Ambassadors: Earn your water badge & learn how wastewater becomes drinking water

This program is for Ambassador level girls who want to earn their water badge while getting a behind-the-scenes tour of one of Orlando’s wastewater treatment plants to learn about the process of treating and recycling water. Participants will visit Shingle Creek, which boarders the wastewater facility, and learn how it is connected to the Everglades and other bodies of water in Florida. The girls will also explore how water is present in literature by reading 5 poems about water that will be sent to them in advance of the class and reflecting on what they learned about water through reviewing and evaluating these poems.  Participants will tour the City of Orlando’s wastewater facility, allowing them to see the process from start to finish. Every day in Orlando, over 40 million gallons of sewer water is treated and cleaned. This process allows us to actually use the water again for things like irrigation and to replenish the Floridan aquifer, which is the major source of drinking water for Central Florida.  In addition to touring the facility, the girls will interview female professionals that work on water and wastewater issues for the City of Orlando. Girls will be asked to prepare questions in advance and will have a chance to learn more about exciting STEM career fields through directly interviewing and speaking with these female professionals.  In order to share what they have learned and to complete the requirements of the water badge, participants will be asked to write a short article on what they learned about water from [participating in the program. These articles will be posted on City of Orlando Water Reclamation website.  Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to dive deep into the wonderful world of wastewater and earn your water badge! All participants must register by March 1st, 2017.