Engaging FL youth in water conservation

Celebrating Drinking Water Week isn’t just for the adults; in Florida, utilities engage local students in the fun.

Kids from kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to participate in an annual Drop Savers Water Conservation Poster Contest hosted by the Florida Section of American Water Works Association.

Utilities across the state coordinate with schools in their area to collect submissions in each division. Coordination sometimes includes an educational component — for example, a utility member will visit a classroom for a lesson on water conservation or a class might visit a local treatment plant to learn about water supplies.

“The poster competition allows us to introduce ideas of water conservation among kids as young as 5. We talk about things they can do in their daily lives — like shutting off the water while they brush their teeth — and they turn these ideas into fun, eye-catching posters,” said Kara Mills, program policy coordinator for the city of Boca Raton in southeast Florida, which received nearly 800 entries this year.

She brings posterboard to the schools to encourage participation. Some teachers use it as an activity during art class, and others use it as a science lesson. “It’s an engaging learning opportunity for students, so we’re happy to support however we can,” she said.

Utility personnel are invited to judge the posters, and finalists — who are advanced to the FSAWWA statewide contest — are recognized by the city council and have their picture taken with the mayor and city leaders.

“It’s a big deal for the kids to present their posters, and we look forward to it every year,” she said. The utility also laminates winning entries for distribution at public events, and includes them in its annual Consumer Confidence Report, delivered to 36,000 households.

How utilities recognize local finalists varies. In Manatee County in western Florida, for example, they wrap mobile lab vans in winner’s posters. “They’re in the community every day, so they have high visibility and exposure to our residents,” said Tina Moutoux, communications coordinator.

In the statewide FSAWWA contest, Section members vote on submissions from utilities across the state, and winners are announced each year during Drinking Water Week.

“The Florida Section has been hosting this competition for 39 years and its timing with Drinking Water Week is intentional,” said Kim Kowalski, executive director of the FSAWWA. “Every person plays a part in water conservation. The sooner we can engage the younger generation in making smart decisions about their water use, the better we all are for it.”

The top three winning entries receive gift cards, and all entries are compiled into a calendar that is disseminated to participants.

“The utilities love it, the teachers love it, the students love it. They look forward to it every year,” Kowalski said.

See this year’s winning posters on FSAWWA’s website.

Drinking Water Week takes place May 3-9. AWWA offers a free toolkit with graphics, sample social media posts, and outreach ideas for utilities and other members interested in engaging the community during the week.