Water Race
Learn in a fun way about the importance of good water quality, sustainable use of drinking water and smart management of weather extremes
The 'water' topic deserves attention!
Our climate is changing, and as a result, we are increasingly experiencing weather extremes. Unusual weather patterns can cause a lot of inconvenience and damage. Peak showers, long periods of drought or, on the contrary, excessive rainfall lead to crop failures, flooded basements and rivers that burst their banks. How can we arm ourselves against such extremes? By improving the sponginess of city and country. Give water space by disconnecting rainwater, removing tiles, or building green roofs.
Another important aspect is water quality. This is because the quality of our surface water is substandard. Rivers, streams and (swimming) pools are often too polluted. It is time to examine our water, clean it and fight pollution through simple measures at home.
Finally, we focus on drinking water. Clean drinking water is in danger of becoming scarce, while at the same time we use it to flush the toilet, shower, or water our plants. And that's a shame!
The Water Race: in action to improve water quality, sustainable use of drinking water and dealing with weather extremes.
During a Water Race, 10 elementary school classes in a municipality or region compete to save energy. The Water Race combines education with a cool campaign in the neighborhood.
A race starts with an interactive guest lesson. This guest lesson deals with different energy sources, the pros and cons of each source and how to save energy yourself. During the lesson, the emphasis is on low-threshold actions you can perform yourself.
Then it's time for action! The children of group 6,7 and/or 8 work for four weeks on actions to save energy. In doing so, they earn points. They carry out all kinds of actions themselves: at home, in the neighborhood and at school. The more impact, the more points!
In addition, the students campaign and inform everyone about energy savings. This can be done in the residential area, but also through the local, regional and national media.
The winning schools win a cool prize for the whole class!
Collaboration
The Water Race is a project of Fawaka Entrepreneurial School and Race Against Waste. Together they introduce children to sustainable entrepreneurship, while contributing to sustainability in a fun, easy and practical way.
In late 2023, the first Water Race was organized as a pilot in collaboration with Waternet. The
success was continued with partner Waterboard Aa and Maas. The brand new Water Race offers a broad perspective on the importance of dealing with water in a sustainable way. A playful and challenging project for elementary school classes from group 6 to 8.
The project is developed and implemented with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals established in 2010 in mind.
Quote
“ÏI thoroughly enjoyed the kick-off of the Water Race and gained a lot of confidence in Race Against Waste.”
Sikko Oegema - Executive Board Aa & Maas
Media
The Water Race got off to a sparkling start. Read news articles about our first race with 10 participating schools from the Rivierenland region.
Did you know?
-... that the water in Dutch nature has the worst water quality of any EU member state?
-... average water consumption in the Netherlands is 128 liters per person per day. This needs to go to 100 liters to avoid drinking water scarcity.
- .. subsidies are available to implement water measures at home?
-... weather extremes such as peak showers, long periods of drought or rain will become more frequent? You can make a difference with simple measures.
More information about our Water Race? Visit the Water Race website!
