Take a moment to think about water. How is water important to you? Your home? Your cultural practices? Your well being? Your local environment?

Welcome to Temple Ambler EarthFest’s online celebration of World Water Day! EarthFest, the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, and the Temple Ambler Field Station are kicking off our celebration on UN World Water Day.

The UN World Water Day 2024 global theme is "Water for Peace." UN World Water Day will be celebrated globally on March 22.

When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges. We must act upon the realization that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life. This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.

We invite you to use the resources, information and activities we are sharing on World Water Day and every day to think about what water means to you, what the environment means you, what the world means to you. This is just the start of the conversation. You can effect positive change.

We are so glad you're here! Welcome to World Water Day!

Why Water Is So Important

Water, by its simplest definition, is life. Every living thing on Earth requires water to survive. Water means different things to different people. The conversation on World Water Day centers on solving the global water and sanitation crisis, which will require everyone to do their part. To help with this discussion we are sharing information about World Water Day, sustaining water, the water cycle, why water is so essential for human life and more! Learn more about Why Water is So Important.

Protecting Water Resources

The facts about water resources on Earth are stark. Today, 785 million people don’t have access to clean water. Water is under extreme threat from climate change — severe droughts and flooding threaten people’s access to clean water. More than 40 percent of the global population will live in water scarce areas by 2050. It is up to us to protect and maintain our precious water resources for today and tomorrow! Learn more about Protecting Water Resources.

Living With Water

From space, the Earth definitely lives up to it's nickname the "Big Blue Marble." That's because more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water! It is essential to work with the world's water systems, not against them. There are various ways that we can help our water systems and improve sustainability. There are also important ways to prepare when the waters turn fierce, such as during flooding and severe weather. Learn more about Living With Water. 

Living In Water

Who calls the world's waterways home? That's actually a harder question to answer than you mighty think. According to scientists, about one million species live in the Earth's oceans - that's not counting freshwater habitats! According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists estimate that 91 percent of ocean species have yet to be classified and that more than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped! In this section, we invite you to explore some of the species we do know about, from horseshoe crabs to water plants to monsters of the deep! Learn more about Living In Water.

Hands-on With World Water Day!

Now it's your turn! It's time to get hands on with World Water Day through fun activities you can do online and at home. Learn how to wade into a stream and collect your own insects, join the conversation and talk about what water means to you, create your own horseshoe crab hat or get involved in citizen science by participating in projects throughout the region! It's time to get Hands-on with World Water Day! 

Learn From Our Event Contributors

We are only scratching the surface of what our event partners and content contributors have to share! From the iEcoLab to the Elmwood Park Zoo, from the Ambler Arboretum to Temple’s College of Science and Technology, there is a treasure trove of information about science, nature and the world around you! What will you discover? Learn More About Our Event Partners.

More to Explore

Let the World Water Day online celebration be just the beginning of your journeys to discovery. Our event contributors provide a wonderful resource for information and educational activities. There are also numerous other online resources to help you engage in and explore the world around you. Now get out there and get exploring!

Our Content Contributors

We couldn’t do this without the help of a lot of friends. We’d like to thank our content contributors from the past few year who have helped create this rich tapestry of educational experiences, the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University; the Temple Ambler Field Station; the College of Science and Technology; TUTeach; FunScienceDemos; Temple’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science; Temple's College of Engineering; the Temple Biology Department, including iEcoLab and the Cordes Laboratory; the Landscape Architecture and Horticulture programs in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture; the Ambler Campus Office of Student Life; the Ambler Campus Library; the Elmwood Park Zoo; the Delaware River Basin Commission; FEMA Region III; EPA Region III; Upper Dublin Township and the Academy of Natural Sciences. Explore More!