Helping solve the world’s water crisis through play.

WOW, its time is now.

WOW Festival 2009

WOW is a partnership between Blue Planet Run and Earth Voyage.

Blue Planet Run is a California–based non-profit that sponsors races to raise funds for clean water projects globally.

Blue Planet Run’s signature event was an around the world relay in 2007.

Earth Voyage has been working to bring quality earth systems science and service learning programs to Western NC and beyond since 2006.

Earth Voyage has been working to bring quality earth systems science and service learning programs to Western NC and beyond since 2006.

Earth Voyage is a North Carolina-based non-profit, and a special project of The Buckminster Fuller Institute a non-profit based in New York City.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute promotes synergy and sustainability throughout the world.

In 2007 they created an annual international design challenge supporting the development and implementation of a strategy that has significant

potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems.

Many associate Buckminster Fuller with geodesic domes, but there’s more…

Buckminster Fuller and

Western North Carolina

Buckminster Fuller, Dymaxion Air Ocean World Map and The World Game

How we view the world effects how we think about it!

Global Map Projections

If you could peel the earth like an orange what would it look like?

Dymaxion Air Ocean World Map Projection

“One Earth Island”

Imagine learning on a map the size of a gymnasium!

Earth Voyage offers programs that incorporate AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy and uses multiple intelligence learning strategies and a whole system

thinking approach.

Earth Voyage offers unique educational experiences that integrate Science,

Geography, Math, and History in a fun, hands-on way. Our water program,

Water Is Life, engages participants in a series of cooperative activities that

explore humanity’s relationship to water by physically graphing the human

population with color-coded foam blocks that show access to clean water as well

as regional trends in daily use.

The WOW challenge builds on the Water Is Life program and is designed to remove the orange from the world.

This is the game. Once the map is full blue, the game will be declared won.

To splash into WOW, middle schools may sign up now for a half day field trip to

Blue Ridge Assembly in March or April for Water Is Life.

YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, Black Mountain, NC

After participating in the Water Is Life program, students and their families will be invited to come back to Blue Ridge Assembly on May

16th for WOW, an event limited to the first eight hundred participants.

WOW 6K Trail Run

Participating schools who plan to attend WOW are encouraged to raise funds for clean water projects.

To assist their fundraising efforts, students from participating schools receive a page on the Blue Planet Run website.

This page helps the students seek sponsorship for their efforts while simultaneously highlighting their school.

The lion’s share of the funds raised for WOW, 51%, will go to global distribution efforts through Blue Planet Run’s existing network of

NGOs in areas of need.

Global Clean Water Resources and Non-Profits

Like any Olympiad, the World Olympiad of Water features multiple fun and experiential learning events. At each event, participants may earn valuable, water-related prizes for the students’ schools while

also raising funds for local water conservation efforts and education programs.

Local Water Conservation, Education Programs and Resources for Schools

As WOW programs spread around the world,

the orange on the map will turn to blue.

This is the game. It can be won.

WOW the time is now.

“Plug Locally. Plumb Globally.”

WOW celebrates the one world watershed through play!