As part of WET in the City, urban educators are a priority audience for the delivery of high quality, customized training workshops and educational materials.

In our lifetime, more than 90 percent of the U.S. population will live in urban areas. Urban youth are increasingly disconnected from outdoor pursuits and the natural world. Complex environmental issues, many of which involve water resources, abound in urban settings. Environmental health issues will continue to be of major concern to city dwellers and others in the years to come. Yet, for a variety of reasons, urban educators and urban youth have long been an underserved audience for natural resource education efforts. In partnership with our sponsors and community supporters, CEE seeks to help close the urban environmental education gap, while preparing learners for water related issues that will confront us in the 21st century.

Responsible water stewardship will only come about through an educated citizenry.

Water is vital to life. Clean and safe water has increasingly become a concern of urban dwellers disproportionately exposed to a variety of environmental hazards commonly found in city environments, many of which are related to water. As water issues continue to grow more critical we must ask: How can we actively conserve our surface water and ground water resources while meeting the water needs of an ever-growing population? How will we balance water quantity demands with the need to maintain the quality of our natural environment? A change is coming in the way we view and use water and a new water ethic will ultimately emerge. WET in the City uses our common bond with water to engage students in active learning and responsible decision-making while developing the skills needed for thoughtful stewardship.

As the cornerstone of the entire program, WET in the City partners make the program work in their city. Their commitment is extraordinary and so are the results.

The WET in the City program is built upon the concept of community ownership and the involvement of many urban partners. In order to encourage program sustainability and thoughtful program management, CEE encourages the development of local steering committees made up of diverse partners including but not limited to natural resource entities, educational and non-formal institutions, citizen groups, youth groups, universities, public utilities, nonprofit organizations, schools and school districts, businesses and local organizations, city government, and water management authorities.