The Groundwater Project Foreword
At the United Nations (UN) Water Summit held on December 2022, delegates agreed that statements from all major groundwater-related events will be unified in 2023 into one comprehensive groundwater message. This message will be released at the UN 2023 Water Conference, a landmark event that will bring attention at the highest international level to the importance of groundwater for the future of humanity and ecosystems. This message will bring clarity to groundwater issues to advance understanding globally of the challenges faced and actions needed to resolve the world’s groundwater problems. Groundwater education is key.
The 2023 World Water Day theme Accelerating Change is in sync with the goal of the Groundwater Project (GW-Project). The GW-Project is a registered Canadian charity founded in 2018 and committed to the advancement of groundwater education as a means to accelerate action related to our essential groundwater resources. To this end, we create and disseminate knowledge through a unique approach: the democratization of groundwater knowledge. We act on this principle through our website gw-project.org, a global platform, based on the principle that
“Knowledge should be free, and the best knowledge should be free knowledge.” Anonymous
The mission of the GW-Project is to promote groundwater learning across the globe. This is accomplished by providing accessible, engaging, and high-quality educational materials—free-of-charge online and in many languages—to all who want to learn about groundwater. In short, the GW-Project provides essential knowledge and tools needed to develop groundwater sustainably for the future of humanity and ecosystems. This is a new type of global educational endeavor is made possible through the contributions of a dedicated international group of volunteer professionals from diverse disciplines. Academics, consultants, and retirees contribute by writing and/or reviewing the books aimed at diverse levels of readers from children to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students or professionals in the groundwater field. More than 1,000 dedicated volunteers from 127 countries and six continents are involved—and participation is growing.
Hundreds of books will be published online over the coming years, first in English and then in other languages. An important tenet of GW-Project books is a strong emphasis on visualization; with clear illustrations to stimulate spatial and critical thinking. In future, the publications will also include videos and other dynamic learning tools. Revised editions of the books are published from time to time. Users are invited to propose revisions.
We thank you for being part of the GW-Project Community. We hope to hear from you about your experience with the project materials, and welcome ideas and volunteers!
The GW-Project Steering Committee
January 2023