Blue Water Schools Network
Blue Water Schools Network is a Canadian non-profit founded in 2023 that provides free, bilingual (English/French) lesson plans, articles, videos, and book bibliographies to help K-12 educators teach about water, the global water crisis, and the human right to clean water, supported by a three-pledge school certification program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersOttawa, Canada
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Blue Water Schools Network does
Blue Water Schools Network (BWSN) is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 2023 that provides free, ready-to-use curriculum resources to help K-12 educators teach about water, the global water crisis, and the human right to clean water. Its core product is a bilingual (English/French) WordPress-based content platform hosting an extensive library of one-page "springboard" lesson plans — each anchored by a piece of media (book, video, image, article, or documentary) and filterable by grade level (Primary K-3 through Senior 9-12), subject, and pledge alignment — supplemented by an Articles and Reports library, a YouTube-hosted Videos and Documentaries collection, age-segmented book bibliographies curated by children's librarian Susan Townley, and a directory of allied water-protection organizations. Schools can apply online to become certified "Blue Water Schools" by adopting three pledges: educating about water protection, the human right to water, and the harm caused by plastics to water.
The initiative was inspired by and is structurally aligned with the Blue Communities Project (Conseil des Canadians), and the founding team brings classroom, library, and international water-advocacy credentials — notably Founder/Chair Lesley Kathnelson (Loran Teachers Building Leaders Award recipient, ~30-year elementary teacher), Director Danielle Kamtié (Vice President of the World Youth Parliament for Water; co-founder of the African Youth Parliament for Water), and Secretary Kateri Couture-Latour (IB Diploma Biology/TOK teacher). Maude Barlow serves as the lead author for the Articles and Reports library, lending institutional credibility to the content.
BWSN operates as a registered Canadian charity (Blue Water Schools Network / Réseau des écoles d'eau bleue) and is funded entirely through charitable donations processed via CanadaHelps; no paid products, subscriptions, or services are offered. Distribution is fully digital and self-serve: educators and parents download resources directly from the website, and schools apply for certification via an online form. Go-to-market combines grassroots educator-to-educator advocacy, organic social media (Facebook, Instagram), earned-media endorsements, and a referral/partner network with aligned water-justice organizations. The organization has no public APIs, no AI/ML components, and no disclosed revenue, donors, or headcount growth metrics.
Blue Water Schools Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Water Schools Network
- Legal name
- Blue Water Schools Network / Réseau des écoles d'eau bleue
- Website
- https://bluewaterschoolsnetwork.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Blue Water Schools Network is a Canadian non-profit founded in 2023 that provides free, bilingual (English/French) lesson plans, articles, videos, and book bibliographies to help K-12 educators teach about water, the global water crisis, and the human right to clean water, supported by a three-pledge school certification program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Water Schools Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Learning Device Ecosystems & 1:1 Program Solutions (Devices, MDM, Charging) (EDAJAMAL)
Keywords
Where Blue Water Schools Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ottawa
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blue Water Schools Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: The organization is a registered Canadian charity (Blue Water Schools Network / Réseau des écoles d'eau bleue) and accepts donations via CanadaHelps. All lesson plans, articles, videos, and resources are offered free of charge.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | — | All resources are free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Blue Water Schools Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Water Schools Network is a Canadian non-profit that provides free, ready-to-use educational resources (lesson plans, articles, videos, book bibliographies, and website directories) for K-12 educators teaching about water, the water crisis, and the human right to water. Schools that adopt three pledges — protect water, recognize the human right to water, and educate about plastic harm to water — are formally certified as a Blue Water School.
