Water Quality & Conservation

Green Schools Challenge Activities:

STE(A)M Activity  - From the Everglades to the Bay

CREATE YOUR OWN - Submit Lesson Plan here   or utilize a previous lesson created by DIG from our Lesson Library.

Points for participation will be based on a rubric. Download here.

Water Quality & Conservation Activity Submission Form Click Here

What's the problem?

As you may or may not know, out of all of the water in the world, only about 2.5-3% of that water is freshwater, and only about 1% of that is actually usable. This 1%, located in rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers, is not just for us to drink, but for all of the animals, agriculture, and everything else which requires fresh water. Now more than ever, an extreme lack of clean freshwater across the globe is upon us. As the global population continues to grow exponentially, and as fresh water continues to be used unsustainably within agriculture, industry, and within our own homes, the strain on our limited freshwater supply has continued rising, leading to a global water crisis. 

Why should we care?

Here in South Florida, most of our freshwater comes from an underground aquifer known as the Biscayne Aquifer. This aquifer is close to the surface and recharged, or refilled, with rainwater. However, it lacks a protective layer above it due to its close proximity to the surface, and is prone to harmful contamination by pesticides, oil, gas, and other chemicals that all get released into our drinking water if the aquifer gets contaminated. Besides contamination, the recent rise in AI usage has become one of the main contributors to water scarcity, as the data centers that power AI use around 1-5 million gallons of water every day in order to cool the computer inside. For comparison, the average American home only uses around 30-36 thousand gallons of water in an entire year. Sea level rise also poses a significant threat to our water supply as both the Everglades and the Biscayne Aquifer are at risk of salt water intrusion, which makes the freshwater to saline for us to drink, requiring costly solutions in order to bring down the level of salt in the water along with detrimental effects to the two delicate ecosystems. 

What can we do?

If we work together, we can make a large impact in terms of reducing the water scarcity in South Florida. Start by practicing water saving habits within your home and workplace like turning off the faucet when you are not using it, install water saving fixtures, fixing leaks within your plumbing system, installing rain barrels at your home or work in order to capture rainwater for use, and practice water efficient landscaping at your home. Aside from physical actions you can do to save water, you should also be disposing of your chemicals such as oil based paints, pesticides, solvents, electronic items, propane tanks, etc. properly at chemical collection centers and not in the regular trash in order to make sure that they don't eventually end up in our water. You should also reduce your AI usage, reduce your usage and reliance on single use plastics, which heavily pollute water worldwide, support companies which conserve water or contribute to water conservation efforts, and support and advocate for water saving policies. However, the most important part of this is education. Make sure to educate yourself and your community on the aspects of water conservation, and make sure to try your best to advocate for water conservation tactics within your community.