What is Ribbons of Blue?

Ribbons of Blue/Waterwatch WA is an environmental education network aimed at increasing community awareness and understanding about local water quality, and taking action for a better environment.

Ribbons of Blue was initiated in Western Australia as a schools environmental education program in 1989. The Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Water are the host agencies for Ribbons of Blue.

The program uses water quality monitoring and catchment management activities as tools to focus learning and develop understanding, while involvement in on-ground action projects builds a sense of environmental, social and civic responsibility for the shared management of local environments.

How does Ribbons of Blue work?

Ribbons of Blue has five objectives, these are:

• Increase community awareness and understanding of water quality issues in a whole of catchment context.
• Provide school and community educational opportunities through a range of curriculum areas, and public forums.
• Encourage collaborative and local action projects involving the community (including schools), local government authorities, and state government agencies to identify and resolve water related catchment issues.
• Support community monitoring projects to contribute useful water quality data for community and agency application in raising awareness and resolving issues.
• Maintain networks and partnerships to share data and information, and to support the continuity of the program across the State.

Ribbons of Blue / Waterwatch WA has a network of Regional Coordinators across much of the state to assist groups to become involved in understanding, improving, and sharing in the management of local catchments. The State Support Team assists in the coordination of the program, technical assistance and development of key resources for schools and community groups

For Community Groups
Ribbons of Blue aims to give local people the skill and opportunities they need to work towards a common goal of assisting in the conservation, management and rehabilitation of Western Australia's unique environment.

For Schools
Ribbons of Blue can be directly linked to the curriculum and integrated across all learning areas for individual teachers or across the whole school. Resource materials and staff are available in Ribbons of Blue regions to assist and support teachers implement the program.