ES 3 Water

Dive in!

“GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THINGS” © PABLO PRO 2007

Learning how to create a new water culture

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2008

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SPRING

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Contents

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spring 2008

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Values at stake from the new water culture Pedro Arrojo, president of the New Water Culture Foundation, states that values cannot be changed by legal decree; in order to break paradigms you have to take the classroom to the riverbanks.

The role of schools in the future of water Schoolteacher Carmelo Marcén analyses water as a teaching tool and proposes we take a leap from the knowledge phase towards participation with a series of educational options.

Credits Editor: Heloise Buckland Editing and correction: Jaume Enciso, Olga Llobet, Marina Martínez, Marta Moreno and Míriam Salvatierra Editorial Committee: Teresa Franquesa, Antoni Grau, Oriol Lladó, Josep-Lluís Moner, Cristina Monge, Paula Pérez, Sonia Pérez, Inma Pruna, Montse Santolino and Marc Vilanova

Technocracy versus sustainability Education, ecology and management of the Baix Llobregat Campus lake. Antoni Grau, Josep-Lluís Moner and Marta Pujadas from the Technical University of Catalonia call for more sustainable public resource management to enable training and research in local aquatic environments.

Menorca: the fresh water challenge Miquel Camps from GOB Menorca describes their attempts to change attitudes towards water in order to address the progressive degradation of the aquifers on an island without rivers.

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Creative direction: : Alexis Urusoff Ramos Printing: El Tinter (ISO certification 9001, 14001 and EMAS) Printed on recycled paper. June 2008 Legal deposit B-23656-07 ISSN 1887-7230 www.rce-barcelona.net +34 93 405 43 73 Managing y subscriptions: Barcelonya, SCCL Via Laietana 45, esc. b, pral. 2a, (08003) Barcelona barcelonya.com · host@barcelonya.com tel: (+34) 93 424 5202 · fax: (+34) 93 301 2831

Water for people, water for life The right to water and the role of development NGOs. Francesc Magrinyà, Aida Vila, Quique Gornés and Sonia Pérez from Engineers Without Borders point out the educational efforts made by civil society to encourage greater recognition of the right to water.

Water you shouldn’t drink…

The water crisis, sustainability and education in India.

Vijay Paranjpye, from the Gomukh Environmental Trust for Sustainable Development, stresses the importance of building literacy in resource management across many different stakeholders to achieve a sustainable use of water.

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In brief initiatives in and out of the classroom Teaching resources for primary, secondary and university education Interview with Maria Rieradevall, expert in education and water 2050 Visions educating for a new water culture around the world We recommend books, films and documentaries Calendar of days dedicated to water and sustainability Ecological footprint of this magazine If you wish to participate in Education and Sustainability, propose contents, subscribe or collaborate in the distribution, please contact us at es@rce-barcelona.net. The theme of the next issue is Cities.

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every yreve drop pord counts stnuoc In response to our recent reader’s survey, one person commented: "The question is: should we just think about the contents of our teaching? Isn’t it more important to think about which kind of teaching approach to use?" This is where we focus Education and Sustainability – how we can teach people to incorporate the true value of water in their decisions – and we have asked teachers, “GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THINGS” © PABLO PRO

Imagine a world where human beings knew how to organise themselves as well as ecosystems do: self-regulating and in balance with the environment.

Imagine that our activities generated zero emissions and didn’t waste a drop of water. And picture this - everyone on the planet has access to safe drinking water and we take this vital resource into account when making all kinds of decisions, whether deciding to build a casino in the desert (or not!) or choosing between eating meat or soya.

If this sounds like an impossible task, perhaps we need to find alternative sources of water (apparently there’s lots of it on Mars), or, we make a serious commitment to seeking long-term solutions. For now, a good start would be to train our politicians, farmers, engineers, designers and economists to work in sync with a new water culture.

In many parts of the world the demand for water has exceeded the supply and at present 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water: this is often not a physical problem - lack of water, but in fact an economic problem, caused by inequity of access and distribution of water. Furthermore, according to recent projections, by 2040 a large area of Europe will be desert. To reverse these trends (or at least adapt to them) a drastic change in people’s mentality needs to take place. As Pedro Arrojo explains in his article in this edition, this transformation cannot be achieved by legislative changes alone, but also requires major effort in terms of education.

ecologists, development professionals and students, amongst others, to share their thoughts on this challenge.

