They took the mic one by one to express the findings of their research as well as present solutions that could be valuable to residents of the District. These concerned citizens addressed the Anacostia Bag Tax, the use of permeable pavement, DC Water’s efforts to educate its ratepayers, as well as the benefits of biodegradable plastics.

All of these impressive insights and suggestions came from 16 bright student representatives from Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School when they attended our June Board of Directors meeting. This day culminated an extensive unit of study. Conducted by their entire 3rd grade class of 85 students split into 4 expert topic groups, these projects were aimed at addressing environmental concerns affecting DC in the broader community and they did just that.

Now that the school year has ended, we reflect upon our interactions with more than 1,500 students in the District and surrounding areas and we hope that we have been able to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. We want them to become knowledgeable about the issues that face them and take action to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water for themselves and generations to come.

By designing classroom lessons, providing expert advice to assist students with science fair projects and Science Technology Engineering and Math competitions, leading interactive activities and facilitating field trip experiences, we aim to empower students to be accountable for their actions and educate the broader community about their water and why it matters.

The important work of educating the youth about the role they can have in the future of water is not a solo investment. We work with other environmental and STEM-focused agencies in the area to deliver relevant, high quality lessons to students from Pre-K through high school seniors. Whether students are career-focused on what they can do to better improve their lives and others in the city to students who just had a curious question for one of our engineers, we take every opportunity to open the eyes of young people to the wonderful world that is water and the environment.

The brilliant minds at Mundo Verde are just a sampling of the concerned, capable and active future that Washington, DC has in store. DC Water will continue to do its part to inspire young minds and highlight their accomplishments in the journey toward a healthier environment. See you next school year!

In the meantime, please take a look at the River Rangers Summer Curriculum for hands-on, book based activities.