The Collaborative Environmental Series

Sponsored by

The Salem State Collaborative

Location: Lynnfield High School, 275 Essex Street, Lynnfield MA 01940

Dates: 28 October 2009

Time: 4:00-6:00

PDP’s: 2 PDP’s per workshop

Fee: FREE to Members and Non-Members (register below)

Description: 2008-2009 year was the inaugural school year of the Collaborative Environmental Series. Topics included such things as calculating and reducing carbon footprints, running a CFL challenge, solar and wind energy systems, recycling, and climate change in New England. Presentations were given by representatives from the University of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Carbon Challenge, the Central New England Solar Store, and Clean Air-Cool Planet among others. The program was so well received, that we have opted to run a second series of completely new programs in the coming school year. The first workshop in the series is detailed below. Others will follow during the school year.

Session 1: Local Water Pollution and Analysis 28 October 2009

Clean water has become an increasingly rare resource. It is estimated that 25% of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water. Millions of people die annually from diseases caused by drinking unsafe water. In addition, contaminants such as arsenic and lead continue to plague our waterways. Finding and maintaining clean water supplies has become a vitally important task.

With this in mind, the Massachusetts Water Resource Association (MWRA) will present a workshop on their water quality testing program. This is a field-based program appropriate for both middle and high school students. Attendees will each receive a manual with background information, lesson ideas, procedures, data collection and reporting forms, suggestions for interpreting the results and extension activities. This will be an active workshop where attendees will test a variety of water samples for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrates, total dissolved solids and salinity, turbidity and total coliform bacteria. Feel free to bring your own water sample to the workshop for analysis! Teachers will be fully trained in the use of these kits during the workshop. Those Teachers in MWRA communities may borrow a Water Quality Testing Kit from MWRA. The Collaborative will also have kits to loan for attendees.

There will be a discussion for teachers interested in collaborating on a joint project to analyze multiple natural water sources from this part of Massachusetts.

Please note that this program tests the environmental quality of water bodies, not the potability of drinking water.

Registration Information:

Please register at our website www.salemcollaborative.org, or email the following information to Jim Kearns at registration@salemcollaborative.org. If you have registration questions, please either email (preferred) or call Jim

at 781-771-4860.