Last month, Southern Water held a webinar for schools in celebration of World Water Day from outside our bear habitat, reaching more than 1,400 primary aged children!
Students joining in from primary schools across the South Coast learnt about where our water comes from and how we fit into the water cycle, as well as which sustainable practices we can adopt to save water and look after our planet. The webinar was broadcast live from outside Benji and Balu’s habitat here at the Sanctuary, where we use rainwater harvesting to fill our bear pond with water captured by the roof of our Wildheart Café.
Our CEO, Lawrence, said: ‘The rainwater harvesting system means we can reuse rainwater elsewhere around the Sanctuary, cutting down our costs and putting that money into what really matters – the welfare of the animals we rescue.’
Left: Benji and Balu’s bear pond. Right: Our new SuDS Safari trail.
In addition, Southern Water has also created a SuDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) Safari at the Sanctuary, which gathers rainwater from the highest point and utilises gravity to create a number of water features including a rainwater curtain, water for our children’s mud kitchen, an educational wall, and wetland plant areas at various locations across our site. There are some new permeable pathways too! These interventions will slow the flow of water into the environment – all whilst promoting biodiversity at the same time.
Every year, World Water Day is celebrated to highlight the importance of fresh water for all. We were proud to play a part in helping to educate the next generation about this precious resource, using the recent improvements made at our Sanctuary as some real-life inspiration!