Three community engagement projects on the South Island of New Zealand are enacting education and communication initiatives to improve the uptake of best management practices on farms regarding nutrient management for improving water quality. Understanding the enablers and barriers to effective community-based catchment management is fundamental…

As our population continues to grow, the demand of a more efficient agriculture system heightens. We work to produce the highest yield possible to cover demands. Are we compromising our water quality for mass food production? In past years, the West Coast growers had been facing increasing struggles to farm with their allotted water often turning…

An environmental chemistry service-learning project was implemented by Greenville University in coordination with the local county health department to test the quality of well water for residents in a five-county region of southern Illinois. Well owners attended a student run well water testing "kickoff meeting", received testing kits,…

As the impacts of water quality on human health become better understood, universities have an opportunity to equip students to become more informed and responsible citizens. We define "water literacy" as possessing the scientific knowledge to understand the links between water availability and usage, and being equipped to constructively…

Climate change poses a threat to children, who are increasingly vulnerable, depending on adults to protect them from the impacts of these changes including extreme weather events, poor air and water quality and risk to mental health. Children living in poverty carry additional burdens and risks, living in environments that consistently experience…

This study describes how 19 middle-school science teachers responded to an engineering design task in the context of water quality and environmental science professional development (PD). The study relies on teacher created prototypes, presentations, graphic organizers, and qualitative memos to illustrate the challenges and successes of the PD. In…

Differences in attitudes, perceived behavioral control, social norms (i.e., influence of others), and intent to engage in good residential landscape fertilizer practices were examined among people with high- and low-exposure to water bodies (blue space). Florida's residential fertilizer users are exposed to stormwater retention ponds, lakes, and…

We describe Pennsylvania's Commercial Manure Hauler and Broker Certification Program and discuss results of an industry survey. Survey knowledge questions were centered on state-mandated program competencies designed to minimize environmental losses of manure nutrients. Survey results demonstrated that participation in state-directed,…

This dissertation investigated citizen science, a tool that connects the public to the scientific community through research-based projects and education campaigns. Benefits include volunteers adding data to long-term data sets and improved scientific literacy among the public. Oftentimes, there is trepidation among scientists, managers, and…

"You Live in a Watershed" is a state park exhibit about watersheds. We conducted a two-pronged assessment of learning and attitudes. Study 1 employed a pretest-intervention-posttest design with 30 children visiting the exhibit on a fieldtrip. We found significant increases in knowledge and attitudes. Study 2 was a quasi-experimental…

Breakfast on the Farm educational farm tours were introduced in Michigan in 2009 to improve consumer knowledge about, impressions of, and trust in modern food production. Over 89,000 participants have attended events on 40 commercial dairy, beef, crop, and fruit farms. This article addresses organization and funding of the events and some of their…

Purpose: This study explores whether farmers across England believe that advice on diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) which is currently provided for free at the point of delivery is credible, relevant, and legitimate ('CRELE') enough to justify paying towards. Methodology: A mixed-methods study consisting of an online questionnaire…

Experiential learning is recognized as a high-impact educational practice. Fieldwork is an important component of the geographic tradition. When implemented using an inquiry-based approach, fieldwork can be a highly effective form of experiential education. However, many geography instructors are dissuaded from implementing inquiry-based fieldwork…

The application of the Study and Research Path (SRP) methodology for learning general chemistry, a fundamental course often found in the first-year curriculum of many technical degrees, is investigated. In recent years, SRPs have emerged as interesting inquiry and project-based teaching formats. In an SRP, the search for an answer to a generating…

The New Culture of Water (NCW) is a catalyst for sustainable transformation between political agreements and the unsustainability of the real world, thus requiring an integral participation for an efficient water management where the academy will try to make a substantial contribution. Therefore, this study aimed to design, implement and evaluate…