Product overview
Blue Water Schools Network (BWSN) is a single unified non-profit educational program (not a multi-product platform) that provides a connected library of free resources for educators teaching about water. Its core is the Lesson Plans (Springboards) library, which is organized by grade level (Primary K-3, Junior 4-6, Intermediate 7-8, Senior 9-12), subject, and three pledges; each lesson plan begins with media such as a book, video, image, or article. Supporting resources are grouped into the Articles and Reports Library (mostly authored by Maude Barlow), the Videos and Documentaries collection (YouTube-hosted), the Books and Bibliographies (curated by children's librarian Susan Townley), and the Water Allies Websites directory of allied organizations. Schools that adopt the three pledges become certified through the Blue Water School Certification program, supported by an Email Notification Subscription for updates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Blue Water Schools Network Program A non-profit educational initiative designed by teachers for teachers, supporting K-12 educators in teaching about water and the water crisis through a free library of lesson plans, articles, videos, books, and curated web resources. Schools that adopt three pledges are formally certified as Blue Water Schools.
- Lesson Plans (Springboards) Free, ready-to-use, one-page lesson plans organized by grade level, subject area, and pledge. Each lesson plan begins with a piece of media that acts as a 'springboard' into an engaging lesson or activity, designed for 'print and go' ease of use by elementary and secondary teachers.
- Articles and Reports Library A curated, regularly updated collection of articles and reports on the world's water situation, covering water sanitation, plastics, water protection, global water crisis, UN water initiatives, and sustainability, written primarily by Maude Barlow.
- Videos and Documentaries A curated library of videos and documentaries hosted primarily on YouTube, selected to expand teacher and student knowledge about water, water justice, water conflicts, and the water cycle, with content tagged by audience level.
- Books and Bibliographies Age-appropriate bibliographies curated by children's librarian Susan Townley, organized into Primary Resources, Junior Resources, Intermediate/Secondary Resources, and Adult/Teacher Resources, with featured Indigenous-authored titles.
- Websites / Water Allies Directory A curated directory of allied external websites and organizations whose goals align with the Blue Water Schools Network, including the Blue Communities Project, Eau Secours, UN Water, Ottawa Riverkeeper, and AquaAction.
- Blue Water School Certification (Three Pledges) A three-pledge certification framework schools must adopt to join the network: (1) educate about the ecological crisis of water shortage and pollution, (2) educate about the harm caused to water due to plastic pollution, and (3) educate about the human rights crisis relating to the lack of access to clean water. Certified schools receive a Blue Schools Network certificate.
Quantifiable outcome
- Lesson plans filterable across 4 grade levels (Primary K-3, Junior 4-6, Intermediate 7-8, Senior 9-12) and multiple subjects
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Blue Water Schools Network
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Blue Water Schools Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Blue Water Schools Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Blue Communities Project (Conseil des Canadiens / Blue Communities)flagshipThe Blue Water Schools Network initiative is explicitly based on and inspired by the Blue Communities Project, a municipal water protection initiative by the Council of Canadians. The BWSN 'What is a Blue School?' page links directly to the Blue Communities Project. The 'Our Story' confirms BWSN was born from the question of whether a school could become a Blue Community.
- Eau SecourscoreQuebec-based organization promoting water protection and responsible water management. Eau Secours operates its own Blue Schools certification program in Quebec; BWSN references Eau Secours as an aligned 'water ally' on its Websites page.
- United Nations Water (UN Water)coreUN Water is referenced as an aligned organization on the BWSN Websites page, specifically pointing to UN Water's Human Rights to Water and Sanitation resource. BWSN frequently cites UN reports and the UN recognition of water as a human right.
- AquaActionminorOrganization dedicated to restoring freshwater health in North America. Listed on BWSN Websites page as a recommended aligned resource.
- Les Amis de la rivière Gatineau (ARG) / Friends of the Gatineau RiverminorIndependent, volunteer non-profit working with residents, businesses, and government partners to protect and improve the Gatineau River. Listed on BWSN Websites page as an aligned local water ally.
- Garde-rivière / Ottawa RiverkeeperminorNon-profit organization acting as champion and collective voice for the protection of the Ottawa River watershed. Listed on BWSN Websites page as an aligned local water ally.
