The Ripple Effect | Handbook

The Ripple Effect There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you!

Let’s play a game. An on-going game. One that will last a long time and test your water-saving abilities. With each task you complete, you will be awarded a “point”. There are easy tasks and some that are quite difficult. The harder the task you complete, the more points you receive.

The time to act is now! Defeat the Water Wasters by saving water and win some cool prizes and glory in the process.

Points Well that’s great, I’ve got all these “points” but what can I do with them? Points are used to defeat the Water Wasters on your quest to save water. Each time you defeat a monster, you gain a level, and win a cool prize. The object of the game is to defeat all four of the Water Wasters and complete the Water Warrior Checklist.

Ask your teacher to explain all of the awesome prizes up for grabs.

Are you ready?

Begin your adventure by customizing your own warrior on the next page. Don’t like what you see? That’s okay. Make your own unique warrior instead! With the remaining characters, build the rest of your army. They can be your friends, or completely made up. Just remember to have fun.

The Checklist Are you ready Water Warrior?

Try your best to complete the checklist and defeat each of the Water Wasters.

Completing the checklist will take a lot of time and dedication, but as a Water Warrior, it is up to you to make your mark.

Whenever you successfully complete a mission from the checklist, place a big in the box it sits beside. At the end of each week, have your parent or guardian look over your list to make sure there aren’t any missions you may have missed.

Practice Makes Perfect The best warriors don’t quit after the first battle, so neither should you. Try to complete each mission as many times as you can. Each time you complete a mission on the checklist, you grow more powerful as a warrior. Keep fighting the Water Wasters and watch your power grow!

Complete your checklist and earn the Water Warriors badge of excellence.

1 Point It’s your turn to wash the dishes. If you are washing them by hand, don’t let the water run. Fill one basin with water and the other with rinse water.

Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean. This will make cleaning easier, and save water.

Thirsty? Designate one glass for your drinking water each day, or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash, which means fewer chores and more free time.

You have accidentally dropped ice cubes on the floor. Oh no! Instead of throwing them in the sink, drop them in a house plant instead.

It’s time to wash your hair. Make sure to turn off the water while washing your hair and notice how much water you just saved.

Check all of the faucets around the house, and make sure they are turned off tightly.

Play fun games while learning how to save water! (1 point for each game completed).

• www.wateruseitwisely.com/tip-tank-game/ • www.epa.gov/WaterSense/kids/games.html • www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_wordscramble.html • www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html • www2.seattle.gov/util/waterbusters/ • www.scholastic.com/njaw/game/

It’s dinner time. Make sure that mom or dad cook food in as little water as possible. This will use less water and keep food super healthy.

Bath time! When running the bath, plug the bathtub before turning on the water. Adjust the temperature as the tub fills.

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. This will save lots of water while you get your teeth clean.

Whenever you wash your hands, turn the water off while you lather.

2 Points It’s dinner time. Help your mom or dad wash any fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.

Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain. It also keeps it cold and refreshing.

Three, Two, One, Go! Time your showers and see if you can keep them under five minutes.

Achoo! Drop tissues in the garbage can instead of flushing them and save water every time.

Want to cool off? Use the sprinkler in an area where your lawn needs it most.

Ask your parents where the best spot would be.

Whether you are at home or staying in a hotel, reuse your towels. Not only does this cut down on water, but it also cuts down on chores!

Your turn to do the dishes? Run your washer and dishwasher only when they are full.

When you give your pet fresh water, don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water house plants or the trees or shrubs in the yard.

Wash your pets outdoors, in an area of your lawn that needs water.

Water fight! Avoid using any water toys that require a constant flow of water.

It’s time to clean the patio, sidewalk, or the driveway. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean everything. This will save water every time.

Next time your dad shaves, make sure he plugs the sink instead of running the water to rinse his razor.

