WATER LITERACY
Our Water Literacy Principles serve as the foundation of helping to create a water literate world.
As part of the development of the first Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide, Project WET researched priority areas for water education. The results were distilled into a “conceptual framework” that guided the focus of the Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide. When Project WET updated the Guide1.0—as it has come to be called—and published the new Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0 in 2011, the “conceptual framework” was renamed as Water Literacy Principles.
Our Water Literacy Principles:
Water Connects All Earth Systems
a. Water is found in the atmosphere, on the surface, and underground.
b. The water cycle connects Earth systems, purifying and renewing water on Earth.
c. The Sun drives the water cycle through state changes and energy transfer.
d. Climate and water are inseparable—changes in water impact climate, and climate change impacts water resources.
Water Is Essential for All Life to Exist
a. All living organisms have water in them.
b. Life processes depend on water—from the cellular to ecosystem levels.
c. Both the quantity and quality of water contribute to sustainability of life on Earth.
Water Resources Are Managed
a. Multiple users of water resources creates diverse and sometimes conflicting demands, which require water resource management practices.
b. Management decisions involve distribution of water resources and protection of acceptable water quality and quantity.
c. Management of water quality is critical for the health of humans and ecosystems.
d. Individuals, communities, and industries have unique water footprints that impact water resources.
Water Resources Exist within Cultural Constructs
a. Cultures express connections to their unique water environments through art, music, language and customs.
b. Cultures around the world hold similar and contrasting views toward water.
c. Many indigenous cultures around the world recognize water as a living entity with a spirit.
Water Has Unique Physical and Chemical Characteristics
a. The nature of the water molecule, as two hydrogens and one oxygen, determines the physical properties of water and its behavior.
b. Water is the only naturally occurring substance on Earth that can be found in three physical states: solid, liquid, and gas.
c. The bipolar nature of water molecules results in the properties of cohesion and adhesion.
d. Water is the best solvent out of all liquids—it can dissolve more substances than others.
Water Is a Natural Resource
a. All life on Earth uses water.
b. The available freshwater supply on Earth is limited and must sustain multiple users.
c. Water is not distributed equally across the Earth—there are arid regions and wet regions.
Water Resources Exist within Social Constructs
a. Over time, societies develop water management systems and practices to meet the needs of diverse water users.
b. Political and economic systems affect equal access by all to water with geopolitical impacts.
c. Communities do not have equal access to water quantity or quality.
d. People’s values, attitudes, and beliefs about water are shaped by their experiences.
e. Individual and community water conservation efforts impact water availability on a local level.
PROJECT WET PUBLICATIONS
Project WET has been researching, writing and publishing
water education materials since 1984.