We can draw some lessons from the different approaches recommended; first, take the classroom to the river and not the other way round, and second, as pointed out by Carmelo Marcén, deal with both the biological and hydrological aspects as well as the critical problems such as access to water, pollution and social conflicts over water. All this, of course, without forgetting the learning space: try waterless urinals, rainwater harvesting and water audits for starters. This magazine, for example, has cost just over two litres of water per copy.

In Spain and many other parts of the world there is a serious water crisis. This is nobody’s fault, but it is everybody’s problem. So let’s start learning how to do things better before we really do have to jump ship. Dive in!

The Education and Sustainability Editorial Committee

The Editorial Committee does not assume responsibility for the opinions expressed by the authors in this magazine.

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Interview with Pedro Arrojo

Values at from the water culture

Just as we understand that a forest cannot be simply understood as a woodpile, we need to realise that a river is much more than a channel of H2O. We need to move from the management of water to the management of rivers as living ecosystems.

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Pedro Arrojo President of the New Water Culture Foundation Interview by Heloise Buckland

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hese days we understand that as well as providing wood, a forest is landscape, territorial identity and biodiversity; we know that it prevents soil erosion and allows rainwater to infiltrate and be stored in the aquifers. In the case of many rivers, lakes and wetlands, we have managed to lose our appreciation of the values that they offer. Economic development has been given priority to such an extent that the rivers have ended up as mere suppliers of water resources and a place to dump waste. However, until just a few decades ago rivers were traditionally spaces for meeting others and for enjoyment; they served as beaches for those who live inland; fishing and boating were not just economic activities, but were also for leisure; the riverbanks were cool spaces for meandering and meeting people.

What role does education play in the recuperation of the values rivers offered us?

The legislative framework of the Water Framework Directive does not just imply a change in legal formalities, but is in fact a fundamental change in the order of values, from resource management to systems

management.When we talk about a change of values, whether we like it or not, these cannot be changed by legal decree; values in a society change little by little and education is therefore essential. Education is not just about learning facts and figures but is also about adopting an order of values, priorities and sense of ethics in individuals. In this case it is essential that we change our relationship to rivers and to nature, basing our actions on a new paradigm of sustainability.

We are now starting to recognise the importance for our society that rivers, lakes and aquifers are in good ecological condition. We are becomingly increasingly aware of the consequences of managing these ecosystems in a utilitarian way as if they were merely channels and deposits of water. When they are in good ecological condition, rivers, lakes, and especially wetlands, are genuine natural water purifiers.

When we degrade them, beyond killing fish we are destroying other species that we cannot see but which are the basis of this purifying function. When we destroy the complex web of life of the river’s habitat, or when we drain a wetland (with its vast purifying capacity), we are destroying a heritage which, without knowing it, has been working for us for free. This now leads us to spend millions of euros on waste water treatment plants which do what nature did before, for free.

What are the most effective educational activities to help people understand the complexity of these water resources?

For me the most effective thing is to go out into the river environment, scramble on its banks and get inside the aquatic system itself; get out onto the water on a boat, or go for a swim. We

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stake new

There are many other environmental functions from which so-called environmental services arise. The case of the huge Aswan Dam over the Nile could serve as an example. When the force of the river was weakened, it was known that the Delta at Alexandria would retreat back from the sea, progressively sink and become salinated.

Nevertheless, the actual speed and severity of

Education and Sustainability

RUNNING DRY · © MIKE LAWRIE

are used to understanding milk as something that comes out of a carton and we are also used to the fact that water comes out of the tap.

Breaking the utilitarian paradigm of nature and the paradigm of the oversight that the key to life is to be found in nature means returning to the aquatic environment and taking the classroom to the riverbanks.

