E. Earth and Space Systems · Air and Water in the Environment

Keeping Our Air and Water Clean

E1.1 A1.1 A1.4 A3.3About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe ways people's actions make air and water dirty (pollution).
I can describe ways people protect air and water.
I can think about a problem from different points of view, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives.
I can make a plan to help protect air or water in my community.

Words to know

pollution
Something harmful or dirty that gets into the air, water or land.

litter
Garbage left on the ground instead of in a bin.

exhaust
The smoky gas that comes out of a car or truck's tailpipe.

storm drain
A drain in the street that carries rainwater away. In many places it flows straight to a creek, river or lake.

perspective
The way a person sees or thinks about something. Different people can have different perspectives.

Elder
A respected person in a First Nations, Métis or Inuit community who shares knowledge and teachings.

protect
To keep safe from harm.

The creek clean-up

Picture a little creek near a school. In spring, the children find plastic bags, juice boxes and bottle caps caught in the reeds. A family of ducks is paddling right beside them.

How did the garbage get there? Is it harmful to the ducks? What can people do about it?

All living things need clean air and clean water. Today you'll find out how people's actions can harm air and water, and how people can protect them.

A mother duck and six ducklings swimming in a creek, with two people carrying garbage bags on the bank in the distance. — Ducks and other animals live in creeks like this one. Picking up litter keeps their water clean and safe. AI-generated image

What makes air dirty?

Air pollution happens when harmful gases, smoke or dust get into the air. Some causes are:

exhaust from cars, trucks and buses, especially when engines are left running (idling),
smoke from burning things, including fires,
smoke and gases from some factories,
burning fuels like gas, oil and coal for energy.

On some hot summer days, polluted air can look hazy. Dirty air can make it harder for people and animals to breathe.

What makes water dirty?

Water pollution happens when harmful things get into lakes, rivers, streams or groundwater. Some causes are:

litter, like plastic bags and bottles, that blows or washes into the water,
chemicals, paint or oil poured down storm drains or onto the ground,
soap from washing cars on the driveway, which flows into storm drains,
road salt from winter roads, which washes into streams when the snow melts and can harm fish and plants,
pet waste that is not picked up.

In many towns, storm drains in the street carry rainwater straight to a creek, river or lake, without cleaning it first. Some storm drains have a yellow fish painted beside them to remind us: only rain down the drain!

In many towns, a street storm drain carries water straight to a creek, river or lake. Water from sinks and toilets goes to a wastewater treatment plant to be cleaned first.

🚗🏭🛍️🛢️🧂

Some causes of pollution: car exhaust, factory smoke, plastic litter, oil and chemicals, and road salt.

How people protect air and water

Walk, bike, take the bus or carpool, and don't leave car engines idling.
Put litter in the garbage, recycling or compost. Join a clean-up.
Never pour paint, oil or chemicals down a drain. A grown-up takes them to a special waste drop-off.
Use less road salt (only what's needed) and pick up pet waste.
Plant trees and gardens. Plants help clean the air, and their roots help hold soil and soak up rainwater.
Water treatment plants clean our drinking water, and wastewater treatment plants clean used water before it goes back to the lake or river.
Laws help too, by setting rules about what factories and cars can put into the air and water.

Different perspectives

People can see the same problem in different ways. These are called perspectives. Thinking about many perspectives helps us make better plans.

For example, a busy road beside a river:

A driver needs the road to get to work.
A city worker salts the road so cars don't slide on ice.
An angler worries that the salt and oil harm the fish.
A child wants a clean river to play by.
The fish and plants can't speak, but they are affected too!

First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives on water

First Nations, Métis and Inuit have cared for the land and water in what is now Canada for thousands of years. Teachings are different in each Nation and community, but many share the idea that water is life and that people have a responsibility to care for it.

In the Anishinaabe language, Anishinaabemowin, water is called nibi. Many Anishinaabe teachings say that women have a special role as water protectors, and many people today take part in ceremonies and gatherings to give thanks for water.
Josephine Mandamin was an Anishinaabe grandmother from Wiikwemkoong, on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. Starting in 2003, she walked around all five Great Lakes, carrying a copper pail of water, to remind people to care for the water. Others now carry on these water walks.
The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address gives thanks to many parts of the natural world, including the waters, for quenching our thirst and giving us strength. Many Haudenosaunee teachings also ask people to think about how their choices today will affect the generations yet to come.
For many Inuit, the sea, the sea ice and the rivers of the Arctic are part of daily life: for travel, for hunting and fishing, and for drinking water from ice and snow.
For the Métis, rivers and lakes were important travel routes, and fishing and gathering near water were part of life on the land.

