Full Transcript

 

Stella Bowles:
It blew up instantly. I had news reporters and media and anybody and everybody at the door. Again, in my DMs online and everything. Everybody was trying to contact me to see what I had to say. And as an 11 year old, I said, “Well, I don’t know how you’re going to fix it, but just fix it. You’re the adults.”

Jay Famiglietti:
Seven years ago, Stella Bowles decided she wanted to go for a swim. She asked her mom if she could go to the river near their house, the LaHave, but her mom said it was too dirty. This got the curious 11 year old thinking, “What made it so dirty and why was it so contaminated?”

I’m Jay Famiglietti, and on this episode of “What About Water?” we meet Stella Bowles. We’ll ask her about that contamination, about the journey that took her from her hometown of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, to the international stage, as she drew attention to water pollution and pressed for a solution.

Stella Bowles is a high school student, a Canadian environmentalist, author, and the youngest recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia. We’ve reached her at her home in Bridgewater. Stella, welcome to “What About Water?”

Stella Bowles:
Hi, so nice to see you.

Jay Famiglietti:
Thank you very much for joining us. We really appreciate it. You have a fascinating story, I must say. Can you tell us how your story of being a water advocate began?

Stella Bowles:
Sure. So it all began back in 2015 when I was 11 years old. It was around the time where I needed a grade six science fair project and our home’s septic system had collapsed. So where I live we don’t have a big sewage treatment plant. We have to have our own individual holding tank for our sewage and greywater.

So when ours collapsed, they’re quite costly to install. My mother was told by our engineer, or by an engineer, that we had three months to fix this issue. So that night at the dinner table, my parents were discussing the expenses and how they were pretty stressed and my mom said, “Well, our neighbors don’t have three months to fix their illegal straight pipes.” And I chimed in as an 11 year old little girl and said, “Well, mom, what’s a straight pipe? What do you mean?

And when she explained to me that it’s a pipe from someone’s toilet directly into the waterway, so anything you flush is going right into our beautiful river. I was appalled. I had so many questions and my parents really just couldn’t answer them. They were saying, “Well, I know it’s dirty, so we don’t swim in it. And it’s gross. But why don’t they have to fix their illegal problem?”

And at that point, I just had so many questions for my parents and they contacted a local organization just to answer a couple of my questions, like is the river safe for swimming? So they led me to Dr. David Maxwell, who is a retired medical doctor, who had been working to test the river for many, many years for fecal bacteria. And he had been posting his results and nobody was really listening to him. And he came over for tea one day and he said that the testing process, he could show me how to do it. As a family, we said, “Well, could this be a potential grade six science fair project?” And he said, “Well, of course.” So then we actually did all the testing right in my kitchen. And we found out that the river was a lot worse than anybody had anticipated.

Jay Famiglietti:
Was there any other kind of contamination that you found after you started doing testing?

Stella Bowles:
Yeah. Well, at the time, we just focused on these illegal straight pipes and that’s what we thought it would’ve been, but I did a continuation of my project and we tested in our town and later learned that the town has a malfunctioning sewage treatment plant. So when it rains, all of the stormwater goes to the sewage treatment plant and it overflows. So all of the town sewage and water from the storm water drains, it all just overflows into the river.

Stella Bowles:
So that was a huge, huge problem, which is millions and millions of dollars out of my reach. But our town has informed me that they are slowly working on fixing this issue. But it’s definitely a big issue that is contributing to the high levels of fecal contamination in the river.

Jay Famiglietti:
Isn’t it crazy that we have these pipes that go straight from toilets to the river? I mean, that’s nuts.

Stella Bowles:
It’s really gross and disturbing.

Jay Famiglietti:
Well, it’s extremely gross.

Stella Bowles:
I think that the thought, “out of sight, out of mind,” if you put it under the carpet, you don’t see it anymore. And if nobody talks about it, it’s not a problem. So I think that’s kind of what the main idea was. And it was…it’s a cheaper option to have a straight pipe than to install a septic system. It’s less costly and septic systems are definitely a lot of money. It’s a big expense, but it also comes down to just doing what’s right for everybody.

