Action Guides

Now is your chance to take action! Download the action guides below to start your service-learning project today.

What's On Your Fork

What's on your fork? You may have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” But did you ever stop to consider the ways in which the world is what we eat? Food and water are inextricably connected, and common daily food choices may impact water in ways that surprise you. In fact, of all of the choices we can make on a daily basis, our choices concerning food have considerable importance and significantly impact our environment. Thinking carefully about what we eat allows us to make daily, substantial contributions to our entire society. Learn more as you implement a MEATLESS MONDAY campaign to provide the option for eating plant-based foods one day a week at school, at home, and throughout your the community. Go ahead—take a bite!

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Know Your Flow

Know Your Flow - Everything about you and your daily life requires water, from the clothes you wear, to the food you eat, to how you're powered. Get to know your flow by conducting a water efficiency audit at your school, and discover how you can Reduce, Recycle and Re-think your water use with the help of this Action Guide.

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Down the Drain

Down the Drain - Did you realize that everything you send down the drain—including things that you wash off your body or that first pass through your body—can end up back in local waterways, the ocean, and even the water supply? Use the tools in this Action Guide to investigate what is going down your drain, and to develop and implement a plan to defend your drain (and others) from toxins.

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Out the Spout

Out the Spout - Drinking where you live, even on the go, is an important way to protect water resources in parts of the world where they are threatened, and to protect yourself from potentially harmful chemicals. Worried that there might be more coming out of your spout than water? Bottled water is not the answer. Use this Action Guide to learn why filtered tap water is always best, and how you can become part of the Anti-Bottle movement that is helping people kick their plastic water bottle habit while raising money for water projects in your own backyard.

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You Have The Power

Want to help curb the use of fossil fuels and the process of ocean acidification? Saving energy is an answer. This Action Guide will walk you through the process of conducting an energy audit and then creating, implementing and documenting an energy conservation plan. Get started right away, because when it comes to saving energy at school or at home, you have the power!

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CleanUp

Our everyday actions add up. A plastic bag left behind after a picnic, plastic bottles strewn on the beach. Trash and litter accumulates in places that cause BIG problems for all of us by affecting our waters. We all know, “If you make a mess, clean it up.” The Water Planet Challenge: CleanUP is asking you to do just that. Help clean up our collective mess that ultimately affects our oceans and waterways. This guide describes the steps to take that makes a CleanUP lively, impactful, and more fun than you can imagine!

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Citizen Journalists

Who can be a Citizen Journalist? YOU! In every community there is a story that needs to be told—especially about how we continue to impact our environment. Is there a river that has become a dumping ground? Are single use water bottles still the norm? Does a beach or other waterfront area need more trash containers? Is a park overrun with litter? Be the eyes and ears and voice of your community. Tell your story! Find out how in this action-packed action guide.

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Comments

HAFSA ALI: I WANT TO LEARN MATHS FROM BIGNING; December 13, 2011, 8:04 AM

HAFSA ALI: SOMETHING ABOUT MATHS; December 13, 2011, 8:03 AM

Alex Wenzel: As our school tries to be more eco-friendly, we used the action plans and lesson plans from Water Planet Challenge during a staff development in-service. We used the ideas as a launching point to talk about authentic learning for students in a way that can benefit the planet. The ideas presented stimulated discussion about where and how to incorporate these types of student-led initiatives across the curriculum. As a result, teachers came away with valuable resources and the school came away with a vision for our role in environmental education.; October 31, 2011, 1:32 PM

Milly Chau: I myself join some volunteer work in my community such as cleaning up the river, picking the litter, cans, plastic bags on the bank. I usually help my neighbors or my students understand how to use economy water and we write on the poster " Water is the most precious thing in our life"you know My hometown is near Mekong river, so I don't like more and more factories ; specially fishing manufature built next to Mekong river. I don't think our goverment should give a permission to these companies.; June 22, 2011, 9:24 AM

Milly Chau: Hi,I'm a teacher.I'm Vietnamese. I'm interested in preserving our water resource. I myself like to join some; June 22, 2011, 9:08 AM

monty rabea: pl ars; June 13, 2011, 6:45 PM

@Joli Brock

Joli,

Thank you for working on these important issues with such young students and for taking the time to share your efforts with others via your wikkis! I especially enjoyed the video of your students on www.cuturpaperfootprint.wikispaces.com. If you do end up adapting one or more of the Action Guides for use with your students, we would love to hear more about it. You can contact Kyra Kristof at kyra@earthecho.org. Thank you and keep up the great work!

May 16, 2011, 12:39 PM

@Kerri Poniatowski

Kerri,

If you and your students are interested, we would love to find a way to share their presentations and/or persuasive speeches with other students and educators. Please contact Kyra Kristof at kyra@earthecho.org if you would like to discuss this? Keep up the great work!

