Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
“When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.” - Benjamin Franklin
SDG LAB
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Course Description
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning...
Take a sip of water?
Rush to the bathroom to use the toilet or shower?
Prepare your morning tea or coffee?
Chances are MOST of the things related to your morning routine (and any point of your day) is related to water. Have you ever experienced having your home’s water supply cut off? Imagine having to walk hours to get a few liters of clean water every day. Imagine you didn’t have a plumbing system in your school, so you had to pee, poop and everything else in between out in the open.
Find out why water is such a big issue today and how YOU can make a difference in other people’s lives who are on the path to achieving Goal#6.
Units
Unit 1
Bottle or Tap, Still or Sparkling?
60% of our body is made of water. We can go for more than three weeks without food, but only ONE week without water. Goal#6 is a huge problem because over 2 BILLION people in the world don't have access to basic sanitation.
CASE STUDY
Head over to the materials section to watch the videos about these cases before going to the exercises.
1. Flint (Michigan, USA) tried to save money on water. Now, its children have lead poisoning.
2. In South Africa, clean water is so scarce that police are giving fines to citizens for using too much water!
Unit 2
A question of toilets
Sanitation is a fancy word for the process of getting:
-clean water for drinking
-water for household needs like the dishwasher, shower, heating, etc.
-water needed to flush out all the waste you leave in the toilet
More than 2 BILLION people do not have access to adequate sanitation around the world. If you don’t have clean water or basic sanitation, then diseases are most likely to transmit. Imagine you’re a young girl who has to miss school or drop out entirely because you do not have a private place to wash during your period! Head over to the materials section to SEE and UNDERSTAND the real issue that goes beyond a toilet.
Unit 3
What can YOU do?
It is really frustrating to see goals like these because resource is not a problem. The earth DOES have a lot of water, but we just need to be better at making it easier and safer for people to access it.
What is the world doing to help reach Goal#6? We have chosen a few examples- from solar powered toilets that burn poop, to turning air into drinkable water! In the materials section, go through some of the most recent efforts towards achieving clean water and sanitation for ALL.
Join a global movement by acting locally- dive into the materials and experiences for inspiration. Remember, there isn’t a single problem that you can’t have an impact on!