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the process was not anticipated. The world’s deltas are like sediment sponges which tend to become compacted by the weight of the deposits themselves, thereby producing a sinking process that is only compensated if the river deposits silt with regular flooding. The Ebro Delta also suffers from this type of problem as a result of the construction of the Mequinenza and Ribarroja dams, which collapse more than 90% of sedimentary flows. The Delta is

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currently sinking at a rate of 4 millimetres a year due to lack of sediments, whilst the sea is rising at a rate of another 4 millimetres as an indirect consequence of climate change.

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Another significant impact of the Aswan Dam became apparent ten years after it was built.

Hundreds of kilometres of tourist beaches started to lose sand. We now know that most of the sand on a beach does not come from the erosion of the waves but is in fact from the continental erosion of the rivers and from their sedimentary deposits on the coastal platforms, from where the coastal currents are responsible for distributing the sand along the coast. Something similar is taking place on many beaches on the Catalan and Valencian coast as an impact of the Bajo Ebro dams. Again, what was done before for free by the river now has to be done using expensive artificial means.

spring 2008

In your opinion, what will be the longterm educational contribution of Expo Zaragoza? And what do you think of the Gran Escala casino city project?

Although there are many aspects that can be criticised I think that the Expo offers a space for many opportunities. How many of these opportunities will be transformed into reality, new attitude and rebellion against the current unsustainable way of doing things? I can’t answer this question. We are making the most of the Expo to launch initiatives that had been considered beforehand and which are projected far beyond the Expo itself, such as the Foro Joven Ríos para Vivirlos (Young People’s Rivers for Living Forum) and the exhibition “Water, rivers and people” which will do a five year world tour. We consider the Expo not as a goal in itself, but as a platform to look towards the future, and the opportunity to reach millions of people who had never even heard about the new water culture. I am sure that it will make an impact on people, especially El Faro, the pavilion of citizens’ initiatives, where a multitude of contradictions are presented for good and for bad.

The Gran Escala casino project is not related to the Expo, but what is certain is that the Aragón Regional Government has lent its support, with an enthusiasm that I consider reckless, to a project that is the antithesis of ethics and sustainability. Is it possible to stop the project?

I believe it is. This initiative is very risky, and it is highly likely that it will fail.

Looking at the water issue from another perspective, nowadays 1.2 billion people in the world do not have guaranteed access to

safe drinking water. As a result it is estimated that more than 10,000 people, mostly children, die each day. However the answer does not usually lie in problems specifically of scarcity, but rather in pollution and ecological degradation. The trouble is that we have degraded these ecosystems and aquifers due to our insatiable and irresponsible zeal for development, and we have caused serious

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WATER? · © DANIEL FARDIN

adults, that preserving life is the most important thing. It is a matter of putting our values in order and in this sense water is a good educational platform. Human rights are neither bought nor sold, and every child should be able to understand this concept, as they have a cleaner soul and a clearer head as a result.

The United Nations declares as a human right the access to at least 30-40 litres of safe drinking water per person per day. This represents just 1.2% of the water that our society uses. In other words, there is no excuse.

We are up against the challenge of guaranteeing at least a public drinking fountain with free drinking water near all houses. These days, in many poor communities, it is usually the women and girls who are responsible for bringing water, which means walking for an average of 5 hours a day.

This means that these girls cannot attend school, amongst other consequences.

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In addition, the unsustainability of aquatic ecosystems aggravates the problem of world hunger, as it wrecks traditional forms of agricultural production linked to fluvial cycles, and degrades or destroys river and marine fisheries that are essential in the diet of millions of people, especially in poor communities.

Fish is, in fact, the protein of the poor.

health problems for the people who depend on them, especially in the poorest communities.

What are the basic concepts that we should teach future generations?

In short, we have to distinguish the function of water for life, both the human right to access to safe drinking water and nature’s right to be healthy. We have to teach our children, and

In summary, we are confronted with the challenge of a cultural change which implies assuming ethical principles of sustainability and equity in the management of aquatic ecosystems and water as the basis of life and as a public asset.

Pedro Arrojo, Professor of the Economic Analysis Department at the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of Zaragoza, and president of the New Water Culture Foundation.

Education and Sustainability

Within this context, the World Bank is proposing the privatisation of basic water and sanitation services. In short, commercialising water management means transforming citizens into clients; however, when these citizens are poor, it involves marginalising them and ignoring their basic human rights.

