Winter 2024

Water Journeys Field Trip: Grades 5 - College

Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center

Water Journeys, a free field trip program for 5th-grade through college students, is offered by Metropolitan in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.

The presentation focuses on water awareness, aqueducts, conservation, and recycling, followed by a walking tour of the Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art demonstration plant, that produces 500,000 gallons of purified water per day. The field trip continues with a visit to the Bixby Marshland, a 17-acre wetland across the street. Students learn about native wildlife and how the Native Americans used these natural resources in their everyday lives.

Students also conduct water quality experiments.

This all-day field trip, offered on Tuesdays, accommodates one standard-size classroom of students. Limited funds are available to provide transportation. If you need more information, contact Mark Moss. Click here to schedule an in-person or online field trip.

2024 CEEF TEACHER INSTITUTE

California Environmental Education Foundation

Metropolitan is a proud sponsor of the California Environmental Education Foundation, which just launched the 2024 CEEF Teacher Institute.

The courses provide cutting-edge resources from local utility companies for real-world water and energy conservation concepts while promoting participant skills in using the best environmental education and stewardship practices.

The virtual institute is hosted on four Saturdays from February 24 to April 20, including some homework. Log on to the CEEF website for details, or use this form to apply. Upon completion, teachers are eligible for a $500 stipend and an opportunity to purchase three (3) CEUs from UC Davis. The application criteria includes:

Teachers, grades 4 - 12
MWD 6-county service area, up to 10 teachers

Being Waterwise Is: Calendar Art Contest

The calendar art program curates student art submitted from grades K through 12 that illustrates a conservation message. Dozens of entries from Metropolitan’s member agencies across our six-county service area are judged and featured in the annual calendar, distributed to about 13,000 recipients. Click here to see our 2024 Student Art Calendar. Next month, the artwork will become part of a traveling gallery. Local water agencies will host the artwork in their lobbies or community centers. For more information, please email Brian Martz. The calendar art Contest Rules for 2025 are located on Metropolitan's website in English and Spanish.

February: African American Heritage Month

African American Heritage Month is a time for schools to celebrate the achievements and contributions of black people throughout history. The following books help students learn about notable STEM figures, including Katherine Johnson. She was a mathematician for NASA; her calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. Log on to Steam Ahead to learn about programs that help increase the number of underserved and underrepresented students who are interested in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) fields.

Share your water conservation activities with us!

Do you know of some water-wise families, schools or communities? We'd love to showcase your community in our next e-newsletter. We will provide some Metropolitan giveaways if your classroom or organization is selected for the newsletter.

Email the information to [email protected] or

post on social media with #thinkh2o and tag @mwdh2o.

If you have any questions, contact the Education Team Manager, Benita Lynn Horn.

Education Programs| [email protected]

| 213.217.6739| www.mwdh2o.com