In 2021, North Bend City Councilmembers unanimously approved a contract for the City to join the Saving Water Partnership (SWP), a collaboration between Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and 17 water purveyors that purchase water from SPU. In addition to providing water saving tools and valuable rebates to residents and local businesses, the program also offers community outreach programs. The City is currently working with local schools to share a youth conservation education program, called Nature Vision.
Nature Vision is a series of free water conservation classroom presentations supporting K through 8th grade students. The interactive, hands-on educational programs encourage students to learn about and engage in the discussion of environmental issues.
North Bend Elementary introduced Nature Vision to students for the first time in March. First and second graders experienced the “Water Cycle Terrariums” program, while fourth graders were taught the “Water Cycles Round” lesson. Students will have an opportunity to participate in a Nature Vision water conservation program this spring, through April.
“Commitment to water conservation should begin with our youth, instilling in them an interest and personal connection to nature and environmental issues. Adding the SWP’s key educational resources is a natural next step in the City’s efforts to preserve this finite resource,” Mayor McFarland commented.
Since its formation, members of the SWP have been committed to conserving water, with the conservation program credited as a key factor in the steady decline of water consumption since 1990, even while the region’s population has grown. Learn more about the benefits available to residents and businesses through the SWP HERE, and look for more programs through the SWP on the City’s website, as they become available.
[Photo credit: Snoqualmie Valley School District, North Bend Elementary School]