There is a Citizen Science Leader walking among us...

 

Research in action

On a sunny Wednesday morning, 14 May 2014, in beautiful surroundings at London’s Wimbledon Common, I joined a motivated team of individuals from different parts of HSBC to take part in the Citizen Science Leader (CSL) training, which introduces HSBC employees to the issues surrounding fresh water and sustainability.

The CSL training is the essential employee element that makes up the five year USD100 million HSBC Global Water Programme and takes employees through the scientific research procedures used in the Programme. The aim of the training is to bring the research to life for us Citizen Science Leaders and to make sense of why we’re doing it. The end goal is to inspire us to encourage our friends and family to do the same and to help contribute to the bigger picture.

Upon arrival, we were informed that our one day training session would consist of some indoor learning but would mainly be spent out in the field testing the water quality in local rivers, streams and large ponds. This was great for us because the weather that day was fantastic and was certainly refreshing to get outside after spending time in the office.

We quickly got stuck in and learned lots from the expert team at the Earthwatch Institute about our own water footprint. They talked us through the global concerns on fresh water scarcity and quality and what the Water Programme was doing to prevent situations getting worse. We all learned a lot about the comparison of different eco system types and the importance of testing and comparing a range of rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. During the session we also found out some startling facts that certainly made us all take a good look at the way we live our daily lives.

After the training, we each wrote down our personal commitments and future plans to conduct our own local research of testing the water quality near our homes. We were supplied with our own water testing kit and encouraged to commence this as soon as possible. Once complete, we will submit our findings via our personal profile section of the Earthwatch website where the research is recorded and evaluated as part of the Global programme. The findings and research of the HSBC Water Programme will be shared with policymakers, NGOs and businesses worldwide and will play its part in tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time.

So finally, at the end of a long, hard day, a few of us decided to celebrate over a few cold beverages in the local pub. We talked about what we had learned from the training and what we would do differently going forwards. We all decided to meet up at work every few weeks to discuss progress but also to simply have a coffee and a catch up and make sure we stay in touch with each other. So all in all, a great end to a great day!

Want to sign up? Become a Citizen Science Leader?

To sign up please see our volunteer booking tool Get Involved.

Local and global freshwater issues are discussed and explored on a CSL training day. These training days provide the chance to develop professional competencies, demonstrate HSBC values and business principles, and be part of the five-year USD100 million HSBC Water Programme that will deliver a powerful combination of water provision, protection and education, resulting in the most ground-breaking water programme committed to by a financial organisation.

The aim of the training is to help employees:

• communicate the HSBC Water Programme to colleagues and encourage them to get involved
• conduct further local research in their own time with friends, family, clients and the wider community
• demonstrate the activities you have learned and lead colleagues in freshwater research
• join with other Citizen Science Leaders, actively contributing to thewaterhub.org online community.

Working with Earthwatch

End of the day - tired but happy!