California American Water Brings Conservation, Infrastructure and Sustanability Lessons to Local Schools

Sponsors innovative water education workshop to build school lesson plans to teach water sustainability

California American Water is giving a helping hand to teachers in the county by developing a curriculum for classroom use that focuses on conservation, water sustainability and infrastructure. The event will be hosted by the Carmel Unified School District at its Habitat Classroom-Green Building in Carmel Valley, beginning at 8 a.m. on Oct. 9th. Media interviews will be available at noon. Lunch will be served.

The program, sponsored by California American Water, looks to educate young people about local water resources and sustainability practices. The program seeks to accomplish this goal by integrating this information into school curriculum by teachers who write lesson plans that convey the science behind many of the current water issues. So far, the program has generated 14 lesson plans out of 25 projected, all of which are in compliance with state and federal educational standards including the recently issued Next Generation Science Standards.

“It’s a relatively new approach to get young people thinking about their local water supply and where it comes from,” said California American Water General Manager Eric Sabolsice. “So far, we’ve seen a great response from our local schools and hope to expand this program throughout this service district and other districts throughout the state. Our hope is that over time, as these kids become water customers, they will have an increased awareness and understanding of water conservation, supply and policy. ”

“The Water Education Today workshop is a great example of how private industry can work with our public schools to bring real life science to the classroom,” said Brandon Swift, Monterey County Office of Education STEM Coordinator.

California American Water enlisted a specialized consultant to develop the Water Education Today Program earlier this year and to create water-related lesson plans for use by middle school and high school science teachers in their classrooms. The lesson plans are written by teachers for teachers, ensuring their utility and effectiveness. All the plans employ inquiry and experimentation-based learning that fits well with newly issued Next Generation Science Standards and the state’s Common Core standards.

At Friday’s event, teachers will engage in a hands-on workshop, where they will experiment and create their own water-themed lesson plans and share them with other participants. They will also be provided a presentation on desalination technology, which is one of several water topics that are the subject of currently available lesson plans.

For more information, please feel free to visit the project’s website: http://watereducationtoday.com/

WHO:

        
        
        
        
        
        
          California American Water and the Carmel Unified School District
        
      
      
        
          

WHAT:

        
        
        
        
        
        
          Water Education Today Professional Development Workshop
        
      
      
        
          

WHEN:

        
        
        
        
        
        
          Friday, October 9
        
      
      
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
          8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Media Interviews at NOON)
        
      
      
        
          

WHERE:

        
        
        
        
        
        
          The Habitat Classroom, Carmel Valley Road, Carmel, CA 93923
        
      
      
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
           
        
      
    
    

Source list:

1. Brandon SwiftMonterey County Office of EducationSTEM [e-mail]831-784-4147
2. Luke GianniExternal Affairs – California American [e-mail]831-646-3252
3. Rebecca McKinney, MSEducator, Curriculum Designer, NGSS [e-mail]661-400-1105 mobile

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.

Founded in 1886, American Water Works Company is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in more than 47 states, and parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151005006776/en/

California American WaterLuke GianniOffice: 831-646-3252Mobile: [e-mail]