9 October 2020
Budding scientists, water champions, students and community members in the Goulburn Valley are being encouraged to log on and learn online as part of this year’s National Water Week Online Learning Festival.
In its 27th year at GVW, this year’s festival will explore the theme: ‘reimagining our water future’. Access to safe, clean water is important in the everyday lives of Victorians, and National Water Week aims to educate people about why it’s so important for all of us to help protect our water environments and resources, and use water wisely.
National Water Week runs from Monday, October 19 to Sunday, October 25 and students from across Goulburn Valley Water’s area have already been working on remote-learning activities this term in the lead up to the event – including a bauble-decorating competition as part of the Every Drop Counts campaign.
Goulburn Valley Water Education Officer Kristy Elrington said festival sessions were free and would feature a mix of live and on-demand events so people could tune in to activities when it suited them.
“While the circumstances are quite different from other years, it’s still important to raise awareness of the value of water and think about the way we all use water, particularly how we can all ensure there’s enough for the future in a warmer, drier climate,” Ms Elrington said.
“We have been working with water educators from across the state to develop a really interesting and unique online program and there’s an event there for everyone.
“We really encourage schools and people in our community to sign up for the online events and look at how we can be more sustainable with water in fun, interesting ways.”
GVW’s Wally the Water Scientist will assist Ms Elrington with a number of virtual science experiments designed to intrigue students’ minds and including making your own water cycle, or experimenting with how water moves and how it’s affected by different temperatures.
A highlight of the program is an online conversation with Olympic gold medallist and Indigenous athlete Nova Peris, hosted by Melbourne Water.
There are also online story time sessions about the water cycle, a performance about saving water from the Eaton Gorge Theatre Company, or join different water authorities for virtual tours of treatment plants, mindfulness activities and more.
Online activities are suited to a range of ages and include sessions on climate change and managing water resources, innovations in water management and why it’s important to only ever flush the 3Ps.
The event is a collaboration between Barwon Water, Central Highlands Water, Coliban Water, City West Water, East Gippsland Water, Gippsland Water, Goulburn Valley Water, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Melbourne Water, North Central Catchment Management Authority, North East Water, River Detectives, Wannon Water, Western Water, Westernport Water and the Australian Water Association.
For further information on festival resources, schedules and times, visit our National Water Week event page.
