Join the Movement – Think Blue
Educational resources for schools, teachers, and organizations in Canada and across the Globe, to learn about the human right to water, and facilitate their efforts to become a Blue Community School.
Thinking Blue – Teaching Blue
Welcome to Blue Community Schools! We offer a wealth of resources to help students and teachers learn about the human right to water, the grave threats facing our shared water resources, and what we can do to ensure that our communities have access to clean, safe water now and in the future.
We aim to instill hope in young people, and a desire to be a proactive part of the solution to the climate and water crises facing humanity.
Become a Blue Community School!
We invite your school to join the Blue Communities movement by taking a pledge to protect water as a human right and public resource. Blue Community Schools are those that recognize the human right to water, ban the sale of bottled water on campus, and promote public water access and infrastructure. Will your school join the growing international movement to protect the planet’s water and empower young people to become water defenders?
The History of Blue Communities
Blue Community Schools grows out of the international Blue Communities initiative – a network of communities protecting water and watersheds, and promoting the human right to water and sanitation. Founded by the Council of Canadians, Blue Community Schools expands this initiative to include elementary and secondary schools, and includes educational resources for teachers and students to learn together about what it means to protect water as a public resource, and build an understanding that water is life.
The Water Crisis
While water might seem abundant and limitless in Canada, the truth is that watersheds around the world are running out of clean, accessible drinking water. The United Nations reports that, within a decade, the demand for water will outstrip supply by 40%.
As a result, all of nature is impacted, as are humans. Already, more than two billion people do not have access to clean drinking water, and more than four billion people lack access to sanitation.
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¼of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water
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½of the world’s population lacks access to basic sanitation
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40%Global demand for water will outstrip supply by 40% by 2030
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9%Only 9% of
the plastic ever produced has been recycled -
29yearsSome First Nations communities in Canada have not had safe drinking water for more than 29 years
Key Concepts
The twin water crises – ecological and human – are upon us, globally and here in Canada.
We have prepared five reports on the essential information all teachers should have in order to better educate your students on this crucial issue.
Fighting for the Human Right to Water
The human right to water and sanitation has been recognized by the UN since 2010, but billions of people struggle to access water.
Facing the Water Crisis in Canada
Even though Canada has more water than many countries, it too faces a water crisis, one we have been slow to face.
Confronting the First Nations Water Crisis
Despite Canada’s recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation, 26 First Nations communities still lack safe drinking water.
Keeping Water Services in Public Hands
Presently, water is often treated as a commodity for trade, rather than a fundamental human right that requires public and democratic management.
Saying Goodbye to Bottled Water
The world is drowning in plastic, with used plastics still lingering on the planet. Bottled water consumption, a major contributor to this pollution, continues to surge worldwide.
Instilling Hope
It’s not too late to protect the planet’s water resources and provide safe, clean drinking water and sanitation for all. We have a huge task in front of us – the climate crisis is bringing new pressures on our water resources, and a real urgency for us to act.
To protect water for current and future generations, young people must be educated and prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. By becoming a Blue Community School, your school will become part of a deeply rooted movement that is protecting water as a fundamental human right.
You can help guide your students on their path to becoming water defenders.