We have to distinguish between water according to functions of life, what we could call water-for-life, the use of which should be guaranteed as a human right, and water-forthe-economy, which should be relegated to a second priority. The right to be richer may be legitimate, but it should never be put before that of the human right to water or to the right of communities and people to have living rivers and healthy aquatic ecosystems.

IN BRIEF

IN THE CLASSROOM

Green Schools:

audit, save, reuse

+34 93 4151112 · www.mediambient.gencat.net/cat/ciutadans/educacio_ambiental/escoles_verdes

spring 2008

The CEIP Montseny in Sant Just Desvern has also had an interesting experience with the “Water and Democracy, the Uses of Water” project, within the Comenius School Development Project. This is the third and final year of this project on water, in which the democratic participative management of this resource, with the involvement of the entire school community, is one of the key points.

One of the main aspects of this

children, conferences, study activities, cleaning streams, etc. They have also created a group of Reporters, who seek news related to the environment.

SUMMONING THE WATER · © PEDRO BALBIS PINTO

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The Catalan Green Schools programme is setting up a series of interesting and innovative educational projects. At Primary level, some exceptional efforts are being made by CEIP La Riba. La Riba is a village in the Tarragona region where water is not in short supply as the rivers Brugent and Francolí flow through it. The aim of the water-saving project, based around finding out the origin of the water that the students use and its cycle, is to promote appropriate conduct for responsible water use and reduce its consumption in their daily activities. All pupils from the school have been involved in this project, from the infants school, who use the water that is left in their glasses to water the plants, for example; to high school level, where students make statistical checks of the school’s water consumption by checking the meter once a fortnight.

experience is the fact that the students themselves can manage the project and introduce the dynamism.

They therefore carry out many different activities, such as creating videos designed for and featuring the

At Secondary level, the experiences of IES Ribera Baixa in Prat de Llobregat are interesting. The school has carried out an eco-audit of water with the aim of assessing water consumption, improving its management and moving towards a more rational use of this resource, promoting habits which help save water. The project has allowed systems for saving and reusing water to be applied which have reduced its consumption to levels that are much lower than other schools in the same town. The initiative includes information panels, stickers and specific teaching resources. In the same municipality, IES Doctor Trueta, in the process of becoming a Green School, has put in place measures for the reuse of water from the Llobregat Delta aquifer, complemented by a rainwater collector. The implementation of this system has enabled them to use water from the aquifer for watering plants, eliminate problems of rusting, dampness and leaks from the supply, and save 70% off the water bill, at the same time as offering students the chance to learn from a tangible experience.

Rivers for living:

creating a forum for young people

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The Foro Joven Ríos para Vivirlos (Young People’s Rivers for Living Forum) is an educational project that encourages students from secondary and high school education to get closer to the rivers from many different perspectives.

This has arisen from an initiative from the New Water Culture Foundation and is supported by different autonomous and local authorities from the Ebro River Basin.

The involvement of school teachers has been key to the growth of the project. Initial training courses were programmed to incentivise teachers and this group has worked continually on the project.

The work done by the students over the last two years in S E’

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several communities within the river basin area has been stimulating. Pupils have made visits, held debates, taken part in art and leisure activities with a collective dimension, and a Young People’s Council for Rivers has been formed. All of this will come to a climax at a joint conference on 25th June within the framework of Expo 2008. There the young people from this river basin and others from Val-de-Marne and Lisbon will express their view of rivers using art and leisure activities, share their experiences and adopt an agreement which compiles their own commitments to rivers and demands to be given to the authorities.

+34 976 761488 · www.unizar.es/forojoven

IN BRIEF

IN THE CLASSROOM

Studying the

water cycle +34 93 2374743 · bcn.es/agenda21/a21escolar

at school

Parc de la Sèquia and the Centre de l’Aigua in Can Font The Centre de l’Aigua (Water Centre) is situated in the Can Font masia (rural property), in Parc de la Sèquia. The centre is a water-related interpretation centre which offers different services, such as permanent exhibitions open to the general public (The rational use of water, aimed at raising public awareness of water use, and Water in the city, explaining the

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FILLING UP THE WATER BOTTLE – CEIP PARC DE GUINARDÓ

With this in mind, many schools in the city of Barcelona that participate in the Agenda 21 School programme have developed ecoaudits to determine their water

data have allowed conclusions to be drawn, and suggestions (both individual and collective) for improvement have been debated, considered and drafted in order to reduce overall consumption: exploitation of rainwater, water reuse, intervention in watering vegetation, or introducing systems for reducing consumption in toilets and taps.

