.
KIDS CAN HELP
Kids from Hawaii came together to take action against ocean plastic. Here is the 4.12 mins National geographic short film on it
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS & ACTIVITIES
TESTING PH LEVELS OF WATER
Here is a 0.50 mins Metro Vancouver instructional video on why not to dispose medications down the drain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm2pTmWN-9Q
Litmus paper and pH strips test the alkalinity/acidity of water as you can see from the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up7Y9k0lzEs
Let's find out how the acidity of the water changes when medicines get into it
WATER PURIFICATION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5b52jZLlRA
This 3. 27 sec Gudex Boys video is our second science experiment for the day. It shows how water can be purified in a small amount and for some contaminants
However, it is a complicated expensive process as this New Jersey Amican water video shows us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuYB8nMFxQA
Hence we should make a pledge not to waste water, shouldn't we?
MEET THE EXPERT
Bernadette M. Sohler is
Vice president, Middlesex water company
Puja: Please tell us about yourself
Sohler: Thanks for the opportunity. I have worked in communications for Middlesex Water Company for over two decades. Middlesex Water provides water, wastewater and related utility services primarily in New Jersey and Delaware. We want to help people of all ages understand the value of a safe and plentiful drinking water supply and the importance of continued investment in water infrastructure.
Puja: How does Middlesex Water company help us get clean water in our homes?
Sohler: We do several things. Our Middlesex system in New Jersey produced over 14 BILLION gallons of water in 2017. This comes from our surface water supply, obtained from the Delaware and Raritan Canal and from wellfields. We monitor water quality at our treatment plant, at each wellfield and throughout our 700+ mile water distribution system to ensure that water delivered to customers meets federal and state drinking water standards. But we also invest in our water system to better serve current and future generations of water users. In fact our company recently announced a major infrastructure campaign “Water for Tomorrow®” to enhance safety, reliability and resiliency throughout our water system in New Jersey. We’ll be investing over $160 million throughout 2018 to enhance water pressures, reduce lost water, enhance our treatment process and strengthen our water delivery network. In 2017, under our RENEW program, we replaced pipes, valves and fire hydrants to enhance fire flows. To learn more about the quality of water we deliver, we encourage everyone to view our annual water quality report on our website at www.middlesexwater.com
Puja: What is water pollution?
Sohler: Water pollution occurs when things like particles, chemicals or substances are discharged directly or indirectly into bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans as well as groundwater. Some examples of water pollutants include human trash, chemicals dumped by industry and runoff of chemical fertilizers. Remember also, that what goes down the drain can eventually makes it way into water sources. When these things enter our source waters, we as a water company have to make sure these pollutants are removed in the water treatment process.
Puja: Do environmental awareness initiatives like EcoCamp help in promoting the responsible use of water ? how?
Sohler: They certainly do. Appreciation of natural resources starts at a young age and we need to channel that interest because today’s young environmentalists may be tomorrow’s biologists, scientists, public policy advocates and more. We are all for programs that help people understand the value of water because in general, people tend to take water for granted. They don’t really think about it until it’s discolored, not flowing out of the tap, or they see a broken pipe gushing gallons of water. But water is a life sustaining valuable natural resource. It ensures public health protection and sanitation, fire protection, quality of life and serves the framework for economic development. We speak with groups of all ages to help them be wise water consumers. We encourage kids to learn more about their environment and what they can do to protect and preserve our natural resources.
Puja: What are the five ways kids can help?
Sohler: There are lots of ways kids can help and get more educated about their water.
-Remember to drink water and stay hydrated, especially on hot days or if you play sports.
-Learn where your water comes from and who supplies your water. Read your utility’s annual water quality report.
-Get in the habit of using water wisely. Don’t leave water running unnecessarily.
-Report leaks. Tell your parents or guardians immediately about any water leaks that you see, e.g. sink faucets, showerheads, toilets, appliances, outside faucets or hoses.
-Learn where the master shut off valve is in your house so that you can access it in a water emergency.
-Remind your family members to dispose of hazardous materials safely according to your town’s guidelines. Things like paint, expired medication and chemicals should never go down the drain.
Puja: Thank you so much for your time!!!
DISCUSSION & SPEAKING: LET'S PRACTICE AND DEVELOP OUR ADVOCACY SKILLS
SAVE WATER
CLEAN SEAS & I
SAY NO TO DISPOSING CHEMICALS/ RX IN WATER
EARTH ART & RECYCLE CRAFTS
T-SHIRT TOTE BAGS
CLEAN OCEAN ART
RECYCLED TOILET PAPER ROLL OCTOPUS
GREEN GAMES & ECO-MOVIE
PASSING THE GREEN PARCEL
1) What percentage of the planet water is available for drinking?
2) Name one way you can save water
3) Can we throw medicines into the toilet or sink? Why not?
4)What is the full form of EPA?
5)How much water does it take to make on T-shirt?
6)Why is water purification necessary?
7)What happens when plastic pollutes our oceans?
8)What is the name of the UN effort to make our oceans clean?
9) What is the target year for cleaning oceans of plastic?
10)What did Middlesex water company find in our water?
PASSING THE GREEN PARCEL- ANSWERS
1) What percentage of the planet water is available for drinking?
One percent . The rest is salt water
2)Name one way you can save water
Turn off the faucet when you are brushing
3) Can we throw medicines into the toilet or sink? Why not?
No.
4)What is the full form of EPA?
Environment Protection Agency
5) How much water does it take to make on T-shirt?
2,700 liters of water
6) Why is water purification necessary?
So water is safe for human use
7) What happens when plastic pollutes our oceans?
Kills marine life
8) What is the name of the UN effort to make our oceans clean?
# Cleanseas
9) What is the target year for cleaning oceans of plastic?
2022
10) What did Middlesex water company find in our water?
Teflon, VOCs, Chemicals
MOVIE TIME
Watch the movie “Happy Feet”. The movie has a strong environmental message. Penguins are aquatic animals and the movie is all about their struggles.