I recently encountered Nancy Wells' wonderful post at the Water Ethics Network blog. The title relates to her recent Master's thesis from Lesley University:Water Ethics in Elementary Education.
The thesis is supposedly downloadable at the blog site but I was unable to do so. I obtained a copy for posting:
Download Water_Ethics_Elem_Educ_Thesis_NWells
She begins her post:
Two years ago I was working on my master’s degree, concentrating on water and its relation to sustainability. I was not quite sure of how to put my ideas together into a practical and meaningful application. As I was doing research for a paper on water privatization, I came across a small book by Robert William Sandford and Merrell-Ann S. Phare called Ethical Water: Learning to Value What Matters Most. This book, while small in size was big on content and became the basis for the rest of my academic career and the inspiration for my self-designed degree. All of my thinking about water seemed to suddenly find its focus.
Influenced by the Sandford-Phare book, she realized:
The issue with water went beyond the disproportionate amounts that people had access to and the shortages and lack of sanitation that were occurring around the world. The real problem seemed to be in how easily water was ignored by most people unless there was some issue relating to either its lack or abundance. It was not appreciated for its value in everything including not just health and sanitation, but manufacturing, transportation, energy, and literally every aspect of our lives. Without water there would be no life as we know it on earth.
So she changed the topic of her thesis and decided to focus on educating children as to the importance of water.
I ran across an abstract of a luncheon talk she gave at a recent meeting of the New England Water Works Association:
Expanding Water Awareness
When discussing the importance of water resource management, too often there is a separation between its demand and economic values, from its preservation within a sustainable infrastructure. In an ideal world these ideas or concepts would all be linked together as one functioning and healthy system. If this is not how the world views and deals with our water currently, how can this scenario be changed? This presentation takes a look at water ethics and how it is currently addressed. A growing population, environmental degradation, and a history of apathy show the need to bring water’s importance into our focus. One way to meet the need for water ethics education is to focus on our children while they are still accessible enough to value the natural environment, thereby inspiring an appreciation for water that can carry on throughout their lives. Water ethics education is first defined as an unmet need and the basis of this presentation. General education standards teach lessons on water in relation to science education only. However, water is an area that cannot be limited to one subject because it influences every area of our lives. It is therefore up to us to learn to reconnect with this element that gives and sustains our lives. This study is a window into what we must do to set the groundwork for educating our children today so that they can be better water stewards tomorrow, providing the framework for living in harmony with water in the future.
Wonderful idea - start early with the children! Now, to implement it.
I was struck by her allusion to the Sandford-Phare book. I read it two years ago and was duly impressed and inspired, although unlike Nancy, I seemed to have lost my way.
Much of the aforementioned reminded me of a recent discussion I had with a colleague. We both noted how we are getting bright, engaged students who want to change the world. So what do we do? We proceed to teach them the SOS that hasn't worked too well. I lamented that I was reading some fascinating books (e.g., David Groenfeldt's Water Ethics; Christiana Z. Peppard's Just Water: Theology, Ethics, and the Global Water Crisis) that promulgated different approaches but I wasn't introducing these concepts to my students.
I do wish I had read the post sooner than I did, because I was with Bob Sandford at the recent Canadian Water Network's Forum (#CWNForum). Although I had not met him before the meeting, I knew of his reputation and kept trying to recall my 'connection' to him. Unfortunately I could not remember the book and other things by him. Even Google didn't help! Duhhh.....
It's time for another read of Sandford and Phare, along with Nancy's thesis. Then it's time for action.
“Water is an essential element to the very existence of the ecosystem of the entire planet. As water is all around us, it is too easy to look through, instead of at it.” - Nancy Wells
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