May 16, 2011, 12:30 PM

@Susan (EarthEcho International)

Susan,

I would love to learn more about your broadcasting program and to find out if there might be some additional resources we could offer your students via our STREAM (STudents Reporting Environmental Action through Media) program. If you like,

please contact Kyra Kristof at kyra@earthecho.org. In the meantime, I would like to recommend the Citizen Journalists Action Guide that can be downloaded above. Thank you to you and your students for using this platform to share important information about water. All the best!

May 16, 2011, 12:28 PM

@Brian Davis (EarthEcho International)

Brian,

It's really interesting (and wonderful!) to hear that you used Out the Spout in a U.S. Government lesson. I would love to learn more about this. If you would be willing to share more, please contact Kyra Kristof at kyra@earthecho.org. Thank you!

May 16, 2011, 12:24 PM

@Kate Stevens (EarthEcho International)

Kate,

It's great to hear that your students identified bottled water as a local environmental problem, and thrilling to hear that you will be doing something about it. The Anti-Bottle effort is so important and such a great lens for discovering how petroleum products affect water at all stages in their life cycle. Thank you for bringing such important conversations into your classroom and best of luck with your efforts! We would love to hear about them as they unfold. Please consider reporting about your work on STREAM: http://streams.ning.com

May 16, 2011, 12:21 PM

@Luci West

Luci,

Thank you for your enthusiasm for the Action Guides. It would be fantastic if you could keep us posted on your class' efforts. Thank you for your commitment to a healthy water planet!

May 16, 2011, 12:16 PM

@Liza Young (EarthEcho International)

Liza,

Your plastic bag reduction project sounds amazing! How fantastic that students were deeply involved in so much research, action, and a creative way to share what they had learned. Is there any video or a script of the final skits available somewhere for others to see? I hope you will consider sharing more about this fantastic effort at the STREAM site: http://streams.ning.com. Thank you!

May 16, 2011, 12:14 PM

@Danielle Ellerd (EarthEcho International)

Danielle,

It's great to hear that your students were so involved in picking the Action Guide they wanted to work from. It would be fantastic if you could share some of the additional questions they generated with us- we would love to know what else they were interested in know. have a wonderful time at the water festival!

May 16, 2011, 12:09 PM

@Carmen Johnston (EarthEcho International)

Carmen,

So glad you liked the lessons. If you have a moment to let us know what materials you used with your students and how it went, we would really appreciate it. Thanks!

May 16, 2011, 12:07 PM

@Jeannie Kearb (EarthEcho International): Thank you so much for trying our materials. We would love to know what lesson(s) or action guide you used and how it went. Thanks!; May 16, 2011, 12:06 PM

Joli Brock

This is wonderful!! My class of 2nd graders has been focused on using our curriculum to affect change in this world! You can see our efforts so far at www.iluvearth.wikispaces.com and www.cuturpaperfootprint.wikispaces.com

We are excited to take on some of these challenges also!

Thank you!

April 29, 2011, 8:43 AM

Kerri Poniatowski: My students used this guide along with doing research on how much water they use in a day, in a week, in a month, in a year. We also used the other guides about realizing what goes down your drain and into your water supply. We discussed the water cycle and how these pollutants change our world, our lives, and the lives of plants , animals , and future generations. The studets are in groups creating a power point as to their water usage, how to aviod pollutings out environment, also including a persuavie speech as to why you should monitoring your water usage.; April 27, 2011, 1:30 PM

Susan: My broadcasting crew read, "Are You Up to the Challenge: Be Efficient - Every Drop Does Count" A message from Philippe Cousteau and has decided to take up the challenge in our school. The crew has already discussed resources, skills and talents and feel we can use our daily broadcast, to the students of the school and our viewers online, to make them aware of our water usage issues and what we can do to make sure we are not careless. Our first broadcast will be tomorrow morning. We are excited to begin.; April 27, 2011, 12:31 PM

Brian Davis: I incorporated the "Out the Spout" resources in my U.S. Government lesson today, to illustrate steps that citizens can take to enact social change. My students were unaware of many of these facts about our water supply, and they were very motivated to contact their representatives to improve policy.; April 27, 2011, 9:22 AM

Kate Stevens: I am amazed. On Earth Day, my class did a brainstorming session about the problems that exist within our local environment, solutions that already exist, and solutions that we could generate to help educate our community. The main problems they listed within our school and community were 1. everyone drives even though we live in a very small town; 2. we use too much paper at school taking notes, printing assignments and weekly notes, etc; and 3. WE DRINK BOTTLED WATER. I was thrilled when I recieved the email from Discovery and came to this site to check out the lesson plans. Lo and Behold, I found Know Your Flow, and we will be implementing this in order to design a plan to help our school and community in general be more efficient with the use of our water and other natural resources. Thank you so much for not only providing educational resources, but also for encouraging all people to respect and preserve our Earth!; April 27, 2011, 7:22 AM

Luci West

Love...Love...Love these guides. We have been looking at and changing the way we think about water all year. We have looked at the hydraulic video and loved the comparison of energy to the coal and oil. That was our starting point. Then we read through several of the guides. I really like the way you have the information and directions for the action guides are set up. Based on our learning of water so far this year and the steps we have implemented to have cleaner water and use less, we are now putting into effect the following guides: Down the Drain, Out the Spout, and Clean Up. These guides will give us more information and extra ideas to improve our world and our water.

