Using real-life examples in your lessons can help students connect classroom content to their own lives. Through personal stories, relevant examples, and interactive activities, making these connections lets students understand the relevance of what they’re learning. With World Water Day approaching, you have a great opportunity to have important discussions with your students! 

World Water Day is held annually on March 22 by the United Nations, acting as a reminder that it’s important to sustainably manage our water resources. The World Water Day website has lots of great information to help teach your students about water conservation. And a big part of that mission is directly linked to energy efficiency. In fact, water conservation and saving energy go hand in hand! 

WORLD WATER DAY CLASSROOM DISCUSSION TIPS

Here are a few simple steps you can follow to incorporate energy efficiency into your discussions on World Water Day

1. Explain how saving water can save energy.
Conserving water is important for many reasons, one of which is to save energy! Water heating accounts for approximately 16% of energy use in the average Manitoba home. Using less hot water is a great habit that will also help your students reduce their energy use. 
 

2. Help your students reflect on their daily water and energy use.
Make the conversation relatable by having your students think about their daily routines. When and how do they use water in the morning? At school? After school?

Explain to students that each time they run hot water to wash their hands or enjoy a warm shower, it also takes energy to heat the water to that toasty temperature.
 

3. Brainstorm ways to conserve water and energy.
Now that your students are thinking about their water and energy use, you can split off into groups or have a classroom discussion to brainstorm ways people can conserve water and energy.  

Here are a few ideas to get started: 

• Taking shorter showers 
• Washing only full loads of laundry and in cold water 
• Using the dishwasher without pre-rinsing 
• Turning off water while you brush your teeth

4. Track positive behaviours with a habit tracker.  

Habit trackers are a simple way to record positive behaviours (including using less water!). Not only are they fun for students to fill out, but they are a proven way of building habits because they provide a visual prompt to complete tasks. This will help your students become more mindful while encouraging consistency and self-accountability. 
 
Learn how to create a habit tracker. 

WATER SAVINGS IN NUMBERS 

In theory, your class probably understands how saving water can save energy. To help deepen their learning, you can use the practical example below and give them a real-life scenario that they can go on to apply to their own lives.  

Calculate how much water you could save by taking a shorter shower! 

1. Check the flow rate of your showerhead.* If you don’t have a flow rate bag, you can assume a flow rate of 6.8 litres per minutes (LPM) (a typical flow rate for energy-efficient showerheads).  

2. Think about how long of a shower you normally take. Then, use this calculation to check how much water you use per shower:

(flow rate in LPM) x (typical shower length) = litres of water used per typical shower 

3. Redo the calculation assuming you took an even shorter shower of 5 minutes. 

(flow rate in LPM) x (5 minutes) = litres of water used per 5-minute shower 

4. Subtract the answer you got in step 4 from the answer in step 3 to see how much water you’d save per shower! 

(litres of water used per typical shower) – (litres of water used per shorter shower) = litres of water saved 

Example solution: 

If a student’s average shower length is 10 minutes and they shortened it to 5 minutes, they would do the following calculations: 

If you have an energy-efficient showerhead, having a 10-minute shower would mean you’re using 68 litres of water per shower.  

[6.8 LPM x 10 minutes = 68 litres per shower] 

By shortening your shower to 5 minutes, you would use 34 litres of water per shower.  

[6.8 LPM x 5 minutes = 34 litres per shower] 

So in this scenario, when you shorten your shower from 10 to 5 minutes, you would save 34 litres of water every time you shower! 

[68 litres] – [34 litres] = 34 litres saved per shower 

*If your class participates in our Home Energy Review activity, our kits include a flow rate bag so your students can calculate the flow rate of their showerhead. Contact us to request a presentation and kits today! 

CONTACT US FOR MORE FREE CLASSROOM RESOURCES! 

Would you like classroom kits with shower timers for your Grade 9 or high school students? Sign up for a free Home Energy Review classroom talk!  

Email hello@generation-e.ca or visit our contact page for more information about our classroom resources.