Environmental Ed. Training Center: Water Conservation in North Carolina

What is water quality and how is affected? How does this impact our daily lives and what can we do about it? In this short video from NC Coastal Federation, hear from scientists working to answer these questions on the North Carolina coast.

Sound Rivers’ 40th anniversary documentary highlights their work with local riverkeepers in the fight against Duke Energy. They recognize that pollution doesn’t effect everyone equally, depending on race, economic status, etc. Host your own screening and discussion of this amazing film with your team!

Watch it here!

Manufactured since the 1940s, PFAs cannot break down and therefore accumulate over time in the environment and the human body. GenX, a new PFA, has been detected in the Cape Fear River. Read the comprehension report from the NC Coastal Federation to learn more and check out this interactive map as an additional resource.

Read it here!

What are algal blooms? How do they affect our waterways? How can we identify them? Find out with this short video starring Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Jill Howell, Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and Sound Rivers’ Staff Scientist Katy Hunt.

Microplastics are fragments of plastic less than five mm long that result from the development of commercial products and the breakdown of larger plastics. As well as being harmful to our ocean and aquatic life, microplastics can end up in our drinking water and eventually be consumed by humans. Read this amazing infographic from the NC Coastal Federation to become more educated on this issue.

Learn More!

Catawba Riverkeeper is the only non-profit, on-the-water advocate for the entire 8,900 miles of waterways in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. Executive Director John Searby joins the Be the Impact Podcast for a discussion on the work of this amazing organization and its partnership with Recover, a sustainable apparel company and one of EarthShare NC’s Corporate Partners!

Listen Here!

Have a green thumb or simply a free weekend? Build a rain garden, a landscaped area that receives stormwater runoff and allows it to slowly infiltrate into the groundwater. Use this fact sheet from Sound Rivers to learn how to create this beautiful solution to the polluted runoff that is affecting the water quality of our freshwater sources.

Get Started Here!

The North Carolina coast is home to a wide range of wildlife species and habitats. Living shorelines are valuable, stabilized coastal edges made of natural material to protect these unique habitats. Learn more about this new approach to erosion and coastal protection and explore NC Coastal Federation’s protected sites and ecosystems.

Visit a protected site!

Take an afternoon and walk on part of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail and don’t forget to BYOB – bring your own bag! Enjoy the beautiful trails our state has to offer while cleaning up trash along the way to protect our waterways. The trail was developed with the idea of showing how North Carolina is connected from mountains to sea, the same way our water ways are connected. 

Get ready for you next adventure!

From the French Broad to the Tar River, North Carolina’s rivers are sources of beauty, recreation, drinking water, diverse ecosystems, and so much more. Join our wonderful partner nonprofits in protecting these amazing areas.

Volunteer for community science with the Catawba Riverkeepers and help them advocate for the River’s health, monitor water quality, and even conduct your own research.

Help monitor and protect the Sound Rivers by contacting your local Riverkeeper, depending on location, to report any problem you find in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River Basins.

Learn about the seven Leave No Trace principles with Conserving Carolina. On your next outdoor adventure, keep these in mind and be an amazing member of the ecosystem you visit.