Workshop participants in São Mateus, Brazil, test river water for pollutants.

SEED works wonders with water

Life depends on water, perhaps more than on any other natural resource. Although many people take clean water for granted, most are not so fortunate. In recognition of this fact, SEED has concentrated on spreading the word that everyone can play a role in trying to ensure the cleanliness of the limited supply of fresh water we all share.

At a recent SEED workshop in Brazil, students and teachers used SEED water-testing kits to determine the quality of the local Rio Cricaré--one of the city's main water sources. While workshop participants wore protective gloves to obtain water samples in test tubes, other local residents stood in contrast, knee deep in the river to collect buckets-full for their baths and kitchens. SEED aims to raise awareness and inspire action so that people are better equipped to take responsibility for water quality and their respective health and safety.

In 2003, SEED launched “Water” as its first global theme and has since developed many activities focused on water quality and the dangers of pollution. The water quality test kit is one tool: a self-contained collection of tests that measure temperature, pH, concentrations of various compounds and bacteria levels that all play a part in water quality. 

Students, teachers and other visitors to the SEED Online Science Center can learn more about water and initiate experiments on their own through the SEED Water Project, which is available in 7 languages. Some favorite SEED experiments use ketchup and shampoo to help students learn about viscosity.

In 2006, SEED enhanced its coverage of the Water theme by partnering with storyteller Laura Simms to publish An Ocean of Stories, which explores folktales about water from around the world and invites visitors to participate in activities and create stories of their own to share.

Most recently, SEED published The Water Book, which features remarkable stories of SEED students around the world meeting 21st-century challenges related to water. It highlights SEED initiatives, provides useful information about water resources and offers workbook projects for home or classroom.  The Water Book is available to order in seven languages from SWPS.

SEED also presents first-hand accounts of student, teacher and volunteer experiences in our webzine, Voices.Visit the SEED web site to learn more about how SEED helps empower people to understand and improve the environment in which we live and to share our experiences for the common good.   

The Water Book is available from SWPS
(Part number: 07-SD-002*)in Arabic, Chinese,
English,French, Portuguese,Russian, and Spanish.

JOIN US AT THESE UPCOMING SEED EVENTS IN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS!
Facilitator Workshops Aug 20: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Coordinator: Doreah Din Sep 20-21: Rio, Brazil Coordinator: Alexandre Arcanjo Sep 22-23: Novosibirsk, Russia Coordinator: Svetlana Belova				Collaborative Workshops Aug 21- 25: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Coordinator: Doreah Din Sep 24-28: Rio, Brazil Coordinator: Alexandre Arcanjo Sep 24-28: Novosibirsk, Russia Coordinator: Svetlana Belova