Day #3: Caring for Our Watersheds 
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About this Act
Welcome to day #3 of the 2023 Billion Acts Earth Day Countdown! You can visit the main campaign page here! Let us know how you joined today's call-to-action by clicking on "Share and Earn Peace Points" on the right side of the screen. We also welcome you to add your own Earth month events and calls-to-action to the campaign page as well. We're on a mission to reach 1,000 acts by April 22nd!
You can also follow along with our campaign on our Facebook group. We will be reaching out each day with messages from our incredible Nobel Peace Laureates and youth-leaders working to build a healthier environment for us all.
Wherever you stand on Earth, you are within a watershed. A watershed (also known as a drainage basin) describes an area of land where all of the precipitation drains downslope into an “outlet”. On a small-scale, a watershed can focus on one river, lake, bay, or other body of water. Other watersheds are much larger in scale, such as the Great Lakes Watershed in North America. We all live within smaller watersheds that are themselves part of even larger ones.
The health of watersheds is directly related to the water quality in your environment. Water is known as a “universal solvent” and can dissolve more substances than any other known liquid on Earth. This makes our rivers, lakes, and streams especially vulnerable to pollutants. An unhealthy watershed is a danger for humans and wildlife alike.
Inspiration:
2020 Billion Acts Finalist the Water Youth Network collects knowledge on water conservation and organizes on-the-ground projects worldwide. Explore their work at wateryouthnetwork.org
Education:
- Rivers and Lakes are the Most Degraded Ecosystems in the World - We Can Save Them
- Explore the world’s watersheds in beautiful detail
Action:
Let us know how you are taking action today! Let us know under "Share and Earn Peace Points".
- Take the The Interactive Watershed Challenge to learn more about global watersheds and how you can become a local steward.
- Find your watershed and take one concrete action/commitment to protect it today!
- Join or plan a local river clean-up.
- Help monitor the health of local streams with an organization/group near you.
Focus Areas:
I maintain that nothing useful and lasting can emerge from violence.
Shirin Ebadi