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The Water Alive! Discovery Centre is a future
initiative under development between Ecologos and the
Toronto &
Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), with TRCA’s beautiful
Kortright Centre serving as its home on the northern edge of the
Greater Toronto Area. Kortright is a well known ecological
learning centre, and an ideal location for Water Alive!,
which will attract hundreds of thousands from the GTA over the
coming years.
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The discovery centre will feature:
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A 360 degree theatre
experience that immerses us in the sheer wonder of water
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A touching journey
through our deepest beliefs about our relationship to water
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Interactive exhibits
that inspire hope, imagination and energy to get involved
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A place to take action
by signing up on the spot for exciting projects that need
volunteers and expertise
The permanent discovery centre at Kortright is also the model for a
travelling version that will reach beyond the GTA to rally
communities of people throughout the province. As the project
succeeds, the travelling version can also be customized to generate
action on water protection anywhere in North America or beyond.
Our unique approach
Our aim with the Discovery Centre is to create an experience that
engages visitors at the level of emotion, of imagination. We will
use an innovative “transformative learning model” called Image
Shifting to transport participants from interested spectators
into active problem solvers. Image Shifting was developed by
Ecologos based on seven years of study and literally hundreds of
interviews with visionaries from many fields. These studies have
shown us that people really can be inspired to make the leap from
concern to committed action through media and exhibits experiences.
But it helps that they be taken through particular stages in a
process of understanding, which is what Image Shifting does
as a learning model.
The Water Alive! Discovery Centre will feature two sparkling
facilities side-by-side. The first is a beautiful geodesic dome with
wrap-around audio-visual projection, which immerses visitors in the
first two stages of the Image Shifting process:
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Experiencing amazement
and awe at the wonder of water in our lives
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Feeling grief over what we as humans are doing
to water world-wide
After leaving the dome, people enter a space alive with dynamic,
interactive and personally engaging experiences focused on the last
three steps:
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Looking at our deepest assumptions about water,
how they have shaped our behaviour, and what we can do to shift
our thinking
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Seeing that it really is possible to protect
water, as we show real success stories of individuals,
organizations and corporations
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Committing to action,
by signing up on the spot to support hands-on local projects,
sustainable practices and green jobs in their homes and
communities
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