Earlier this month, we continued the celebration of our Essential Earth Day initiative by joining the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy for the 2022 launch of its Floating Classroom Science Program. Aqua is the Conservancy’s main partner of the program, which combines environmental education, kayaking and lab work into one immersive educational experience for local students. The lab is now available for school programming and summer camps for students in grades six through 11.
At Essential Utilities, we are always looking for new ways to ensure the health and safety of our customers. By giving Pennsylvania students the chance to learn about water science and environmental stewardship in a hands-on environment, we are acting on our mission to provide all the communities we serve with life’s most essential resource as well as ensuring that tomorrow’s leaders understand the significant importance of water conservation.
The Floating Classroom Science Program, which debuted in 2021, is designed to give local students the chance to participate in courses related to watershed science, aquatic communities, ornithology, geology, and botany. It also gives them the opportunity to grow their knowledge through hands-on kayak explorations on the Green Lane Reservoir. In addition to hosting the program on its reservoir property, Aqua will provide employees to assist with select educational programming.
The boat, named “Dragonfly I,” was funded through a grant from Essential Utilities’ charitable trust. The state-of-the-art science lab was constructed on a reimagined 24-foot pontoon boat.
We are thrilled to launch this year’s Floating Classroom alongside the Conservancy and look forward to providing future generations with memorable educational programming on water quality and healthy aquatic ecosystems. Where better to learn these lessons than on a boat floating amongst nature?
