Free interactive water exhibit in Kohler teaching about global water scarcity

KOHLER, Wis. (WBAY) - If you can walk to a sink right now and get a glass of clean water, you’re unlike 30% of the world’s population that doesn’t have access to safe water, according to the national non-profit Global Water Center executive director, Chris Holdorf.

“We know today, each day, almost 2,300 people are going to die from the lack of access to safe water,” Holdorf shared. “Something that is quite preventable. Getting safe water to people is not a mystery. It’s not like trying to solve cancer where we’re still searching for the solution.”

To educate more Americans about what life is like without fresh water across the globe, the Global Water Center began a cross-country interactive water education tour in April 2021. It is completely free. The exhibit is located outside The Shops at Woodlake, 725 Woodlake Road, Kohler WI, 53044 which is in the parking area in front of Wisconsin Trader.

“As visitors come through the experience, we know they’re going to learn a lot,” Holdorf emphasized. “We know they’re going to have a lot of experiences with amazing technology. We wanted to make sure that we made a connection that this is real. That there really are people who are suffering here in 2021 who don’t have access to safe water.”

That’s why international storytellers play a crucial role in the exhibit that took 10 months to produce. Colorful educational trailers filled with life size images, high-tech gear, and more than a few touchscreens brings the visitors into a multi-sensory experience. Outdoor interactive activities include playing bags with the goal of landing the traditional pouches in a very non-traditional toilet (rather than a cornhole). Plus, flushing a toilet with a bucket. A regular occurence in some water scarce areas called a “pour flush toilet.” One of the final parts of the exhibit is a 360 degree immersive theater to watch interviews with global storytellers who are struggling with water scarcity.

“It’s a great exhibit to visit with families,” Cindy Howley, director of Kohler stewardship, said. “It’s really educational. It’s interactive. It’s so cool that you can actually go through the exhibit through the eyes of somebody else in the world who experiences water challenges.”

Kohler Co. is a sponsor of the Global Water Center, and the village of Kohler is the eighth stop on the national tour. Next is Chicago, followed by Nashville, South Carolina, and then Florida at the start of the new year.

All to spread the word about water.

While it’s in Kohler, the exhibit is open:

September 18 - September 19, September 21 - September 22 from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

September 23 - September 25 from 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

September 26 from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

For more information about the Kohler specific event you can click here.

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