3Rwater

(Author-Primary) Lauren Roth Venu is has been developing strategic, innovative solutions to build water resiliency for over 20 years. She is the Founding Principal and President of Roth Ecological Design Intl. LLC (REDI) and Founder of 3Rwater, Inc. Her academic background in both the water sciences and policy merged with her interest in sustainable development, which led her to her practice as a water resiliency and integrated water resource planner, and green infrastructure designer. Her passion in building resilient communities and green infrastructure design led her to invent the “Follow the Drop” mobile application and create the "Follow the Drop" curriculum. She is a frequent lecturer, published author and has served on numerous professional committees, board of directors, taskforces and advisory committees developing and supporting sustainable water policies and practices within Hawai’i and abroad.

Hands-on, design thinking, project-based, fun activities, real world problem solving

Awards: Regional Environment Protection Agency (EPA) awarded design project (2005); named a Top Emerging Designers by Pacific Edge Magazine as well as top Forty Under Forty Business Leaders by Pacific Business News (2014).

The creators of Follow the Drop are professionals in water resource engineering, conservation, sustainability and project-based education.

This program has been piloted in multiple elementary schools (4th and 5th grades), which have culminated with the installation of actual rain gardens or rain catchment barrels. The students get to participate in the full process from data collection to building.