Wednesday, April 30, 2014

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Using Leftover Ice}

Summer is on the way, and that means using ice to cool down those refreshing summer drinks! 



Whenever Frannie has leftover ice, she saves it in a bowl so it can melt and she can use it later! 


Frannie likes to use the melted ice to water her plants. 

Don't have plants to water with the melted ice? You can do other water-saving tasks with the water such as household cleaning! 

Do you have water saving techniques that you use at home? Share them on The Groundwater Foundation Girl Scout share page at  www.groundwater.org/kids/share.html






Monday, April 28, 2014

Singing with the Girl Scouts at Camp Maha!

April 24th-26th was a Let's Keep It Clean Camp Adventure Weekend at Camp Maha. There was a BIG turnout which meant for BIG fun! Check out this song the Girl Scouts wrote during the weekend about conserving water (We can't get it out of our heads):


"Don't waste water
Conserve and reuse
Teach others about it
and then they'll like it too"

All of the Girl Scouts in attendance had the opportunity to do some creative projects that would educate others about conserving and protecting groundwater. They came up with a variety of skits, songs, poems, raps, and posters; all were incredibly inspiring and educational! Some photos of the girls with their work are shown below.







Wednesday, April 23, 2014

It's Water-Wise Wednesday with Frannie the Fish! {Drought-resistant Flowers}

Spring is here and Frannie's home is beginning to thaw after a long winter. That means it is time to start planting flowers!
Frannie picked native, drought-resistant flower seeds because she cares about conserving groundwater.
To plant her seeds, Frannie cut toilet paper rolls in half. This is a form of upcycling or reusing! When the flowers grow, she'll be able to plant the rolls right into the ground because the cardboard will biodegrade. Frannie used an old cake pan to collect any spilled dirt or water.

After filling the rolls with soil, Frannie planted her seeds!
Frannie can't wait to watch the seeds grow into beautiful, water-wise flowers!

Native and drought-resistant flowers can help reduce water-use in your own yard as they require little to no extra watering! Check out the EPA's What to Plant website to learn what flowers and plants are native to your area and drought-resistant!



Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Importance of Environmental Education

We loved this blog post by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy about Girl Scouts and environmental education! Check it out on the National Environmental Education Week blog! Here's a sneak peek:
"The thing I noticed when I spoke with the Girl Scouts was how knowledgeable they were about what is going on with the environment in their communities. They were passionate about protecting the environment, as evidenced by the numerous environmental patches they wore proudly on their uniforms; they are the next generation of environmental leaders." 
Read the full article here.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

It's Water-Wise Wednesday With Frannie the Fish! {Recycling}

Frannie loves to enjoy her tomato juice, but she always makes sure to recycle her can when she's done!
Recycling has so many benefits!
  • It reduces waste-When we are throwing less into the garbage, less stuff ends up in our landfills!

  • It saves energy-Recycling takes much less energy than manufacturing new materials. For example, recycling aluminum cans uses 95% less energy than manufacturing new ones!

  • It's good for the environment-Recycling reduces damage to wetlands, rivers, forests and other wildlife habitat.

The thing Frannie likes the most about recycling is that it saves water!-Making new products uses a LOT of water. Much more than it takes to recycle those products. When you recycle, you are helping conserve our water resources!
Want to start recycling at home? Here is a list of some things you can recycle!

Paper (white and colored)

newspaper (bags and strings removed)
magazines (all types)
phonebooks (all types)
junk mail
cardboard
glass bottles and jars
Most plastic bottles and containers
Aluminum and tin cans 
Plus much more! You can check with your local recycling center or pick up service for a full list of what is recyclable in your community.


 

 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Introducing Water-Wise Wednesdays!

The Let's Keep It Clean blog is starting a new weekly tradition:

Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish!


Check back every Wednesday to see what Frannie is learning about groundwater and how she is taking action to protect and conserve this precious resource!

And a big THANK YOU to Crafthouse for creating our beloved Frannie!