Intermediate school Social Studies teachers nationwide will be encouraged to devote a portion of their March 11 lesson plan to discussing with their students the historical, present and future implications of plumbing and sanitation. As a way of promoting the second annual World Plumbing Day, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) will partner with American educators to help students understand how “Plumbing Moves Society Forward.”
The World Plumbing Council (WPC) last year established March 11 as World Plumbing Day, an annual celebration to promote appreciation of the plumbing industry’s vital work on behalf of the planet and its people. The event aims to help the general public better understand how the plumbing industry protects the public’s health and safety, demonstrate the extent to which it works to limit mankind’s environmental footprint and to illuminate other important work performed by contractors, inspectors, installers, engineers, manufacturers and academicians that is often taken for granted.
IAPMO, publisher of the American National Standard designated Uniform Plumbing Code©, continues its enthusiastic support of World Plumbing Day in 2011 by developing a Social Studies themed lesson plan and administering a poster designing contest for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Each eligible student who submits a World Plumbing Day poster conceptualizing their interpretation on the theme “Plumbing Moves Society Forward” will be entered into a drawing to win one of three iPod Touch portable media devices compliments of IAPMO.
The curriculum includes an introductory video, discussion guidelines and plumbing fact sheets furnished by the WPC that demonstrate clearly the health, environmental and societal benefits of safe, sanitary plumbing systems.
“When you compare a nation like the United States to a developing country such as India, sanitation represents a major discrepancy and it is one that touches every aspect of life in either case,” said Dan Daniels, president of IAPMO. “It’s a perfect topic for Social Studies curriculum and what better time to discuss it than World Plumbing Day?”
Video links, class outlines, information sheets and other relevant information are available to download in .pdf file format here. Additional information about World Plumbing Day, including a list of other planned events, can be found at www.worldplumbingday.org. The World Plumbing Council and IAPMO encourage everybody, plumbing professional or not, to participate in the celebration each year.
“Few innovations throughout history have influenced society as profoundly as sanitary plumbing,” said Gaby Davis, senior director of Worldwide Operations for IAPMO. “World Plumbing Day gives everyone an opportunity to consider, even for just a moment, how life-changing that contribution has been. IAPMO is thrilled to help promote that moment of recognition in hopes it might grow into our daily consciousness.”
For more information on IAPMO’s participation in World Plumbing Day, direct your Web browser to www.iapmo.org or contact Gaby Davis at (909) 472-4203 or gaby.davis@iapmo.org.
Last modified: January 28, 2011