Leaving to one side awareness-

YOU CAN USE RAINWATER TO WATER THE PLANTS

YOU MUSTN’T LEAVE THE TAP RUNNING

consumption and suggest measures to reduce consumption and save water. Based on information gathering (surveys, interviews, reading meters, etc.) they have estimated each person’s approximate consumption and the school’s weekly consumption, water loss on the premises, wastewater production, etc. These

raising of the water cycle in the centre and reducing consumption, the most important goal is modifying children’s habits in their use of water resources (both in terms of saving water and preventing it from becoming polluted). In some schools, exhibitions have been organised with information compiled by the students.

PUPILS IN THE CENTRE DE L’AIGUA LABORATORY AT CAN FONT

urban section of the water cycle). It is an educational space aimed at all students of primary, secondary and high school education, as well as the adult general public.

Its infrastructure includes classrooms, laboratories, scale models and equipment for carrying out educational activities with teaching and training centres. These activities could be visits to the water treatment plant, or educational workshops and training days in the Centre itself. There is also a documentation centre and archive for public consultation, designed in particular for students and researchers on subjects related to water.

This centre, a point of reference in the region, unites multiple public interests as it meets a pedagogical function with the mission of spreading the word on water’s importance for the planet and mankind, and is a major centre for environmental education in the city of Manresa.

Furthermore, the surroundings of the Centre de l’Aigua, the Parc de Can Font, are vitally important within the urban growth of the city, where it has been possible to preserve an oak wood as a green area within the urban surroundings.

+34 93 8748616 · www.parcdelasequia.cat

Education and Sustainability

Schools are large consumers of water, with a large number of people for many hours a day with many points of consumption (toilets, taps, showers, kitchens, laboratories, etc.) which all adds up to a considerably high demand.

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The role of schools in

the future The educational focus on socio-environmental issues is not a passing trend, it is a collective responsibility. The power of schools to bring about change requires structured programmes, which can evolve in a variety of different ways. The foundations firstly have to be laid in order to help find solutions for water to be considered a shared resource. This process requires training, and schools are a key place for this.

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spring 2008

Carmelo Marcén, Teacher at IES Miguel Catalán Secondary School, Zaragoza

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he subject of water is often present, as much in daily conversations as in the media; it is regularly in the news.

Much the same thing happens in schools, where water is talked about and worked with. Aspects related to its properties and natural cycle are most frequently touched on; although in recent years the focus has been on the uses of “water as a resource”.

Included in the proposals for courses in secondary or high school education are topics linked to the importance of water for human beings and other themes related to the finite nature of this resource. Curricular development happens over time, but the way that the subject of water is represented within the curriculum has stayed more or less the same.

Apart from its importance within the curriculum, the topic of water is one of the environmental subjects about which schools receive most proposals from local councillors, and from both public organisations and private companies. These proposals, while doubtless well-intentioned, have very different formats and somewhat varied aims; there ends up being a disjointed set of initiatives for development, whose impact is scarcely evaluated. Schools welcome them, but they rarely provoke collective debate.

Teaching pupils about water So the jury is still out on how the subject of water can best be taught; to prove it you only have to carry out a search on the internet or have a look at the section on teaching resources in this magazine or others like it.

Behind all the initiatives lies the conviction that educational work about water is always worthwhile. One assumes that its instigators believe that attitudes about water can be changed through teaching, that some behaviour is in need of change, and that global education intervention is relevant in this shift in attitude.

Let us take these assumptions one by one.

There are those who maintain that habits are acquired through imitation, others say that they are learned as a result of thorough training, while some believe that neither the one nor the other is correct, but that it is the environment – the environmental problems at any given time – which generate the models for life and how it evolves.