3 Points Laundry time? Tell mom or dad when they are doing laundry to match the water level to the size of the load.

Make sure mom or dad also know that washing dark clothes in cold water will save water and energy, and helps your clothes retain their color.

Dirty? Next time you bathe take a 5-minute shower instead of a bath. A full bathtub requires a lot more water.

Encourage your school system and local government to develop and promote water conservation among children and adults.

Be a leak detective! Do an investigation of your house and check all the hoses, connectors, and faucets for any leaks. If you find one, tell your mom or dad.

See a leak you can’t fix? Tell a parent, teacher about it. They will be glad you came to see them.

Everybody loves splashing around at the pool, but try to keep water in the pool when playing.

Use a hose nozzle or turn off the water while you wash your car. You’ll save up to 100 gallons every time.

Got fish? When cleaning out fish tanks, give the nutrient-rich water to your non-edible plants. Show mom or dad the new trick.

Toilet leaks can be silent! Ask a parent or guardian for help and test the toilet in your home with the toilet leak experiment. Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the bowl without flushing, there is a leak. Fixing it will save many liters and money.

Get your household to start a compost pile. Using compost in your garden or flower beds adds water-holding organic matter to the soil. It also cuts down on the amount of garbage your house makes.

Put a barrel in the yard to collect rainwater from gutters for watering gardens and landscapes.

20 Points

Collect 20 points to defeat the Toilet Dweller!

Complete this challenge and you will earn

35 Points

Collect 35 points to defeat the Tub Grub!

Complete this challenge and you will earn

55 Points

Collect 55 points to defeat the Sink Sucker!

Complete this challenge and you will earn

75 Points

Collect 75 points to defeat Sergeant Spill!

Complete this challenge and you will earn

The Scrambler The Water Wasters scrambled up some words in these sentences to trick people into using more water. It is your job as the Water Warrior to fix each statement to tell the truth. Complete all 15 to earn 1 point.

All living things need tearw to live.

When water evaporates it travels through the air and becomes part of a ludoc.

We iknrd water in the liquid form.

Check for leaks to save hundreds of serlti of water a day.

You will save water by taking a quick oehrsw.

Wash cars and trucks with a ktebcu and sponge instead of running a hose.

Use a hose zonzle to turn off the water when you wash things outside.

When shawing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run, fill the ksin instead.

When running a bath plug the bathtub before unritng on the water.

asko pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you laecn them.

One percent of the hsfer water on earth is available to drink.

Keep water in the lopo while playing.

Ask your ymlifa to look for ways to save water.

Use a rian blarer to harvest rain water from gutters.

If cei ucebs are left over from a drink, don’t throw them out, put them in a houseplant instead.

Word Search Find all of the words as quickly as you can.

Draw the Water waster Using the grid as a guide, draw a picture of the Water Waster in the empty canvas. List some summer activities that use water. Are there any better ways to keep cool this summer? List any ways you can think of to keep cool, while keeping water a main priority.

List some summer activities that use water, and one way to use less water while doing each of them.

Connect the Dots!

The Water Wasters used their disappearing ray on the picture below. Make it reappear to foil their plans by connecting the dots to reveal the secret image.

• 80% of the earth’s surface is water.

• 97% of the earth’s water is in oceans or seas.

• 2% of the earth’s water is frozen making it unusable.

• This leaves us with only 1% of the earth’s water that is suitable for drinking.

• Water is part of a deeply interconnected system—what we pour on the ground, and the pollution in the air will end up in our water. It’s important we keep our water clean and always recycle and dispose of garbage properly.

Word Search Conserving water is easy, and the most important role of a Water Warrior. Learn some more key words for conserving H20.

Find all the words to prove your commitment as a Water Warrior.

CLEAN CONSERVE DRINK EARTH ENERGY INSULATION

LAKE LIQUID OCEAN PIPES POWER PROTECT

RECYCLE REFRIGERATOR REUSE RIVER SAVE SHOWER

SUN SUNLIGHT VAPOR WATER WINDOWS WRENCH

The Labyrinth A Water Waster made off with your shield. You will have to navigate through the labyrinth in order to get it back. Retrieve your shield for 1 point.

