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25 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com On a daily basis, we all drink glasses of water, clean our hands, take showers and baths, wash our clothes, water our gardens and use water in dozens of other ways. Most people, however, don't think about where our water comes from or how it arrived. Both plants and people need water to survive, and learning about the significant role water plays in our society presents a tremendous learning opportunity for our children. The water system is complex, and education about our most precious commodity must start at an early age in order to create lifelong stewards of our water resources. Aquarion has been deeply committed to applying its resources for the betterment of our communities through a diverse mix of educational and community programs. They work in many areas throughout the South Shore to teach children about the importance of our water system and to give them an understanding of their local water resources. For more than 10 years, Aquarion has proudly partnered with the North and South Rivers Watershed Association to bring education programs to life for fifth graders and, more recently, with Holly Hill Farm for second graders in Cohasset, Hingham and Hull. "It's critical to teach our children about the importance of the earth's water cycle and our local water systems from rain drop to the faucet," said Ronit Goldstein of Aquarion Water Company. "We are dedicated to supporting local education programs across our local communities in order to create future advocates for our water resources." Through a partnership with Friends of Holly Hill Farm, second- grade students in Hingham and Hull learn about the role soil plays in providing food for our plants, with an emphasis on the importance of compost and water in the process. Students get hands-on experience learning how to plant spinach seeds, including visiting their school's rain barrel, donated by Aquarion, where students gather water in order to water their newly planted seeds. About six weeks later, the students revisit their school garden to marvel at the progress of the seeds they planted and get to eat their own spinach. Not only is this lesson a great opportunity for learning about science and agriculture, but also math, as students carefully keep track of the number of gallons of water they use in order to grow their spinach and more. "We are very grateful and excited about our partnership with Aquarion Water Company," said Jon Belber, Friends of Holly Hill Farm Director. "This funding allows us to teach second-graders important hands-on science lessons in the garden through "Edible Botany" lessons that the students not only enjoy, but also learn valuable information about the impacts of water on our food system and the importance of conserving it." As with many educational efforts, the Friends of Holly Hill Farm and Aquarion Water Company hope that if we teach this important lesson to children, they will enthusiastically take that knowledge home and teach their parents and community members. Aquarion is also a proud supporter of the "Water All Around Us" program, created by Greenscapes and the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, to provide fifth graders with engaging water curriculum about their local water resources. The program is a three-part program that begins with an in-class lesson that is customized for each town to be specific about their particular water resources. The presentation is followed by a rousing game of "Watershed Jeopardy," so the students can showcase all that they have learned. The second part of the program is called "Water Day," where students have the opportunity to visit a variety of hands-on water stations that are tailored to their community. Then, students are taken via bus to see their local water resource first-hand and take an educational tour. The final component of the program is a stewardship activity, where students are asked to work with their parents to assess the water usage in their own home. Students are provided worksheets to do a home water-use analysis by looking for leaks, determining if their toilets and faucets are as efficient as possible, assessing ways they can conserve water as they do ordinary tasks and, most importantly, confronting the biggest water consumer of all—their lawns—to come up with a strategy to reduce water usage at home. "There have been concerns that the next generation does not fully understand where our water comes from, where it goes, the importance of conservation and how pollution impacts our water resources," said Sam Woods of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association. "We share those concerns and it is a joy to partner with companies like Aquarion in order to bring this education program to our fifth-grade students and witness them learn and become teachers in their own communities about our water systems." The goal of the "Water All Around Us" program is to teach children to appreciate the complexity of getting potable water into their homes; to understand that water supplies are limited and easily degraded; and finally, to advocate throughout their lives for plentiful, safe and clean water in a healthy watershed. Protecting and preserving our local water resources starts with education at an early age. Aquarion is proud to support these local water education programs that help create young advocates who understand the importance of our local water system in their youth and carry those learnings through adulthood. by Hilary Jenison Aquarion Water Company, 900 Main Street, Hingham www.aquarionwater.com • 1.800.732.9678