KC to the Sea is a 4th–6th grade curriculum developed through a collaboration between BNIM, Kansas City Water Services, Project Explore, Inc., and the Blue River Watershed Association. The landscape architect BNIM was hired to design KC Water’s Swope Campus using best management practices in stormwater management, but that project sparked a bigger idea: to create a curriculum that would help students understand stormwater systems and the health of their local watershed. Funded by KC Water, KC to the Sea invites Kansas City youth to be active participants in their community’s water cycle, fostering a deeper understanding of their local environment and enhancing their educational experience. In 2011, it received a National Communications Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and more than a decade later, KC Water continues to offer an updated version of the program to local 5th-grade students.

Download the KC to the Sea Case Study