Learn About the Water Around You: Use With Secondary-School Students

Lorena Mulero, Joaquim Pàmies, and M. Dolors Grau

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – EXPLORATORI dels recursos de la natura, Spain

Abstract: In this paper, we present the Manual on water quality and consumption. It is part of the Forest and sustainability project, which seeks to tie the Sustainable Development Goals to woodlands. Our work is based on a series of open-access websites belonging to the administration. They allow secondary school students to take a first-hand look at the state of the bodies of water in their area, and to evaluate their water footprint and the carbon footprint associated with their water consumption. During the 2019-2020 school year we ran a pilot test of the program with secondary-school teachers, which allowed us to develop a working method that is currently being used at 30 secondary schools in Catalonia. Using the results, we can compare both the state of the bodies of water in the areas studied and the water footprint of project participants. Our goal is to raise secondary-school students’ awareness of the need to conserve such a valuable resource, and to encourage them to save water by analysing how much is consumed in their own homes. To this end, students study their water bill and determine which hydrographic basin their home is located in. Next, they evaluate the general state and environmental status of the body of water selected. Finally, each participant calculates their water footprint based on habits.

Key words: water quality, water footprint, sustainability, secondary-school students