Dennis Nelson, President and CEO
dennis.nelson@projectwet.org
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Inside this Issue
I’ve been working on water education for more than 25 years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much worldwide, high-level interest in the topic of water as I do right now.
The United States Senate in September passed the Paul Simon Water for the World Act, a bill that sets the goal of reaching 100 million people around the world with sustainable access to clean water and sanitation. In July, the UN General Assembly declared water and sanitation to be a human right. And this month, Project WET staff will be taking part in a coalition of national organizations promoting the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene in Washington, D.C. Water, if you’ll pardon the phrase, is hot!
While the timing might be coincidental, the issues underlying the concerns are not. According to the UN, more than 880 million people do not have access to safe drinking water, while more than 2.6 billion lack access to basic sanitation—facts that lead to the water- and sanitation-related deaths of about 1.5 million children under the age of five each year. On the other end of the spectrum, the average U.S. family uses about 400 gallons of water each day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Since we believe strongly in the importance of water for all water users, we at Project WET seek to educate and empower people in all kinds of water situation to take action that improves not only the local situation but also the global outlook. In the United States, that could mean teaching New York middle school students about recycling—which empowers them to start a school-wide bottled water recycling program. In Africa or Latin America, it might mean that students who have learned about the importance of hand washing in preventing disease will go into the community to build hand washing stations or utilizing rainwater to supplement fresh water supplies.
We know that water education alone cannot solve the world’s water problems, but it can play a significant role. To that end, we are pleased to be sponsoring the first ever international conference focused on the role of water education in finding solutions. The Sustaining the Blue Planet: Global Water Education Conference will be held in September 2011 in beautiful Bozeman, Montana; we would like to invite each of you to attend. More information and registration forms will be available soon.
Even if you can’t make it to Bozeman, you can still be a part of Project WET’s mission of reaching children, parents, educators and communities around the world with water education. You can make a donation, follow us on Facebook , Twitter or LinkedIn, read (and contribute!) to our blog or just send us an email with your thoughts. We look forward to talking “hot water” with you.
With best regards,
Dennis
|
Dennis hasn’t only been writing letters to Project WET’s email subscribers. At the end of September he wrote a letter that was published in the online edition of the New York Times this week. Click here to read Dennis’ letter on the New York Times website!
|
Peter Grosshauser has been illustrating children’s booklets for the Project WET Foundation for years. Working from Flagstaff, Arizona; he never imagined that his artistic talent would someday take him halfway across the world. In August of this year, however, that’s exactly what happened...
...Please click here to read how Peter ended up in Africa and what he did while he was there!
|
Registration will soon be open for Sustaining the Blue Planet: Global Water Education Conference, scheduled for September 13-16, 2011 in Bozeman, Montana. We will be offering early-bird discounts, so keep an eye on your inbox for the official opening of registration. A call for presentation proposals will follow shortly thereafter. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please get in touch with the Project WET staff below:
For general information about the conference, please contact Linda Hveem. If you’re interested in being a vendor or exhibitor, contact Erin Vait. Members of the media or representatives of corporations can contact Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter.
|
Did you know that Project WET has a presence on all of the major social networking sites? You can “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, link up with us on LinkedIn and watch our videos on YouTube or Vimeo. We post new content often (but not annoyingly so!), focusing on water education, Project WET news, science, international development work and much more. The content alone is worth checking out, but starting soon there will be another reason to hook up with us on social media: discounts and free stuff!
We will be offering exclusive deals to anyone who connects with us on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn. All of the social networking sites are free and easy to join, if you’re not already a member. See you on the social network!
|
The Project WET blog contains news and information about all things water education. From posts highlighting Project WET’s work around the globe to information about how Project WET is used in the classroom, the Project WET blog offers timely, relevant information and is updated at least twice a week. Click below to read some recent posts.
Where in the World Is Project WET? Adapting curriculum in Colombia Project WET’s Latin America and the Caribbean Project Manager Julia Nelson is in Latin America as this goes to press. Read about what she’s doing and see photos from Quidbo, one of the wettest places on earth.
Free download of the “Sum of the Parts” activity: Project WET is featured in an international agricultural sustainability magazine and offers a free downloadable activity to celebrate.
Senate Passage of Water Act: The United States Senate sets the goal of reaching 100 million people with sustainable access to clean water and sanitation.
Partnership with The Traveling School: The Traveling School is a Montana-based study abroad organization for girls. Before leaving for Africa, several Traveling School participants were trained in Project WET’s water, sanitation and hygiene education methods.
You can subscribe to the Project WET blog on your favorite reader (see the RSS button on the left-hand column) and share posts on your favorite social networking sites. We are also always looking for quality guest bloggers to share their thoughts and experiences on water education. Please contact Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter if you have an idea for a blog post.
|
|
Click On a Name Below to Contact a Project WET Foundation Staff Member:
- Dennis Nelson, President and CEO
- John Etgen, Senior Vice President
- Meg Long, Chief Financial Officer
- Sandra DeYonge, Vice President of Publications
- Linda Hveem, Executive Assistant to the President and CEO
- Lindsay Lemon, Bookkeeper
- Dr. Laurina Lyle, Executive Director and National Network Coordinator, Project WET USA
- Theresa Schrum, Assistant to Project WET USA Executive Director
- Julia Nelson, Project Manager, Latin America
- Kristen Read, Publications Manager
- Verna Schaff, Accountant
- Erin Vait, Sales Manager
- Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter, Communication Specialist
- Morgan Perlson, International Projects Assistant
|
|
Contact the Project WET Foundation at:
+01-406-585-2236 | 1-866-337-5486 | www.projectwet.org | info@projectwet.org
|