Crossword A true Water Warrior is both skilled and knowledgeable about all things water. Complete this crossword to test your knowledge and power on your quest to become the ultimate Water Warrior.

Across

Down

2 The sea is made up of this 4 Water is made up of oxygen and this 5 Plants and animals drink this to survive 6 Don’t let the hose run, collect water in one of these 9 These collect water during storms 11 Water in a frozen state 12 Keep these short 14 3% of the world’s water 16 A fancy word for saving water 17 What happens to open water over time

1 This measures the amount of water your house uses 3 Keeping one of these jugs in the fridge will help save water 7 Only use one of these if they are full 8 Fix these around the house to help stop wasting water 10 A bottle that can be use again 13 Use one of these to clean the driveway instead of a hose 15 Use more water than a quick shower

Water Warriors Progress Report It can be tricky to keep track of how much water we use, but it is important to know just how much water we are using and where we are using it. Use this progress report to record how much water you used for a week. Did anything surprise you? Was there anything you could have done to use less?

Put a check in the box each time you do one of the activities.

Conserving Water At Home The first step to conserving water at home is to identify where we use it the most. Then we need to decide on what to do to reduce the amount of water we use, either by eliminating wasteful practices and habits, or by improving the efficiency of our water using fixtures and devices. Since we waste so much, this should be a relatively easy and painless process. The prime area to target is the bathroom, where nearly 65% of all indoor water use occurs. That’s a lot of water.

The illustration below shows how we use water in the home. How can you save water in the bathroom?

Showers and baths 35% Toilet Flushing 30% Laundry 20% Kitchen and Drinking 10% Cleaning 5% Source: Environment Canada (2013)

Saving water at home and at school

List 10 ways that you use water at home or in school. Now circle the 5 most wasteful ways that you use water and compare them with your friends and classmates. Notice anything? Is there any way to use less water, or use it more efficiently? Explain to earn 1 point.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Describe some changes you can make to save more water at home and at school.

CANADIAN WATER FACTS AND FIGURES Canada’s Fresh Water Resources • Canada holds 20% of the world’s freshwater, but has only 9% of the world’s renewable freshwater supply; the rest is ‘’fossil water’’, a legacy of the melting of large ice sheets that once covered much of Canada.

• Canada has about 9% of the world’s renewable freshwater supply, compared with 18% for Brazil, 9% for China, and 8% for the United States.

• Approximately 60% of Canada’s freshwater drains north, while 90% of its population lives within 300km of its southern border.

• Canada has more lake area than any other country in the world; Canada’s rivers and lakes contain enough water to flood the entire country to a depth of more than two metres.

• The Great Lakes, straddling the United States border, constitute one of the largest systems of freshwater reservoirs on earth, with 18% of the world’s fresh surface water.

• Between 1972 and 1991, Canada’s withdrawal of freshwater resources increased from 24 billion cubic metres per year to over 45 billion cubic metres per year—a rise of 80%; in the same period, the population increased only 3%.

Water Use in A Typical Canadian Household • A Canadian uses an average of 326 litres of water each day for household and gardening purposes (in contrast, a person living in Sub-Saharan Africa typically uses 10–20 litres each day) • Residential indoor water use in Canada is as follows: toilet – 30%; bathing and showering – 35%; laundry – 20%; drinking and cooking – 10%; cleaning – 5% • A five-minute shower with a standard showerhead uses 100 litres of water, whereas a five-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead uses 35 litres.

• Water consumption usually drops 18-25% after a water meter is installed

Source: A Primer on Fresh Water, Environment Canada (2000)

Water and Sanitation in Canada • The value of the in-ground assets of Canadian municipal water supply and wastewater systems totals over $100 billion.

• On average, 14% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks—up to 30% in some communities.

