Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland

Want to know more about conserving water? Ever wonder about the benefits of harvesting rainwater? Curious about how to protect our watersheds?

Marine Institute students will be providing information on these and other water-related issues on World Water Day, March 22, from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. in the main lobby.

Twenty-two students enrolled in the Marine Environmental Technology diploma program and Advanced Diploma in Water Quality have created poster displays and will be on hand to answer questions.

“It’s important to bring awareness to our freshwater resources and to protect them for future generations to enjoy,” said Kim Robertson, instructor with MI’s School of Fisheries and coordinator of student activities for World Water Day.

Environmental organizations will also participate in the event with displays of their own, including MUN Botanical Gardens, Northeast Avalon ACAP, Stewardship Association and Municipalities, Ducks Unlimited Canada, MI Environmental Society and Conservation Corps NL. As well, the City of St. John’s will have a display.

This year’s World Water Day theme is “Nature for Water” which explores nature-based solutions to 21st-century water problems. Among the solutions, restoring forests, grasslands and natural wetlands, reconnecting rivers to floodplains and creating vegetation buffers along water courses.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safely managed drinking water services. It expects water demand to grow by as much as 30 per cent by 2050 as the world’s population grows by an estimated 2 billion people.