We can learn from these perspectives: water is not just something to use. It is something to respect and protect, for the living things who need it now and in the future.

Learning respectfully

Each First Nation, Métis community and Inuit community has its own language and teachings. If you can, learn about the First Nations, Métis or Inuit people where you live, from their own websites, books by Indigenous authors, or a local Indigenous centre or Elder.

Worked example

Let's think from different perspectives

A town wants to spread lots of salt on a road near a creek all winter. Who might care, and why?

Drivers and walkers: Salt melts ice so people don't slip or slide. They want safe roads.
Fish and plants in the creek: When the snow melts, salty water runs into the creek. Too much salt can harm them.
A water protector or Elder: Might remind the town that the creek is part of the water that all life depends on, now and in the future.
Put it together: Is there a way to keep people safe and protect the creek? Ideas: use only as much salt as needed, use sand in some places, shovel early so less salt is needed.

Different people care about safety and about clean water. A good plan tries to protect both.

Worked example

Let's make an action plan

Ms. Kaur's Grade 2 class found lots of litter by the creek behind their school. Make a plan to help.

Problem: Litter is getting into the creek. It can harm ducks, fish and the water.
Research: Where is the litter coming from? The class looks and sees it blows over from the schoolyard, near a bin with no lid.
Actions: 1) Hold a clean-up with gloves and grabbers, with grown-ups. 2) Ask the principal for a bin with a lid. 3) Make posters: "Keep our creek clean!"
Safety: Wear gloves. Never pick up sharp things, like broken glass or needles. Tell a grown-up. Stay back from the water's edge.
Check: Look again in a month. Is there less litter?

The class plan has a problem, research, actions, safety rules and a check.

Just for fun

The yellow fish painted beside some storm drains has one important job: reminding everyone "only rain down the drain!" It must be the only fish in town that lives on a street.

Hands-on activity

Protect air or water in your community

You need: paper, pencils, gloves, a bag for litter and a grown-up.

Look around your home, street or park. Find one problem: litter, cars idling, a storm drain full of garbage, dog waste left on the ground...
Think about perspectives: Who is affected? People? Birds? Fish? Trees?
Make a plan with 2 or 3 actions you can really do. Examples: a family litter walk (gloves on!), walking to school instead of driving one day a week, a poster that says "Only rain down the drain".
Do it and take a picture or draw what you did.
Check: What changed? What would you do next time?

Safety: Always wear gloves for litter. Never touch sharp objects, needles or broken glass. Tell a grown-up instead. Stay away from the edge of fast water and from busy roads.

Your turn

What is pollution?

Name two things that cause air pollution.

Name two things that cause water pollution.

Where does the water in a street storm drain often go?

What does "only rain down the drain" mean?

Name one thing you can do to keep air clean.

What is the Anishinaabe word for water?

More practice: warm-up

Where should litter go?

What should you wear to pick up litter?

True or false: Plants and trees help clean the air.

What comes out of a car's tailpipe?

What is a perspective?

More practice: on your own

Why is washing a car with soap on the driveway a problem for a nearby river?

Why is road salt helpful and harmful?

Who was Josephine Mandamin, and what did she do?

What do many First Nations, Métis and Inuit teachings say about water?

Name two parts of a good action plan.

Challenge

A parent waits in a car outside school with the engine running for 10 minutes. Explain the problem from two perspectives and suggest a solution.

The class picked up 18 pieces of litter in April and 7 in May. How many fewer pieces in May? What does this tell you?

Many Haudenosaunee teachings ask people to think about future generations. How could that idea change a decision about a river?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which causes water pollution?

Which helps keep the air clean?

A storm drain in the street often carries water...

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit teachings say that...

What should you do if you find broken glass during a clean-up?

Why is it useful to think about different perspectives?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (E1.1): Human activities affect air and water quality. Students assess impacts from several perspectives, including those of First Nations, Métis and Inuit, and plan a local action.

Indigenous perspectives (A3.3): The content here is general and introductory. Teachings vary between Nations, so present them as "many" rather than "all" and, if you can, connect with the First Nations, Métis or Inuit communities where you live (local friendship centres, band or community websites, and books by Indigenous authors are good starting points). Josephine Mandamin (1942 to 2019) co-founded the Mother Earth Water Walk (2003); nibi is the Anishinaabemowin word for water.

How to help: Do a family litter walk, notice storm drains and idling cars, and help your child carry out one small, real action. The goal is empowerment, not worry.

Safety (A1.4): Gloves for all litter, no sharp objects, needles or glass, and stay back from water edges and roads.

Common difficulties: Children may think all drains go to a treatment plant. In many municipalities, storm sewers are separate from sanitary sewers and drain directly to waterways.