When White Bear Lake’s water level started falling, the White Bear Lake, Mahtomedi and Birchwood communities decided something needed to be done. They came up with the Race 2 Reduce initiative, which educates citizens on their water consumption and how to reduce it.
At Matoska International IB World School, the fifth-graders have incorporated the initiative into their curriculum. The students learned about water cycles, and what exactly an aquifer is, since White Bear Lake sits on an aquifer. Along with this lesson, “we got to make model aquifers to see what happens when it was drained of water,” says student Cordell Steiner, 11.
Another large point of the initiative was brought home in the form of water journals and shower timers to track water usage. “This was a great way for the students to be able to share this information with their families,” says fifth-grade teacher Julie Stonehouse. The journals helped students conserve water. “I now put the water I don’t drink in my dog’s water. That way I don’t waste too much,” says Daisy Vanderwood, 11, talking about how she was doing “the little things” to help conserve water.
