Sustainable use of freshwater is globally important. Yet implementation of changes in water management is poor, especially in developing countries. This is an indication that, despite our dependence on freshwater, we lack awareness of the need to protect these systems. Here we promote dragonflies as an easy-to-learn tool in environmental education programs. Dragonflies have been employed successfully as indicators of ecosystem health in environmental impact assessments and monitoring programs globally. They can be used as environmental sentinels and as whistleblowers for freshwater health, providing an effective tool for environmental impact assessments and freshwater monitoring. We give detailed examples here of some successful projects from South Africa, Tanzania, and Japan. The approaches developed are models that pave the way for more water awareness projects elsewhere, especially in developing countries, where biodiversity and pressures on freshwater systems are high.