At Starry Night, we’re proud of our partnership with Project WET. Project WET's mission is to advance water education to understand global challenges and inspire local solutions. We all rely on water in daily life, whether for drinking, cleaning, recreating, or its many other essential uses.
In Montana, waterways connect to three main drainages: Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Columbia River drainage basin leading to the Pacific Ocean. Kauai’s ocean embrace and tropical climate mean that water is a constant in every aspect of the environment.
But what happens when our waterways are under threat? That’s where the impact of water education comes in. Water education is our hope for the future.
Water is one of the most important resources we rely on. And because we all need water, we are better off when more people learn about it. Knowing the importance of protecting our waterways can help emphasize the role it plays in our daily lives. That’s where Project WET’s educational resources can help students connect with the water cycle from an early age. And the organization’s community and employee engagement can get people of any age involved.
Learning about water can help us find ways to reduce personal use and understand why taking action is important in the first place. Water education can help people learn how personal water use ties into the bigger systems we’re part of. And it can communicate the benefits of reducing water use from showers, irrigation, and household appliances. The risks of running out of water are very real, and many major cities around the world have already experienced the problems that come when there isn’t enough water to go around. By learning to take measures against overconsumption now, we can help safeguard our future.
Learning about water can be a gateway to overall environmental stewardship. Because water connects to every plant and animal on earth, including humans, it ties into so many parts of the natural world. As people begin to learn about water, they start to understand how it all connects together. Wetland conservation, watershed cleanup, and reducing pollution are the next steps that come from the starting line of water education.
It’s hard to hear the same messages about ecological problems again and again and feel powerless to do anything. But water education doesn’t need to stop with the problems. When it includes ideas for what to do to help solve those problems, it can empower individuals to take action. Maybe it’s a beach cleanup or river cleanup. Maybe it’s evaluating your home systems for septic issues or creating a backyard rain garden to capture rainwater runoff. Or maybe it’s swapping out standard fixtures and appliances for ones that use less water. Water education can be empowering.
Starry Night Lodging considers water use across our properties. But we’re always striving to do more to make travel a regenerative industry that can give back to the planet. Project WET is a major inspiration for how to effect change. From water-saving fixtures in the bathrooms to linen and towel reuse programs, even the small actions add up over time.