WaterEDWest™ Conference 2009: A Confluence of Ideas

What is WaterEDWest?

WaterEDWest™ was a unique conference focusing on water education where delegates had opportunities to share, network, and investigate the current issues and best practices facing those who work to meet the ever growing need for effective water education. Conference themes included:

• Best practices in water education- K-12 and public education programs
• Current water issues in western Canada, and their education implications
• Challenges and opportunities in water education and outreach
• Motivating public participation in water issues
• Creating a culture of conservation and change
• Profiling western Canada's current and emerging water education programs

Who attended?

WaterEDWest was designed to gather a diverse group of organizations and individuals and who value water education, are actively engaged in water education programs and services, and seek to support and enhance water education in western Canada.

• Water education practitioners
• Industry partners in water education
  
• Representatives from government, planning, and stewardship groups
• Academia
• School teachers

Why a water education conference?

Western Canada is home to very high quality public and formal water education programs. These programs help to meet the ever-growing need for effective water education initiatives that will better inform our students, teachers, and the general public on water and water related issues in a rapidly growing and changing society with its accompanying challenges. As is often the case with organizations and individuals working so diligently to make such programs possible, the opportunity is often missed in conventional water-related conferences to share, network, and investigate the current issues and best practices facing those who work to meet this need for effective water education. WaterEDWest was designed to assist remedying this situation and provide a forum through which delegates can share successes, discuss challenges, and build a water education network that can work toward enhancing water education in western Canada.