Jay Famiglietti:
Yeah. Unfortunately, there’s always this conflict between your personal wallet and doing what’s right. And often it’s just cheaper to kind of ignore it and keep doing the less expensive thing. So I think it’s great that you brought this issue to light. So what did people in town start to say when you exposed this?

Stella Bowles:
Yeah. So at the time, I wanted a Facebook page and my mom said, “Well, you’re 11 years old, Stella. You cannot have a Facebook page. We’re not doing that.” So we compromised and we put a really big sign in front of our road, in front of our home, on the river. And it said, this river is contaminated with fecal bacteria. And within the same evening, we had multiple neighbors at the door and other community members saying like, “What do you mean? Where’d this sign come from? What’s going on?”

Jay Famiglietti:
So your mom is an accomplice in this, which is awesome.

Stella Bowles:
She’s my momager.

Jay Famiglietti:
Yeah. That’s great. That’s fantastic. Because starting when you’re 11, you’re not going to do that on your own. So has she become a water advocate as well as your whole family? Like a family of, like a water family?

Stella Bowles:
I’d say definitely. I’d say we’re all pretty involved. So then mom and I decided that we could co-run a Facebook page together where she would draft something and I had to proof it and fix it up. We thought maybe 100 people from the community would follow my page. And that would suffice. That would be enough for me as an 11 year old. And it blew up instantly. I had news reporters and media and anybody and everybody at the door again. And in my DMs online and everything. Everybody was trying to contact me to see what I had to say.

Stella Bowles:
And as an 11 year old, I said, “Well, I don’t know how you’re going to fix it, but just fix it. You’re the adults.” People would ask me, “Well, how would you fix this problem?” And I’d say, “I don’t know. That’s in your…”

Jay Famiglietti:
Right. Get rid of the pipes. You’re the adults. You figure it out. But that is so crazy that an 11 year old could generate that sort of media frenzy. It must have been… Was it hard for you? I mean, how did you feel back then?

Stella Bowles:
I don’t think I actually understood fully what was going on. I didn’t understand the power I had as a little girl. And I think I, without meaning to, because the government had, all three levels of government had contacted me within the same day. And I think that I had without meaning to cornered them, cornered the politicians. Because if you respond to a little girl, what’s she going to do? She’s 11. But if you do, then the people in the community are going to be upset because it took an 11 year old girl for this to become a large issue.

Jay Famiglietti:
That’s an incredible social dynamic though, because like there are so many problems and adults are always screaming at each other about one problem or another, and it’s really, really difficult for the message to kind of make it out of the noise. And so, in your case, you were able to do that probably because you were a little girl. So I think it’s awesome, but also sad that an 11 year old could really generate that kind of interest and have that kind of impact. So that’s the interesting and exciting part, but the sad part is that it took an 11 year old to motivate some action.

Stella Bowles:
I think that’s because I was shaming the adults into why aren’t you fixing this problem when you’re the adults and I shouldn’t tell you that there’s a problem that you should be dealing with.

Jay Famiglietti:
So let’s hold that thought for a minute. We’re going to take a quick break – 

Stella Bowles:
Sure!

Jay Famiglietti:
– And when we come back, we’ll talk about what happened next.

Jen Quesnel:
Hey, I’m Jen, one of the producers here at “What About Water?” If you’re enjoying Jay’s conversation with Stella, why not leave us a review? That’ll help other listeners find us. And if you want to know what we’ve got in store for our next season, stay tuned till the very end for a sneak peek. Okay. Now back to Jay.

Jay Famiglietti:
We’re talking with environmentalist and author, Stella Bowles. Stella, after you raised the alarm, what happened to the LaHave?

