Recently we have come back from a 9-day road trip to get us to the Water Explorers National Event in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal. We travelled over 3600km, passing through Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and back to the Western Cape. While driving and when we stopped we tried to be as water-wise as possible at all times. Here are a few things we did:

• We had a bottle in the combi at all times, so when we used a plastic packet we stuffed our rubbish into it to make an Ecobrick.
• We gave out our Ecobrick Starter Kits to people we stayed with along the way and explained how to use them. We were encouraged by conversations with people who were already thinking about saving water, recycling and caring for the environment.
• We picked up litter when we found any while walking. For example, when we were in Royal Natal National Park we found plastic bags in a stream we were walking along, so we picked them all up.
• We shared toilet flushes whenever we could.
• We all brought our own water bottles with us, and refilled them each day – we never bought any small drinks bottles or used any straws.
• When we went shopping we used our own cloth bags.
• We tried to make our meals water wise when possible – we didn’t make any meals with beef, but used chicken, tuna or veggies for our curry and pasta dishes.

At the Water Explores Event we enjoyed learning what the other schools had done, and hearing about all their water saving projects. I also enjoyed seeing the team that won rejoicing, and listening to their beautiful African song. At the event we were treated to delicious water-wise meals like veggie burgers and vetkoeks with beans and veggies. Yum!

The day after the event, we went to uShaka Marine World in Durban for a special treat. It is the 5^th biggest aquarium in the world! We saw loads of amazing sea creatures and were reminded of the importance of saving our seas and looking after the world’s precious water.

The entire trip was totally superbly awesome and we will remember it for the rest of our lives!!!

By Boaz Whitehouse, age 10