• Many Canadian homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and drinking.

• About 82% of Canadians are served by wastewater treatment plants, compared with 85% of Americans, 86.5% of Germans, and 99% of Swedes. (1994 data) • About 18% of Canada’s urban population live in municipalities that do not provide sewage treatment. In the Atlantic region, over 40% of the urban population do not have sewage treatment facilities.

• Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment plant is used for drinking purposes; during the summer, about half of all treated water is sprayed on to lawns and gardens.

• 26% of all Canadians rely on groundwater for domestic use. Large areas of the country are dependent on groundwater, for example, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and southwestern Ontario.

• It is estimated that some 1 to 2 million water wells are in use in Canada; approximately 38,500 new water wells are drilled each year in Canada.

Water and Canada’s Economy • Canadians consumed an estimated 703 million litres of bottled water in 1998.

• Canada’s hydroelectric dams meet about 2/3rds of the country’s electrical needs.

• 295,000 litres of water are required to produce 910 kilograms of paper.

• 86,300 litres of water are required to produce 910 kilograms of steel.

• 1,000 litres of water are required to grow one kilogram of potatoes.

• 10 litres of water are required to manufacture one litre of gasoline.

• One litre of oil can contaminate up to 2 million litres of water.

Source: A Primer on Fresh Water, Environment Canada (2000)

The Great Lakes

Canada has 563 lakes having an area greater than 100 square kilometers. The Great Lakes are the largest system of fresh, surface water on earth, containing roughly 18% of the world supply. The Great Lakes Basin covers an area of 750,000 square kilometers and provide drinking water to 8.5 million Canadians.

The Great Lakes Basin is also home to 90% of Ontario’s population and 40% of Canada’s economic activity. Basically, the Great Lakes are kind of a big deal. Lets learn about more about them.

Lake Superior Lake Superior is by far the largest of the Great Lakes. It is so big that it could hold all of the water in the other Great Lakes, plus three more the size of Lake Erie. It is also the highest and deepest of the great lakes, measuring in at 600 feet above sea level, and as deep as 1332 feet—that is why it is also the coldest!

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan, located east of Lake Superior, is the third largest of the Great Lakes. It touches the borders of four states—Wisconsin, Illinois (Chicago is its southern most tip), Indiana and Michigan; it is the only Great Lake located entirely within the United States. On the north, Lake Michigan is connected to Lake Huron at the Straits of Mackinac; the water circulates slowly in this lake before it leaves through the Straits of Mackinac—it actually moves so slow that it would take 99 years before the water could be replaced.

Lake Huron Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes and has the longest shoreline. It is connected to Lake Michigan at the Straits of Mackinac, and to Lake Superior at the St. Mary’s River, and is a passageway for a number of very large ships. It takes 22 years for water to be replaced in Lake Huron.

Lake Erie Lake Erie, the shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes, ranks fourth in size to the other Great Lakes. It receives its water from Lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan, and its levels are constantly changing. It only takes the water in Lake Erie about 2.6 years to be replaced.

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is the easternmost and smallest of the Great Lakes. It is from here that ships will pass through the Saint Lawrence River and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Ontario lies 325 ft (99 m) below Lake Erie, at the base of Niagara Falls. Until locks were built, boats could not pass into the other lakes.

Can you name each of The Great Lakes?

Lake Ontario

Lake Huron

Lake Superior

Lake Erie

Lake Michigan

Draw a line from each name to the lake that it represents.

Source: EnWin Utilities Ltd (2007)

Handbook Complete Have you finished your checklist? Defeated the Water Warriors? Completed the Handbook Challenges? If so, congratulations! You have earned the legendary Water Warriors Badge of Excellence. If you need help, ask an adult to assist you in cutting out your badge, then show it off to all of your friends. Great job warrior!

Just remember, a warrior’s job is never done. Keep what you have learned and continue to work on saving as much water as you can. You can make a difference.