Educating youths in the United States on global water and sanitation issues require using various resources. Lectures loaded with facts and figures are not engaging enough for young students. A tool for hooking students’ curiosity on an environmental topic is through stories. Once they show interest to the issues and formulate emotional responses as well as critical thoughts, facts and figures would become more tangible. This creative project includes short stories that were based on interviews from water professionals, volunteers, and those who experienced water burdens in their childhood. Young readers are encouraged to think critically while reading the stories through the questions asked. These stories serve to grab young students’ attention to global water issues and to inspire them to volunteer in their communities or in organizations. These stories are best used in conjunction with lessons or lectures on environmental advocacy, policy, and studies dealing with water and sanitation issues.
Short Story: The Year Without the Water Pump
Short Story: The Fight for the Mekong River
Short Story: The Price of Water
Short Story: Making a Difference
Resources/Engaging Your Community
Other Written Works
Thank You: A Message for UNA-Atlanta Members
Originally published on May 23, 2017 on United Nations Association of Atlanta’s website: It has been a privilege and a life-changing experience serving as president of United Nations Association of USA, Atlanta Chapter (UNA-Atlanta)…
Published: January 4, 2015- Each new year brings in a renewed sense of hope. Any unaccomplished projects and ambitions are given another chance to be realized. 2014 was a year where individuals…
Published: November 24, 2014- I am a Millennial and I volunteer. Sometimes, I wonder why. The spirit of volunteerism was instilled in me since I was a high school student. It wasn’t by choice…
Breathe Free: A Crowdfunding Project for the Future of Cairo, Egypt
Published: November 14, 2014 – Submitted by Mohamed Yousry, edited by Nalat Phanit-Black – One of the main reasons we took part in the Egyptian revolution is because pollution in our city, Cairo, surpassed safety limits in air quality, affecting our health and stunting our…
Published: October 22, 2014 – When I think about the title philanthropist, an image of a white-haired man in a sharp looking suit comes to mind (Rockefeller, Gates, Turner). To achieve the title of philanthropist…
Imploring Millennials to Solve Climate Change
Published: September 23, 2014 – Millennial Generation: teens and twenty-somethings who are making the passage into adulthood at the start of a new millennium…
Standing in Solidarity for Climate Action
Published: September 22, 2014 – It was a hot and humid Sunday morning in New York City. The yellow taxicabs were racing around the bustling streets of Manhattan looking for…
Opening Doors: United Nations and You (2014 Social Good Summit)
Published: September 10, 2014 – In 10 days, the movers and shakers of the world will be gathering at the United Nations in New York City for intense closed-doors discussions on solving…
Vacationing in an Unsustainable Place
Published: August 28, 2014 – Before arriving in Corolla, North Carolina, one of the 14 beach towns on the barrier islands, I was apprehensive of what I would find and say that might cause…
Published: July 23, 2014 – Climate change educators and advocates need to have a thick skin…
Apps are Not Textbooks (Not Yet)
Published: May 28, 2014 – “Apps” seem like fun. “Textbooks” seem like a bore. “Apps” are interactive. “Textbooks” are static…Could apps one day replace textbooks? There are…
A Backstory of an Adaptation Plan
Published: March 23, 2014 – With a sigh of relief, the climate adaptation plan that I’ve been a research assistant on for close to a year is finally done. Being a rookie in applying…
Goodbye New England, Goodbye Snow
Published: February 15, 2014 – Winter storms Pax and Quintus of February 2014 put a kink in my 862-mile relocation plan. With most of my clothes and supplies held up in…
Published: February 4, 2014 – Art and science may be at opposite ends of the educational spectrum, but that does not mean the two cannot create something powerful…
Do We Have the Skills to Create Change?