It is possible that school children behave in a certain way because they do not realise that water is a precious and vulnerable asset, which belongs to everyone and is unequally distributed; this is because they follow social norms or because they have not been given

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of water precise rules of conduct in this area.

While it is known that intervention at the school level is relevant to changing behaviour, less clear is that the perception and readiness for action improve if there is social acceptance; this is the strategic situation. Pro-environmental actions carry more weight if backed up by similar practices in schools or society, providing they favour a sense of individual responsibility within the social group and if at the same time they are accompanied by coherent institutional initiatives.(1) In that case, given that water continues to be a social concern and is maintained as a subject in school, there is no reason to say no to the educational activities. That said, it remains to be seen how it is to be achieved.

to evaluate processes and interactions between water and the individual and water and society. It is understandable that this should be the case, as these topics form part of the multiple curricular proposals which are taught during the years of compulsory education.(2) It is also possible to see from this that some school children do not see the relevance in saving water, and that they pass the responsibility on to the different authorities; they also show a worrying identification with the relationship between consumption of water and quality of life.(3) There are two hypotheses to consider when de-

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How do school children perceive water?

Education and Sustainability

Any proposal to make changes in education should be supported by a thorough knowledge of the existing situation. A quick summary would show that the pupils understand that water is made up of several components, that it has a series of properties, can exist in different states, is used in everyday life and has a bearing on health; in addition they know about its role in the formation of the hydrosphere and in the water cycle. Generally, pupils respond without difficulty to questions about facts and figures, but find it much harder

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION · FORO JOVEN RÍOS PARA VIVIRLOS

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IN THE CLASSROOM

veloping a plan for future action. In the first place, there seems to be a relationship between repetitive teaching and how much is learnt; in the second place, it seems that there is too much emphasis on the learning of facts and figures to the detriment of concentrating on other material related to collective action, which has not managed to “seep through” effectively enough into either the text books or the curricula set by the educational authorities. As a consequence, it should be clear that the power of schools to educate has not been lost, but that their aims need to be modified.

The school syllabuses need an overhaul; this could come from within as there is room to achieve this in class planning processes.

Some suggestions for change

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Summarising the most valid educational options for reversing such a deep-rooted method of teaching is not an easy task, still less to find strategies which will work for all schoolchildren. Still, following on from the aforementioned and working in teams to encourage participation, there are various possible options.

They are complementary and would allow for multiple modifications, but they all require planning.

Studying problematic situations and working on problem-solving.

Developing teaching units with a “globalising” format and aims.

Improving environmental management in schools by implementing school eco-audits.

Collaborating with networks and organisations to work on the subject of water.

Studying a well known issue. Problems with the water supply or incidences of contamination, social conflicts caused by distribution, inequality between the First and Third World, etc.

These are issues which are useful to look at, although they do not solve the problem as they first require the mobilisation of intellectual and attitudinal resources. By varying the dimension of the problem, they can be used at any educational level. There is one condition: that the learning process is organised around a single argument, which makes sense of the whole sequence. Starting from pre-existing ideas and from the recognition of habits leads to a restructuring and questioning of certain behaviours within the group. The sequence to follow, which should be short (or schoolchildren lose interest), is simple: the creation of a global overview to highlight the situation and analyse causes, suggest actions, develop them and evaluate the results.(2) Teaching proposals on the subject of water.

Working around two or three aspects, above all individual and collective uses of water, would mean that the most urgent situations can be identified to work on straight away. For exam-

ple, related themes linked to the importance of water in life or in the environment, personal or collective use, etc. A few organised activities should be included: something to motivate, to develop ideas and to apply in a practical way. In this way there is time to deal with all of the issues and evaluate the results with the pupils, making it easier to stimulate learning. These proposals are recommended for groups which still do not have a clear global overview of the subject, although they already have a definite interest in teaching it.

Improving the management of the school.

Nowadays, the problems which the use of water generates in a school can be solved by simple technical tweaking or by installing watersaving devices. However, an eco-audit of water could be useful, as it would favour collective participation in the common objective that is sustainable management. In this case, we should certainly consider the improvement of environmental management and problem-solving. If by doing this changes of attitude are achieved, these will carry over into family life.