Stella Bowles:
So after many, many council meetings and just a lot of conferences and talking with the public, there was an announcement that there would be $15.7 million put towards cleaning up the river and getting rid of these illegal straight pipes. So people would receive financial support, to later pay back, to install a septic system so that we can someday swim in the river safely.

Jay Famiglietti:
I’ve never raised $15.7 million to do anything. And you did it when you’re 11. So I think you have a bright future, maybe as a politician. Have you thought about that at all?

Stella Bowles:
Yes. I think a politician is probably right up like number one, things that I would love to do with my life someday. I would absolutely love to become a politician. Although sometimes it can be a little scary seeing how women in politics are portrayed on the internet and I think that’s a little deceiving. But I think that being strong-willed and really good with the public, I think those are good things, good qualities for a politician. So.

Jay Famiglietti:
I agree, and someone who’s coming at it from such a strong foundation, right, such an honest foundation, I think can really be a difference maker. And also, we need more women in politics. We need more smart young people in politics to challenge the status quo. And that’s basically how you launched your career.

Stella Bowles:
I mean, this project wasn’t just my project by all means. It was a project for my family and the community and everybody who wants a clean river. I guess people say it was my face of the campaign, but it really took the whole town and everybody coming together to say that this is an issue that we need to be serious about. We need to take on this issue and change some things.

Jay Famiglietti:
So you got this stuff going. Before you got the $15.7 million, which is quite incredible, were homeowners concerned, like thinking like, oh my gosh, here’s this little kid. And now I have to go pay money to get rid of my straight pipe. And did you get any pushback from homeowners that were concerned about the cost?

Stella Bowles:
Personally, I never received any negativity. I had heard from the grapevine that there were some people not too happy. But we did hold four community meetings, so two on each side of the river, for people to come out and learn more about this program. And that seemed to help a lot of people, because I think a lot of people didn’t realize that they were going to be receiving this financial support and they thought that they would have to pay all the money up front. And I can definitely see why that would be upsetting because it is a lot of money to install a septic system.

Jay Famiglietti:
So when you got the $15.7 million, I mean, if you can take us back in your head to that time, did you ever think, could you even process what that meant at your age? Did you ever think that you would be able to make such a difference? I mean, I have trouble thinking about that now at my age. I mean, how was it?

Stella Bowles:
I think that my overall thought when I was, I think, 13 or 14 when this had been announced, my first thought was I’m going to get to swim in the river someday. It wasn’t so much the money or how it was all going to be done. It was that someday my brother and I will be able to run right off the shore into the river and just swim around and that’ll be so exciting. And I really don’t think it was about the money for me or how the adults dealt with it. I just truly wanted to go in the river for a swim.

Jay Famiglietti:
So, I think everybody wants to know. Has that happened? Have you been able to do that?

Stella Bowles:
Not quite yet. They’re hoping by 2023. There are 600 illegal pipes, straight pipes, along the river. That’s quite a few. So they’ve been changing 100 per year for six years. So 2023 will be the last year for that. COVID had a few minor setbacks, but we seem to be pretty on track.

Jay Famiglietti:
That’s a pretty good clip. A 100 per year. I watched the pace of things happening here in Saskatoon, construction stuff, and replacing the old water main. It’s slow going. It takes many years. So, thanks for putting that in perspective. So do you think you’re going to have some big party when it happens? Is there any community plan? I mean, I’d love to… I think that would be fantastic.

Stella Bowles:
For sure. I think so too. Yeah. I can’t wait for the day that we can all go in the river. It’ll be a great moment. And if I have kids someday, they’ll be able to be in the river as well. And it’ll be great for everybody for many generations to come, hopefully.

Jay Famiglietti:
Well, it’s really special, Stella, that the river has someone looking out for it, someone as conscientious as you. So again, kudos, kudos to you.

Stella Bowles:
Thank you.

Jay Famiglietti:
So since this has happened, you’ve become the youngest person to receive the Order of Nova Scotia. What is that?

