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Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions         August 2010  “All things are connected, like the blood that runs in your family… The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father” —Chief Seattle Photo by Hamachi flickr.com/photos/mawari Dear Educators, In the heat of summer, we especially appreciate the gift of water to nourish our gardens, to cool us off, to quench our thirst. With water shortages looming, many citizens are taking action to conserve water—from setting up gray water systems to using water-efficient showerheads. YES! Magazine’s water solutions issue, “Will There Be Enough?” introduces your students to people and ideas that will help them think about their relationship with water. We’re also pleased to feature education resources from the Water Environment Federation that will have your students monitoring local waterways and conducting hands-on water science projects. As you embrace these last few weeks of summer, celebrate water by paying attention to how you use it. Remember to water plants deeply and less frequently! Best, SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS Jing Fong Education Outreach Manager, YES! Magazine P.S. Sign up for a free one-year introductory teacher subscription today!   Your Stories   Teens Care for Their Local River, Their Way With an overabundance of interests and distractions, how in the world do we get teenagers to take care of their local watershed? Peter Donaldson’s carrot is the opportunity to produce smart, hip videos and be the on-air expert. The reward is not just a healthier watershed; it’s young people feeling valued. This is Peter’s story. MORE OF YOUR STORIES: ¡Hola! The Future is Now. Race Has Everything To Do With It. Growing Good People. Beauty of Teenagers. Free to Be Me. Chicken Soup for the Soul. SEND US your own story to share with our growing network of YES! educators.   YES! Recommends   For many of us, it is hard to imagine a world without an abundance of fresh water. To many young people, water is a hot shower, or something you put in a squirt gun for rip roaring fun. At the end of the day, however, water means so much more. Clean, accessible fresh water is essential to a healthy life. The goal of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is to ensure clean water for all. WEF has developed a range of engaging water-related classroom resources in partnership with grassroots and educational associations, such as the National Science Teachers Association. From the World Water Monitoring Day outreach program to hands-on science experiments on stream water quality, WEF resources will point you to ways your students can learn to protect and preserve the planet’s water resources.   YES! Classroom Tools   3 Big Ideas to Make Water Last Did you know that only 2.5 percent of the Earth’s water is fresh? The Watershed Moments poster’s illustrations help your students learn how to make this precious, limited resource last. Take care of the source, share the water, and use it wisely. :: BUY POSTER  |  PDF DOWNLOAD Just the Facts Americans use an average of 11.6 gallons daily for showers. That’s how much a person uses for everything in Algeria. This infographic reveals to your students why the U.S. has the world’s biggest water footprint. How Water is Wasted on Electricity Power plants suck more water out of the nation’s watersheds than any other single user—more than 40 percent. This chart convincingly explains to your students why we need to find energy alternatives now. The Page that Counts Numbers of wild tigers plummet, while Teach for America applications set records. And, apparently, 35 percent of Americans believe they are one of the world’s greatest assets. Get your fun facts here!   Curriculum and Resources   From measuring your water footprint to understanding the impact of the BP oil spill, here are some compelling resources for your classroom of local and world citizens. H2O Conserve Using water wisely is something that anyone can do, but it requires time and awareness. H2O Conserve’s water footprint calculator reveals how much water your students use daily and where they can improve. 50 ways to save water—from free to long-term investments—are offered, too. Oil Spill Resources The biggest oil spill in U.S. history has raised many questions, but there is, so far, little consensus on recovery and prevention. Here are resources to help your students make sense of this travesty and begin the healing process.   Words That Inspire   An acequia in the village of Corrales, along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Photo by David Bales. “Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande” by Jimmy Santiago Baca “Sometimes I stand on my river bank and feel the water take my pain, allow my nostalgic brooding a reprieve. The water flows south, constantly redrafting its story, which is my story rising and lowering with glimmering meanings …” Do you have a spot in nature where you go to for refuge? For inspiration? For peace? A place where you feel safe and free of judgment? The Rio Grande is sacred to Chicano poet laureate Jimmy Santiago Baca. Baca is in awe of this river, where he pours out his feelings and thoughts of this world. To read the complete poem and how you might inspire your students to step outside to receive the gifts nature provides, click here.   INDEX: in this issue  YOUR STORIES YES! RECOMMENDS CLASSROOM TOOLS CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES WORDS THAT INSPIRE   How to Get More YES!   YES! POSTERS Our most popular graphic magazine spreads are available as full color 11x17" posters. RENEW: SPECIAL OFFER Renew your teacher subscription today at special discount rates. YES! KLEAN KANTEEN® Instant Inspiration* (*Just Add Water) Support our work and support the planet too.   Are You a Teacher?   Get a FREE Year of YES! Apply for a free one-year introductory subscription to YES! Magazine.   Featured Article   What Does Power Mean to You? Author and Small Planet Institute founder Frances Moore Lappé pushes us to rethink the idea of power from being about something controlling and scary to something freeing and dynamic.   YES! Web Picks   VIDEO What Do Teachers Make? Former teacher and poetry slam artist Taylor Mali doesn’t hold back responding to this double-edged question. What It’s Oil About Blue Ocean Institute founder Carl Safina unabashedly lays out the consequences of the BP oil spill for your students, identifying the unseen culprits and victims. It’s Everybody’s Water Your students (and you!) will love these pictures of creatures, great and small, who lap from this fountain of life.   Visual Learning   A Slow, Press-ious Process Use this photo to ask your students what they notice and are wondering. Then share the surprising facts behind the image to connect to greater understanding and discovery. DOWNLOAD :: Visual Learning Lesson Plan YES! is published by the nonprofit Positive Futures Network   ::  www.yesmagazine.org 284 Madrona Way NE, Suite 116, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-2870, USA  ::  Phone: 206-842-0216

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