Protect Clean Water - Kids Get It

By Susan Eastwood, Campaign Organizer - follow Susan on Twitter (@SCEastwood) Emil, age 8, said it best. “Don’t throw trash on the ground because when it rains, it washes into the river and dirties the drinking water.” Five year old Archie drew a contrast in bright colors, to compare “a happy fish swimming by a rainbow waterfall” with “a fish throwing up. It’s what’s gonna happen if people keep putting garbage in the water.” Avery, age 8, showed two children holding their noses next to a polluted stream with a very sad fish swimming among the mess. When you look at these kids’ drawings about water, you know that they get it. They get that we all need clean water to live and that it is common sense that we must protect our air and water as the most basic necessities of life. Yes, kids get it. And yet, the grown-ups don’t seem to. Our water is under attack. It seems like every day there is another story about pollution in our water, from toxic algae in the Great Lakes to PCBs in the Housatonic River, MA. How do we answer our children when they ask “Why aren’t there laws and agencies to protect our water?” “Yes, Annie, the US Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to protect our water and air.” Under the 1972 Clean Water Act, the EPA sets water pollution limits and helps states enforce the law to keep our water clean. But polluters have undermined the law and now more than half of the streams in the US are at risk. Along with drinking water for 117 million Americans! Now the EPA is working to fix the Clean Water Act so all water will be protected again. We need clean water for drinking and recreation. Businesses need clean water, too But polluters don’t want that! An epic battle is going on right now over our precious water. Remember what it was like before the Clean Water Act? Rivers stank and one evn caught on fire! We can’t go back to that! If we don’t get this right, our children and grandchildren will be the ones who suffer. Kids get it! We need to protect our water! Protect clean water! Let’s fix this - for the kids! Get involved now. Go to www.protectcleanwater.org to learn more.