Published: November 28, 2013 – Oak leaves rustled in the wind in front of blue skies. I’m flat on my back. Darn, I’ve fallen on my ass. Again. As I sat up and untangled my legs from the thicket of…
50th Anniversary of Grey Towers National Historic Site and Pinchot Institute for Conservation
Published: October 2, 2013 – As the early fall breeze swept through the quiet grounds of a sun-drenched French château in Milford, Pennsylvania, a hum of excitement permeated the…
Published: July 15, 2013 – This summer has been quite busy for me and I find myself out in the forests and along the Delaware River more than in front of my computer…
Published: May 28, 2013 – Five years ago, as part of my Environmental Communications class, I wrote Sustaining the Legacy, a piece on Grey Towers National Historic Site. For some unknown reason…
Climate Change is a Humanity Issue
Published: April 27, 2013 – Reflection on “How Hot Will It Get?” part of the Science at the Theater series, hosted by Berkeley Lab, April 22, 2013. WARNING: If you are not prepared for the awful truth…
Published: April 8, 2013 – April 5, 2013 marked the 1000-day milestone for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The United Nations Association of the United States…
Cracking the Deadlock on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Published: March 22, 2013 – The solution between the United States and Iran’s nuclear stance is a political puzzle inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma. Despite years of sanctions, political talks…
Published: March 22, 2013 – This year’s World Water Day, March 22, 2013, is titled International Year of Water Cooperation. Water cooperation, as defined by UN Water: The fulfillment of basic…
Published: February 25, 2013 – Sanctions on North Korea seem to evoke rebellious responses. On February 12, 2013, a nuclear test was conducted in North Korea despite United Nations’ resolutions…
Published: February 15, 2013 – “Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.” That’s the age old saying passed down from mother to daughter on the secret of looking young. It’s true that hydrated skin is happy skin…
Published: February 7, 2013 – On February 4, 2013, the United Nations Association of the United States of America held its annual Member’s Day conference at UN Headquarters in New York City…
Published: August 21, 2011 – The Cold War is over, but the threat of nuclear radiation and disasters remain. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear disaster, caused by the March 11, 2011 earthquake with…
Cutting Down Wastes When Relocating
Published: August 21, 2011 – Whether you are moving down the street or across the country, the process can take a mental, physical, and financial toll on you. After fifty-six boxes, three rolls of tape…
“My Country is Tibet” Film Screening
Published: June 7, 2010 – I had the privilege of attending a film screening of “My Country is Tibet” by 17-year-old Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari. He is the descendant of the first Dharma King…
Reflections: It Just Wouldn’t Be Brooklyn Without Coney Island
Published: June 4, 2010 – Coney Island has been the recreational spot for Brooklynites and New York City dwellers for over a hundred years. It went through phases of fame, neglect and violence, and is…
Published: April 30, 2010 – The concept of ocean conservation has been around for decades. However, it seems to have been side-swept when climate change takes the spotlight in businesses, politics…
“Walk for Water, Walk for Life”
Published: March 21, 2010 – Hardly a runner or in perfect shape, my calves began to burn a quarter of a mile into the run/walk-a-thon: “Walk for Water, Walk for Life.” The funds raised during the event…
Preserving America’s Civil War Battlefields: Antietam and Manassas
Published: March 9, 2010 – Crisp air scented with sweet morning dew lingers on the lush green countryside as the sun rises. Silence has befallen the land. Bloodstained grass quiver as the wind brushes by. Across the once-again peaceful land, lay thousands of dead soldiers. They were all brothers of the same nation. The American Civil War occurred over a century ago, but the stories of the war are very much alive. What better way to remember…
Reflections: An Afternoon in Prospect Park
Published: March 9, 2010 – “That’s why dogs are on leashes!” exclaims a startled white-haired chubby cyclist. A small Western Terrier had just barked and snapped at his back tire…
Published: February 13, 2010 – It felt like spring. Only, it was in the middle of January in Philadelphia. Perhaps it was the three layers of clothing and my wool coat, or the sun shining on my face…
Nalat Phanit Black 