Drinking Water Week just ended- it was May 2 – 8, but you can still take part in the spirit of the week with their resources and activities, especially if you have children. Drinking Water Week is an annual awareness project of the American Water Works Association that encourages everyone to get to know their tap water- whether it’s the kind that smells so bad you go to the store for bottled water, or its so good that it gets bottled like Tap’d NY.
“Drinking Water Week is an opportunity for North Americans to think about what water means to each of us. A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, supports business and investment, and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression.” — AWWA President Craig Woolard
The AWWA was founded by 22 Midwestern water executives in 1881 who wanted to share best practices; these days, it’s an international nonprofit scientific and educational society dedicated to the improvement of drinking water quality and supply.
They host an industry-focused AWWA website, they host DrinkTap.org, a website dedicated to consumer and youth education. If you want to teach your kids, family or community about safe tap water, they have all kinds of resources- from brochures to interactive activities.
And while you may have missed the “official” week, there is still time to enter their YouTube video contest. They are asking for creative video highlights of Drinking Water Week, and the winner gets $1000 from the AWWA bookstore. Awesome. To enter, post your video to YouTube and email a link to dmueller@awwa.org. The deadline to enter is May 30, 2010.
Related posts:
- Proctor and Gamble's 2 Billion Liters of Safe Drinking Water
- Tap Project: One Dollar Provides a Child with Safe Drinking Water for 40 Days
- Safe Drinking Water: One Family, One Country at a Time
- Renewable Energy Used to Make Drinking Water From Air Humidity
- Contaminated Drinking Water Continues to Flow Through Urban American Waterways
This year, EPA Headquarters and our Regional Office in New York are preparing to attend the New York Children’s Festival on May 18, 2010. Over 1900 4th grade students from area schools will learn about drinking water protection through a hands-on classroom lesson, The Incredible Edible Aquifer. Each child attending will have an opportunity to make their own aquifer, learning that what happens above ground can affect the drinking water below in a fun and delicious activity. Additional classroom materials will be provided to each teacher participating at this one day event in Hudson, New York.