It's Water-Wise Wednesday With Frannie the Fish! {Saving Energy, Saving Water}

Did you know that the water used during electric power generation makes up 48 percent of our total water usage in the United States? That is because almost every time you use electricity, water is used to turn turbines, produce steam, or to cool equipment used to produce the electricity. Over the next few weeks, Frannie is going to share some tips that will help you save energy to save water!

This week's energy saving tips are about how to save energy with your lighting. 

  

Tip 1: Turn off the lights when you leave a room! Artificial lighting uses about 15% of the electricity in your home. If you're not using a light, turn it off! 

Tip 2: Open the blinds or curtains in your house during the day. This will allow you to use the natural light of the sun!

Tip 3: Use a lamp at night when reading or doing school work and turn off the main light in the room. Lamps usually use one light bulb when the main light often uses multiple light bulbs. One light bulb will use less energy than multiple light bulbs! 

Tip 4: Talk to your parents about using energy efficient light bulbs. For more information about which light bulbs will work best in your home, visit the US Energy Department's website by clicking here.

Do you have energy saving methods you use at home? Share them with us here!

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {For the Leaders}

This Wednesday, Frannie wants to share a fantastic resource that is currently available on The Groundwater Foundation's website with all Girl Scout Troop Leaders and any other adults interested in doing groundwater activities with youth:

The Let's Keep It Clean Leader Resources webpage!

The Leader Resources webpage contains many different types of resources to assist adults in running groundwater activities with Girl Scouts or other youth groups. These resources currently include:

• Groundwater 101 Webinar
• How-To Videos for Nine, Fun Groundwater Activities
• Links to the Let's Keep It Clean Pinterest Page
• And much more!

Furthermore, Frannie and her friends at The Groundwater Foundation are always looking for ways to improve these resources and keep them current! If you have any ideas or suggestions for resources you would find useful, simply fill out this form here! We look forward to hearing from you! :)

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Water Travel Scavenger Hunt}

Frannie loves when it rains, but sometimes she wonders where does the rain go after it falls from the clouds? Frannie decided she could find out where the rain goes by doing a water travel scavenger hunt to find places where the water might travel. Below are instructions to help you do the scavenger hunt too!

What you will need:

• Writing utensil, markers, or crayons
• Paper 

What to do:

• Think of places around your home, school, or neighborhood where water might travel.
• Create your own list or use the Water Travel Check List below to help identify water's path.

        Water Travel Check List:

• Falls on the roof and down the gutters
• Runs into the street
• Soaks into the ground
• Drains down the storm sewer
• Hits the top of an umbrella
• Flows to a nearby stream
• Waters the garden
• Filters to the roots for use by a plant
• Falls in a bird bath
• Drank by an animal

•  (Optional) Do this on a rainy day. Follow a rain drop and check off the locations the rain drop goes on your checklist. If it's not a rainy day, follow the water coming from a sprinkler, a garden hose, a watering can, or imagine where a raindrop might go!



Frannie following the path of some raindrops.

•  After you have found places water could go, make a map of the journey water might take starting from falling from a cloud. See the example below:
  

 Click here to share your findings with us!

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {There's No New Water}

Did you know there is no new water? The water we drink today is the water the dinosaurs drank millions of years ago! That is why we all have a responsibility to protect and conserve water in all its forms!

One of Frannie's favorite activities demonstrating the amount of drinkable freshwater on the planet is called There's No New Water. For instructions on how to run the activity yourself, Frannie recommends watching this video:

In There's No New Water, a 5-gallon bucket is used to represent all of the water on Earth including the water that is contained in the atmosphere, glaciers, ice caps, lakes, rivers, oceans, groundwater, and streams. Check out the photo of some Girl Scouts doing the activity below!

Have you participated in There's No New Water? Share your story and photos here.

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {5 Minute Challenge}

Frannie knows how important it is to save water every day, so she limits herself to a 5 minute shower. A quick shower uses 20-30 fewer gallons of water than taking a bath or a 10 minute shower! 

Frannie wants YOU to take the 5 minute shower challenge. It's easy! Just follow these directions:

• Take a timer and set it for 5 minutes. 
• Make sure you are finished with your shower when the timer goes off. 
• You can start a journal and track how much water you have saved!
• Challenge your family members to do the same. Use your journal to track how much water your entire family has saved!

Share the results of your 5 minute challenge with us here. We'd love to see how much water you've saved!