Undergraduate students, staff and children from the Lansing School District met Wednesday to discuss the importance of keeping Michigan water clean through artwork.

The event was organized and funded by MSU-WATER, or Watershed Action Through Education and Research. Twenty-five children from Bingham Elementary and Verlinden Elementary came to campus to paint garbage barrels.

"I think it'll help instill a sense of stewardship in children about the watershed we share," said Ruth Kline-Robach, program coordinator. "It helps kids understand that we're joined by water."

The MSU-WATER project started in 2000, and MSU students use various Michigan rivers to experiment and recognize pollution and contamination.

The decorations were painted by the children as reminders for keeping the Red Cedar River pollution-free.

"It feels good to help the environment and help people not litter and not be so careless." said 10-year-old Amara Peters, a fourth-grader at Verlinden.

"A lot more people showed up than we had planned," said Ferris Badge, assistant program coordinator.

The barrels will be displayed along the river during home football games. Each barrel bears a sticker on it reading, "Protect the Red Cedar River... 'Don't talk trash - Pick it up.'"

"We hope that people will walk by, see them and realize that kids put work into them to keep the river clean," Badge said.

Some MSU environmental students visited the elementary schools last week to teach children about storm-water management and watersheds.

"Service learning for undergraduate students helps share information that they're learning about water resource management with the younger students," Kline-Robach said. "We hope younger students take the messages back to their parents."