Water, Water, Everywhere?

Last year, after a series of formal and informal discussions among the members of the Goucher Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council (GESAC) and other faculty, students, and staff, a sustainability theme for the college was created for the 2010-2011 academic year, "Water, Water Everywhere?"

Given the continued impact of this issue in our communities — both in the United States and abroad — GESAC has recommended keeping this sustainability theme for the 2011-2012 academic year.  We will ask the Goucher College community, as we did in the past year, to reflect on the multiple ways we understand our connection to water and explore the question "Water, Water Everywhere?"

Faculty who wish to integrate aspects of this collective exploration this theme into fall and spring semester courses are encouraged to do so, and participation is entirely voluntary. Whether you choose to investigate the chemical nature of water pollution; create art, writing, and poetry about rivers; examine the science behind rising sea levels; analyze how social and political institutions mediate water quality and availability; or explore water as a metaphor in the visual arts and landscape design—all are invited to participate in this collective reflection of the integral role water plays in our societies, in the maintenance of human life, and in the health of the biosphere.

Co-curricular ways of integrating this environmental theme can play out in a variety of ways, too— linking the theme to some of the various outside speakers we bring to campus; through student-sponsored club events, like Clean Stream; and in partnership with Bon Appetit.

Information and resources for thinking about water and ideas for curricular and co-curricular activities are listed below. If you have questions or ideas for activities (invited speakers, field trips, etc.) related to the upcoming academic year’s sustainability theme, please send an e-mail to GESAC at green@goucher.edu.

Information and Resources

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Healthy Water Site
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation
• Blue August
• Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Education Site
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Food & Water Watch
• National Geographic Magazine's Water Issue
• Oceana: Protecting the World’s Oceans
• United Nations Water
• Water Advocates