Student Contributor -M. Shuler
The mission of Groundwater Foundation is to connect businesses and communities, making everyone an active participant in ensuring clean and sustainable groundwater. They believe every person will benefit from ample amounts of clean groundwater. Their goal is to engage whole communities in education, action, and innovation of protecting groundwater.
Groundwater Foundation implements many programs and projects for groups in communities, including youth, to learn about groundwater and how to protect it. Some programs they offer include Science Olympiad events, Groundwater Guardian Green Sites, and a groundwater blog. During Science Olympiad events, the foundation helps to set up science investigations for students with the Science Olympiad Organization that focus on groundwater. The Groundwater Green Sites Program helps golf courses, parks, college campuses, and other green spaces to implement groundwater-friendly practices. Groundwater Foundation also offers many technological ways to keep track of groundwater conservation such as the 30by30 app. This app tracks water usage educates on how to save water and shows monthly water usage.
There are also many ways to partner with the foundation to bring groundwater education and action into the classroom. On their website, they have an activities library which contains many teacher resources and activities for students. One of these activities is the Awesome Aquifer. This is a hands-on kit that educates students on the geology and processes of aquifers. Additionally, they provide many lessons to do with students. One lesson is The Story of Franny the Fish. This lesson for kindergarten through sixth grade walks students through the story of a fish named Franny and her journey through polluted waters. It teaches kids the effects that pollution can have on wildlife. Groundwater Foundation also provides teachers with an abundance of service activity ideas to do in their own community. Some of the ideas include talking to the school and principal about becoming a Groundwater Guardian Green Site, hosting a household hazardous waste collection day in the community, or joining a surface water monitoring club as a class to test and track water quality in lakes, streams, or rivers in the area.
