Exploring Water Pollution

At Girlstart After School To-Go, we encourage students to create innovative solutions to problems like pollution. In order for our girls to design quality solutions, they first need to see the problem’s effects firsthand. In week 6, students created the pollution problem, then brainstormed and tested creative ways to solve it. Read on to learn about some of their designs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Groups were given a cup of clean water and followed the development of a beautiful meadow into an urban parking lot. Human actions, such as littering in parks, fertilizing their yards, and pouring paint down storm drains, have a significant effect on the quality of our drinking water. By adding pollutants like oil, plastic, soil, detergent, and styrofoam to their cup of water, girls were able to see the pollution process for themselves. Everyone agreed that the cup of clean water was now too gross to drink!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having seen the disgusting effects of pollution on clean water, girls designed a filter system to try to bring the water to a drinkable state once again. Groups were given water bottles and filtering materials, such as charcoal, cotton, and pebbles. After the students layered their filtering materials, they tested the efficiency of their designs. After observing the filtered water, leaders encouraged groups to assess their layers and think of future improvements.

At Girlstart, we encourage future environmental engineers to examine the causes of pollution in order to help them create excellent solutions!