Stella Bowles:
The Order of Nova Scotia? It is the highest honor for Nova Scotia and Sidney Crosby and Ellie Black were the other two youngest recipients. And I think it is incredible to have something in common with an Olympian and an NHL hockey player. I also play hockey. So having something in common with Sidney Crosby is really, really cool. It’s really amazing to see just how this all snowballed just from a grade six science fair project, which was really meant to just be a grade six science fair project. It’s one of those things where you do it, you make your little poster board and you put it in your attic forever and that’s that. But here I am with the Order of Nova Scotia at 18 years old. And I think that’s really hard to wrap my head around.

Jay Famiglietti:
So this was your sixth grade science project. How did you do?

Stella Bowles:
So I won my regional science fair and I got to go to Canada wide science fair in grade seven. I was too young in grade six. So grade seven, I got to go and I came second. I had a silver medal. So that was a huge accomplishment. Yeah. I was super excited about that.

Jay Famiglietti:
I understand because I can see my own kids science projects, right, that sort of like everybody did the tri fold on the cardboard and pin some of your… Put your whole scientific method up there and there it is. But yours has really blossomed into something incredible. And you’ve also co-written a book. Can you tell us about that?

Stella Bowles:
Yeah, for sure. So there was a lady who summers right down the road from me actually. And she had written my mom and said, “I’m an author. And I’m looking to meet Stella and see if we could just talk and see if we could maybe make a book.” So she came over for tea one day and we just had a conversation about anything and everything. And she wrote little notes in her book. And when she went back to Toronto for the winter, we did a lot of zoom calls and face to face online chats and just to kind of get to know me. And she had created this amazing book of my life. And I thought that was really neat to see how her process was and how she really embodied me as a character and how she even had some of my little expressions in there. And now that book is in classrooms, in Nova Scotia, which is really cool to see, see that I’m part of what kids are learning about.

Jay Famiglietti:
So do you have any sense, like do the sixth graders think you, like if they see you around, like do they think you’re amazing?

Stella Bowles:
Sometimes. Sometimes I have some kids that are like, “Look. It’s Stella.” And I kind of say, “Hey.” But not too often. When I went to Sweden to train kids to test water over there, I had students come up to me and ask me for my autograph. And I thought that was wild.

Jay Famiglietti:
Okay. Okay. What now? Wait. Let’s get back to that one right there. You went to Sweden to teach kids how to test water.

Stella Bowles:
Yeah. So after I had, after the river had received the $15.7 million, I wanted to keep going. So I received a grant and we created more of my testing kits. And then I went to other locations, other schools around the province to start, and I had shown them how to do the testing. We provided a mentor, helped them find a mentor to help them with the testing, because it can be kind of tedious and then would help them create a platform to then share their results, whether or not they were good or bad.

Stella Bowles:
And a lady reached out to me from Sweden and she said, “Well, could you come over here and come to our conference and maybe teach a few schools here how to do water testing?” And because everybody over there, or the majority, they learn English, it was really easy to communicate with other youth my age and kind of show everybody that science can be fun and it isn’t just the textbooks like at school. And I thought it was really exciting to see other people smile, not only in my own hometown, but in a whole other country to see that science can bring us all together.

Jay Famiglietti:
What an incredible role model. Stella, what’s your message to other kids about what they can do? Can they make a difference? What can they do to protect water or just make a difference in general?

Stella Bowles:
My main message is to ask questions. Even if you think it’s a silly question, there are no bad questions. My whole project started from what’s a straight pipe? And I think that’s kind of inspiring. I find that at school we’re taught to not really ask too many questions and just kind of sit there and listen and learn. But I think that questions should be really encouraged. And if you do have a cause that you want to fight for, find a mentor, ask a parent or a teacher at school. See who else can help you with more knowledge, find yourself a Dr. Maxwell and stick to your facts and just go for it. You never know what could come out of something small.

Jay Famiglietti:
That’s amazing advice. The impact that you’ve had, Stella, geez. I mean, you are like a lightning rod. So really just an incredible inspiration. Thanks. Thanks so much.