- CanadaHelpscoreCanadaHelps hosts the donation page for Blue Water Schools Network / Réseau des écoles d'eau bleue, providing charitable donation infrastructure for the registered Canadian charity.
Scale indicators4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Blue Water Schools Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Project WET Foundation: Global non-profit that develops and disseminates free water-education curriculum and activity guides for K-12 classrooms. Highly comparable to BWSN in mission, audience (educators and students), and delivery model (free downloadable lesson plans and resources).
- Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF): Canadian non-profit that provides free curriculum-linked resources and teacher training on sustainability topics for K-12. Directly comparable in audience (Canadian educators), mission (sustainability education), and free resource delivery model.
- Blue Communities Project (Conseil des Canadiens): Municipal-level water protection initiative that inspired BWSN's founding. Shares the 'Blue' brand, water-rights advocacy, and is the conceptual parent of the school-certification concept that BWSN extended into education.
- EcoSchools Canada: Canadian certified K-12 environmental education and sustainability program with a multi-pillar certification framework. Comparable as a school-certification model targeting the same Canadian K-12 audience on environmental topics adjacent to water.
- Eau Secours: Quebec-based non-profit promoting water protection and responsible water management, and operator of its own 'Blue Schools' certification program. Directly comparable in both mission (water education) and in the three-pledge 'Blue School' certification framework, and is explicitly named by BWSN as an aligned organization.
Emerging players
- EarthEcho International: Non-profit founded by Philippe Cousteau Jr. providing free water-and-ocean STEM education resources for educators and students. Comparable as a free K-12 water-education resource hub with an educator-facing delivery model.
- Ocean Wise / Ocean Wise Education: Canadian non-profit offering free K-12 conservation education programs with a water/ocean focus. Comparable in audience and free-resource model, though Ocean Wise's content emphasizes ocean ecosystems rather than freshwater and the human right to water.
- AquaAction: Canadian non-profit dedicated to restoring freshwater health, referenced by BWSN as an aligned 'water ally'. Comparable in mission (freshwater protection) but focused on field programs and youth action rather than classroom lesson plans.
Broad incumbents
- WaterAid Canada: International water-and-sanitation non-profit with an education and advocacy arm focused on the human right to water. Comparable in mission (water access as a human right) but operates at a global scale and is not a K-12 curriculum specialist.
- UN Water: United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanism for freshwater and sanitation, including the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation resources that BWSN cites. Comparable in framing water as a human right and producing authoritative content, but at a multilateral rather than K-12 curricular level.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blue Water Schools Network social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Water Schools Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Water Schools Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Blue Water Schools Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Water Schools Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Water Schools Network
What does Blue Water Schools Network do?
Blue Water Schools Network is a Canadian non-profit that provides free, ready-to-use educational resources (lesson plans, articles, videos, book bibliographies, and website directories) for K-12 educators teaching about water, the water crisis, and the human right to water. Schools that adopt three pledges — protect water, recognize the human right to water, and educate about plastic harm to water — are formally certified as a Blue Water School.
Is Blue Water Schools Network a public or private company?
Blue Water Schools Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Blue Water Schools Network founded?
Blue Water Schools Network was founded in 2023.
Where is Blue Water Schools Network based?
Blue Water Schools Network is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Blue Water Schools Network make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable Donations.
Who are Blue Water Schools Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Project WET Foundation, Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), Blue Communities Project (Conseil des Canadiens), EcoSchools Canada and Eau Secours. Emerging players are EarthEcho International, Ocean Wise / Ocean Wise Education and AquaAction. Broad incumbents are WaterAid Canada and UN Water.
Does Blue Water Schools Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Water Schools Network.
What industry is Blue Water Schools Network in?
Blue Water Schools Network's product category is Environmental Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAL, Learning Device Ecosystems & 1:1 Program Solutions (Devices, MDM, Charging). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.