Again....I LOVE IT.

April 26, 2011, 10:17 PM

Liza Young: I just finished doing a student action project reducing the number of plastic bags that my students were using with their families. Students researched reusable bags, plastic bag manfacturing, paper bag manfacturing, the great pacific garbage patch, and other 4R topics. They had already participated in neighborhood and costal clean-ups, a 4R's science camp, and the Save the Bay program. Students then wrote skits and performed them for other classes in the school. They also gave every student that they performed for a donated reusable bag so that those students could take action. The "You Have the Power" action guide follows these lesson perfectly. All of these projects help students to be more aware and empowers them to be the change that they want to see in the world.; April 26, 2011, 8:30 PM

Danielle Ellerd: I showed each of the ideas to my students and through careful consideration, we determined we would best be able to do "Down the Drain". Students were really excited and had the opportunity to create more questions they would like to answer. We are also going on a field trip to a Water Festival where they will gain more hands on experience and knowledge from the exposure! Thank You! Such a great activity to stimulate them and have them thinking about our world!; April 26, 2011, 4:59 PM

Carmen Johnston: I used it for Earth Day! Great Lessons!; April 26, 2011, 4:34 PM

jeannie kearb: I used the water challenge today, I wanted to be the first to try the lessons. They were great . The students loved them .; April 26, 2011, 4:11 PM

Aayush Gupta: Hi, I am a HS student (Junior) at the American Int. School in Budapest. Last year I became involved with climate change issues. I created a complex document that took into account important school activities (such as gas consumption, electricity consumption, travel, etc) and calculated the carbon footprint of our school in a very thorough manner. My research yielded that our plastic consumption contributed to a large part of our footprint. Therefore, this year I decided that I would try to start a campain at school aiming to ban all plastic bottles. I recently saw your interview on CNN about the 'Ocean of Plastic' and am very interested in your organization. It would be nice to hear about what you think about my idea and how else I can contribute and if you have tips. And it would also be an honor if a representative from your organization could come by and visit our school if you are in Europe. We are located in Budapest, Hungary. As a school we are eagerly involved in many activities with international organizations whom we often visit, help with donations, and collaborate on projects with. I am looking forward to your reply. thanks!! Aayush Gupta; October 28, 2010, 2:54 PM

Related Resources

For more information on how to get involved, check out these publications:

Going Blue: A Teen Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, & Wetlands

by Cathryn Berger Kaye with Philippe Cousteau and EarthEcho International (Free Spirit Publishing, July 2010)
Packed with vital information, practical strategies, useful tips, and inspiring examples of real-life teens in action around the globe, this book empowers youth to identify water-related needs in their own communities and make real, positive change.

The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum & Social Action, Second Edition

by Cathryn Berger Kaye (Free Spirit Publishing, March 2010)
Known as the “service learning bible,” this is an indispensable guide for anyone who cares about service-learning: teachers who teach it, officials who mandate it, youth leaders who facilitate it, and youth who practice it.

For more information related to the CleanUP Action Guide, visit these websites:

Water Planet Challenge: CleanUP Debris Collection Data Card
Upload information you collected on your CleanUP Debris Collection Data Card. This is important, so don’t forget!

Ocean Conservancy
Learn about the Ocean Conservancy’s programs, including the annual International Coastal Cleanup. Be sure to sign up to clean up during next year’s event!

SaveMyOceans.com
Created by Participant Media in conjunction with Disneynature and Pathé and the feature film Oceans, this hub of information is designed to inform, inspire, and compel change. Here you can learn about the threats to our oceans, what you can do to protect them, and how to enlist friends and family.

NOAA Marine Debris Program
This program serves as the centralized marine debris hub within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a division of the U.S. government.

For more information related to the Service-Learning Guide for Citizen Journalists, visit these websites:

CNN Student News
CNN Student News is a ten-minute, commercial-free, daily news program for middle and high school students produced by the journalists and educators at CNN. On their website, you'll find a wealth of teacher materials, including Daily Transcripts for each show, Daily Discussion questions, the Media Literacy Question of the Day, in-depth Learning Activities, downloadable Maps and additional support materials to help students understand the news.

CNN iReport
Take part in the news with CNN. Your voice, together with other iReporters, helps shape how and what CNN covers every day.

J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism
A center of the American University School of Communication, J-Lab helps journalists and citizens use digital technologies to develop new ways for people to participate in public life with projects on innovations in journalism, citizen media, interactive stories, entrepreneurship, research, training, and publications.

Y-Press
Continue to develop your leadership, civic engagement, and critical thinking skills through journalism by visiting Y-Press, an organization that is dedicated to reporting stories important to young people.

Action Guides

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