MORE than 70 teachers and pupils from 30 schools attended the WESSA Water Explorer Workshop hosted by the Deutsche Schule Durban in Westville recently.
The aim of the workshop was to encourage more schools to take proactive measures around water conservation through action and learning and to enthuse schools that are already committed to the cause. “It was great that all ages could participate. I loved it as an adult, and my daughter also loved it at 9 years old,” commented Marlis Bezuidenhout from the Deustsche Schule Durban.
Practical sessions on the secret water in everything we use and eat, water wise gardening, how to make your own organic and water-friendly pesticides and fertilizers, building water filters and using macro-invertebrates to establish the quality of water were just some of the fascinating and feasible action projects for schools to take on.
As part of the workshops quest to be as water friendly as possible, the opportunity was taken to celebrate the UN International Year of Pulses by providing everyone with a pulsey lunch. Everything was either made from beans, lentils or chickpeas and fresh organic vegetable dips and homemade bread were on offer. The meal finished off with delectable gluten free chickpea brownies. “I never thought I could enjoy a meal as much as I have without meat. I will commit to eating less meat and animal products” added young Olwethu Mia,.”I never realised how huge the impact was and this food is delicious.”
“I walked away feeling very inspired and I’m looking forward to implementing some of the new ideas about water conservation through the Water Explorer,” said Rob Alyward of Chelsea Preparatory School. “I found the session on pulses fascinating – incredible to think about the water we eat, 1kg of lentils using 50 litres while 1 kg of beef uses 15 500 litres, which just goes to show we can do a lot of serious water saving through our food choices.”
Whether you are a small club or hoping to run a whole school project, the online Water Explorer programme can be adapted to best fit your learning objectives and the time that you have available. All of the challenges are fully resourced and student-led, and the programme requires very little planning.
Register for free at www.waterexplorer.org and make every drop count.
