WEF To Cultivate Chicago Water Awareness With New Learning Garden

The Pershing Culivation Project is the eighth annual WEFTEC community service vent

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) will help cultivate community engagement and educate Chicago youth about the value of water through the “The Pershing Cultivation Project: Growing Green Gardens and Young Minds.” Organized as a part of WEFTEC 2015 by the Students and Young Professionals Committee, the event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26 at Pershing East Magnet School in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

During the event, conference and community volunteers will help transform a portion of the school grounds into a learning garden that will serve as an interactive tool for the school’s K-8 students to learn about water, the environment, and green infrastructure. Features will include an outdoor classroom and corresponding lesson plans; a permeable path and rain garden to capture and store stormwater runoff; and a large traditional garden filled with native prairie grasses and flowers.

To help kick off the project, WEF will also host the third annual Water Palooza educational fair on Friday, Sept. 25. Students, teachers, and parents will be invited to enjoy a fun-filled day of engaging, hands-on environmental activities provided by nearly 20 water companies, governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations from across the country.

The activities provide an invaluable way for WEF to give back to the WEFTEC host city through grassroots solutions that promote environmental stewardship and help raise awareness about the value and importance of water, which is one of the Federation’s strategic objectives. Local and WEF leadership are expected to attend the opening ceremony to share their vision for environmental protection and community involvement and service.

Sponsors include AECOM, ARCADIS U.S. Inc., Bentley Systems, Black & Veatch, Brown and Caldwell, Carollo Engineers, CDM Smith, CH2M HILL, Greeley and Hansen LLC, Hazen & Sawyer, HDR, and Vaughan Company, Inc. The service project donors include Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services, Apex Engineering Group, Christy Webber Landscapes, Chemtrol, Engineering America, Entex Technologies, Environmental Operating Solutions, Inc., FKC Screwpress, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., Northwind Perennial Farms, Parsons Corporation, Trinity Landscaping, and Wigen Companies.

Event contacts:
WEF Community Service Project Chair: Tim Moran, moranfitzky@gmail.com
WEF Community Service Project Co-Chair and Water Palooza Chair: Michael Quamme,Michael.Quamme@apexenggroup.com
SYPC Chair: Haley Falconer, hfalconer@cityofboise.org
WEF: Dianne Crilley, dcrilley@wef.org

Make THE water quality event, YOUR water quality event.
Scheduled for Sept. 26-30, 2015 at McCormick Place in Chicago, WEFTEC 2015 will feature 135 technical sessions, 29 workshops, 17 mobile sessions, numerous events, and nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies displaying the latest in water quality research technology and services.

No matter where you live or what part of the water sector you represent, water unites us all. Register today and be a part of One World. One Water. One Event.

About WEF
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation. For more information, visit www.wef.org.