Our surface water is becoming increasingly polluted by litter, which makes it ever more difficult to provide clean drinking water from the tap. It is not only litter, but also our behaviour at home that affects water in the natural environment. In addition, climate change is causing extreme weather events, such as heavy rain and drought, which lead to flooding and damage. The Water Race encourages children, their families and local residents to use water more wisely and consciously. The race kicked off with an interactive guest lesson, in which children learnt about water quality, extreme weather events and water usage, amongst other things.
Following the guest lessons, the race got underway and, for four weeks, the pupils competed to raise awareness of water issues in their local area. At the same time, the children campaigned in their neighbourhood to actively involve local residents in the Water Race. By working together to clear rubbish from a river or ditch, lifting paving slabs or even installing a green roof, they are helping to create a clean water network in the Netherlands whilst also raising their own awareness of their water usage.
The results are impressive. Together, the participating schools have:
- 214 water-saving measures carried out;
- 139 square metres of tiles laid;
- 148 instances of litter cleared up;
- Water quality was measured 197 times;
- 99 water contracts concluded;
- 3 inspiring videos have been made.
The participating schools: Het Web, De Wegwijzer, De Diamant Beemte, De Schakel (Matenhoeve), Eben Haëzer, Sprengenpark, De Fakkel, Koningin Emma, Sebastiaan and Prins Willem Alexanderschool. The municipality of Apeldoorn is proud of the commitment shown by all the pupils and teachers. Through their actions, they have helped to make Apeldoorn a more environmentally conscious, greener and cleaner place.
*The Water Race Apeldoorn is an initiative organised in collaboration with Apeldoorn City Council, Life-IP, Fawaka Entrepreneurship School and Race Against Waste.
