A group of local high-school students hopes to flood the town with water awareness as part of Canada Water Week.
Brandon Handfield, Shayna Harris, Olivia Carmichael and Reza Raheen of Paul Kane High School went to Kananaskis last week to take part in the Navigate 2012 water literacy youth summit. The conference, organized and funded by the charitable group Inside Education, gave 80 students and 40 teachers a chance to explore water issues in Alberta.
The Paul Kane team now hopes to hold a water literacy event at a local school to share what they have learned, says Harris. "I think water is one of the coolest things on the planet," she says. "Life can't exist without it."
Water wonders and woes
Canada Water Week runs from March 19 to 25, and lines up with World Water Day on March 22. Both events are meant to raise awareness about water and water conservation.
Teacher Candice Jwaszko says she and the Paul Kane students went to the conference to learn about how water will be a critical issue in the future. "I want youth to care about their home and their planet."
The average Canadian uses about 343 litres of water a day, according to Environment Canada, or about 2.5 times more than the average Israeli. St. Albert residents use about 266 litres a day, according to the city's Office of the Environment.
That's due in no small part to wasteful behaviours like weekly car washes, Harris says. Those actions not only waste treated water, but also load down our rivers with pollutants such as algae-growing phosphates.
Phosphorous runoff helped close Pigeon Lake this summer by creating huge algae blooms, Harris notes.
"We need to be conscious of what we're putting in the water."
The students also learned about 'virtual water,' which is the water needed to produce the goods we use. It takes about 70 litres of water to grow a single apple, Carmichael notes, and about 1,500 litres to produce a kilogram of beef. "If you look at a potato compared to a steak, the potato uses way less water."
The United Nations has called on all citizens to eat more sustainable, less water-intense diets as part of World Water Day.
Conservation action
The most worrisome trend in water is how people are ignoring its importance, Harris says.
"We're all told to take shorter showers and put in a low-flush toilet, but the amount of people who actually act on that is very little."
An Ipsos Reid poll released earlier this month supports Harris's concerns. About four in 10 Canadians admit to leaving the water running when they brush their teeth, according to the poll, and about a quarter leave it running while doing the dishes.
There are many simple steps that can be taken to save water, the students found. Planting native vegetation can reduce the amount of water needed for lawns, for example, while a drop of food colouring can help detect a leaky toilet. Toilet leaks can waste about 400 litres a day, according to the City of St. Albert.
The Paul Kane team is still planning its water day event, Harris says, but plans to use it to teach students about water testing, wetlands and riparian vegetation.
Harris encouraged residents to come out to events like this year's River Edge Enhancement Project planting to plant trees along the Sturgeon River, which would help reduce floods and droughts in the region.
She's considering a timer for her shower to save water. "I know I spend way too long in the shower."