Stella Bowles:
Thank you!

Jay Famiglietti:
Stella Bowles is a high school student, a Canadian environmentalist and co-author of the book with Ann Laurel Carter, My River, Cleaning up the LaHave River. And she joined us from her home in Nova Scotia.

What started out as a school project turned into a major clean water effort for Stella Bowles. But it was that initial spark of an idea, to look at the importance of water in her own backyard that started everything. Stella’s main message to fellow young people is that wherever you live in the world, you can make a difference when it comes to water too.

 

LAST WORD

Rishi:
My name is Rishi and I am five years old. Water is important because we need to be hydrated. We need water to wash and drink and paint and survive and hydrated.

Aashrith:
My name is Aashrith. The earth is 75% water. The trees and plants need water. And we also need water. And we also depend on plants for food and trees for shelter.

Aurelia:
My name is Aurelia. None of the nearby planets have the same environment as Earth. Plus we can’t evolve fast enough to live on another planet. We need water to survive. I turn off the tap when I’m brushing my teeth. I pour small glasses of water to drink and I collect rainwater. Also, I don’t pour chemicals down the sink. Adults need to talk to politicians because they have control over what’s happening. They also need to teach their kids about water and listen to indigenous people’s teachings. It shouldn’t just be kids’ job to protect water. Adults need to do the same too.

Tasman:
My name’s Tasman Strickert and I’m 12 years old. I think it would be selfish for a single species, humans, to destroy a resource that 8.7 million species depend on. I try to reduce my use of water. I reuse the water that I can. I buy second hand clothes because the manufacturer of clothes and the manufacture of other things can use a lot of water.

Shreya:
Water and humanity can be thought of as like Batman and Robin. One can’t be found without the other. And they both rely on each other. The humans need water to survive and water needs to be treated and protected properly by humans to last. Without water, everything would fall into a downward spiral and cause chain reaction.

What I do to protect water on a daily basis is to keep the tap off when brushing my teeth. And during the summer, I recycle reusable water to water plants. What grownups should be doing to protect water is spread more awareness on issues such as climate change, since it’s more likely that people take adults more seriously when discussing an issue that impacts the whole world. We need to take action today as if there will be no tomorrow.

Jay Famiglietti:
Those were the voices of five year old Rishi, eight year old Aashrith, 10 year old Aurelia, 12 year old Tas, and 13 year old Shreya.

Jay Famiglietti:
Well, that’s it for our last episode of Season Three. We started the season talking about having greater hope for adapting to our change in climate. We learned about different innovations and everything from agriculture to the economic sector and innovations in traditional knowledge too. Our journey took us from Canada’s north to Eastern Africa. And through all these stories, it’s really crystal clear that water really is the way in which we experience change in climate. But there are things we can be doing right now and into the future to make sure that we, as a global community, always have this precious resource.

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, tune in this summer. We’re going to be bringing back some of the show’s favorite guests and stories from different seasons. You’ll also want to follow us on social media at whataboutwater.org for the latest in water news and research.

We want to hear from you. Do you know of a water story we should cover? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Mark your calendars. Season Four of “What About Water?” kicks off during World Water Week, the last week of August. We’ll be joined by more compelling guests who will share their stories. You won’t want to miss it.

Jay Famiglietti:
That’s it for this episode of “What About Water?” We record and produce this podcast on Treaty 6 territory, the homeland of First Nations and Métis people. It’s produced by The Walrus Lab and the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan. For more resources, check out whataboutwater.org.

Our crew here at “What About Water?” is Mark Ferguson, Erin Stephens, Laura McFarlan, Fred Reibin, Jesse Witow, Shawn Ahmed, and Andrea Rowe. Our audio engineer is Wayne Giesbrecht. And our producers are Farha Akhtar and Jen Quesnel. “What About Water?” is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you download your favorite podcast.

I’m Jay Famiglietti. Thanks for listening.