The Centre d’interprétation de l’eau was an active participant in the latest edition of Americana, Réseau Environnement‘s environmental forum and technology trade show, from March 20 to 22, 2023 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.
For the occasion, C.I.EAU presented a kiosk for its services, and complemented the congress with the presentation of a first citizen awareness workshop linked to the protection of water resources. The workshop, presented on World Water Day, March 22, was entitled: “Raising awareness to protect water resources”.
The session was presented by our project manager and science popularizer Benoit Chevrier, and moderated by Benoit Dion, Vice President Strategic Development at Nordikeau.
The workshop was attended by municipal representatives and executives from North American water organizations such as AWWA (American Water Works Association) and WEF (Water Environment Federation).
C.I.EAU would like to thank all workshop participants, including its guest collaborators Mr. Yanick Fortier, Superintendent of the City of Saint-Eustache’s water department, and Mr. Mathieu Maisonneuve, Mayor of the City of Saint-Lin-Laurentides.
Current issues relating to resource awareness
Three questions were addressed during this session of collective exchanges between the various participating players in the water sector:
“What awareness-raising actions is your region implementing or planning to implement to limit drinking water consumption and, by the same token, the quality of water discharged into sewers?”
“What are the present and future challenges for your region in terms of civic action? What realities are you confronted with every day?”
“What are your needs in terms of awareness? What could help you improve your approaches to countering the associated issues?”
After several sessions of constructive exchanges between the different tables, the solutions highlighted were more to do with education and the implementation of incentives and concrete measures to better preserve water.
The importance of education for a better understanding of water issues
It was noted that too many Quebecers have a mistaken perception of water resources. For example, many claim that we will never run out of water. This false assertion is linked to a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of how our watersheds function. Water education is therefore the solution to the problem of misinformation about water resources, and to improving attitudes towards this vital resource.
In order to educate a population about these major issues, it was agreed during the session that the development of a school program integrated into the educational curriculum at various levels would be a solution worth considering. In fact, over 90% of young people between the ages of 12 and 18 are calling for climate education at school(see our blog post L’éducation climatique réclamée par les jeunes for a reference). During the workshop, educational programs contributing to awareness were mentioned, such as C.I.EAU’s awareness-raising tools like the Fantastik’eau kit and the museum’s many water-related scientific activities.
However, participants stressed that young people are not the only ones who should receive this education. It is important to consider, in addition to responsible actions, the importance of maintaining and developing municipal infrastructures for water services. It was agreed that raising awareness among citizens and elected representatives is essential to fostering an understanding of these issues, and of the investments required to ensure the quality and efficiency of these services.
Educating the public about the resource would certainly help raise awareness by putting forward a clear message for all audiences. This consistency would help avoid the deconstruction of the key messages of the various water-related issues in the media coverage that is given to them.
Protecting water resources
According to several participants, the implementation of concrete measures to improve infrastructure maintenance and reward responsible behavior would represent one of the solutions to be observed to raise citizens’ awareness. A program of rewards or financing through grants or loans to help municipalities was also proposed during the discussions. It was also mentioned that measuring water consumption and resource quality would be a good way of raising awareness.
In light of the discussions on the three questions presented, raising public awareness would be optimal if we could count on the participation of organizations, businesses, municipalities and various levels of government. The collaboration of all these players would help to achieve the objectives set to develop solutions and better preserve the resource in order to meet the challenges that threaten it.
C.I.EAU is convinced of the relevance and effectiveness of this collaboration. Contact us to find out what we can do together to raise awareness of water resources!