Sharing water. The water network. There is a lot on offer from organisations such as UNESCO, Greenpeace, Intermón-Oxfam or others closer to home which offer materials and resources for schools. The creation of a water action group which could be linked to one of the existing networks is a good way of establishing the dynamic of learning from others and of sharing. Initiatives from autonomous government and town halls can also be taken advantage of, such as Agenda 21, Green Schools, Eco-Schools, etc. Given their participative nature, there would need to be a strong collective to keep them going year after year.

The unique position of schools to act as a catalyst for change has not been sufficiently exploited, but there is still time to achieve this.

In order to do so, we have to make room for the educational practices which will create a different vision of water. This vision seems more related to a revision of the relationship between humans and water, with a global dimension and a participative aim, as opposed to just focussing on water’s properties and its use as a resource.

References Benayas; Poguntke; Marcén (2004). “Recopilación y análisis de investigaciones sobre el agua y la educación ambiental”. Congreso Agua y Educación Ambiental (pp. 165-182).

Alicante: CEMACAM. (2) Marcén (2006). Las ideas de los escolares sobre el agua. Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo. www.ecodes.org.

(3) Marcén (2004). “Usos y abusos del agua”.

Cuadernos de Pedagogía (no. 334, pp. 34-37).

Barcelona: Cisspraxis.

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FOOTSTEPS IN THE WATER · © CHECHI PE

Education, ecology and management of the Baix Llobregat Campus lake

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The ecological value of the naturalised lake on the Technical University of Catalonia Baix Llobregat Campus, recently included in the Catalonia Wetlands Catalogue, has highlighted the challenge to meet educational and scientific goals within the context of unsustainable public resource management.

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espite being located in the town of Castelldefels, the Baix Llobregat Campus breaks up the urban landscape. Located in an area that was originally destined to agriculture, it takes the form of a peri-urban park. The plan for the installation of a university campus in Castelldefels, approved by the academic authorities in 1993, included the creation of the stratified lake to transport the Campus’ water, prevent flooding risks and, at the same time, turn it into an integrated element of natural environment and landscaping. This idea was exploited by the Agència Catalana d'Aigues (ACA; Catalan Water Agency), who identified the opportunity to resolve the historical lack of hydraulic planning in the

municipality, which year upon year leads to flooding in different neighbourhoods in the city. In March 2003 TYPSA, S.A. was awarded the project to redirect part of the rainwater towards the lake.

The lack of sustainability criteria in this ACAled project obliged the UPC to specify that the work be carried out harmonising flood prevention criteria (using hydraulic channels) with those of respecting a naturalised environment where a wide range of research, teaching and educational activities concerning sustainability are carried out. In particular, there is concern about the risk of introducing polluted water into the lake. Meanwhile, paradoxically, a separate Environment Department unit, the

Antoni Grau Professor of the Department of Systems Engineering, Automation and Industrial Information Technology Josep-Lluís Moner and Marta Pujadas Centre for Sustainability, Technical University of Catalonia

Education and Sustainability

Technocracy vs sustainability

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Directorate General of the Natural Environment, has included the lake in the "Catalonia Wetlands Catalogue".

Unfortunately, however, the rapid naturalisation that took place at the beginning of its excavation was counteracted by the loss of water quality and ecosystem degradation (especially as a result of wastewater filtrations), a consequence of the poor environmental management carried out

by ACA, which reflects a total lack of sustainability criteria.

Lake ecology The excavation of the subsoil to create the lake (1997-1998) contributed to achieving a pioneering success: 14

The lake’s naturalisation process took place rapidly, without the need to mobilise major material, energy or monetary resources; the aquifer water rose with excellent quality and the typical Llobregat Delta flora and fauna quickly colonised the environment, heightening the area’s environmental value.(1)

spring 2008

A campus was created which set aside a significant part of its space for environmental functions and to reduce the ecological footprint of the academic activities themselves. The buildings include water, energy and resource saving devices, and the campus managers are encouraged to make this a normal part of running the site.

The lake became a place for fieldworkbased experimentation and teaching for teachers and students, alongside training activities and raising environmental awareness amongst the university community and schools from neighbouring towns.

A diverse number of avifauna species, many protected by community rulings, have their habitat in the area, such as the little grebe, the grey heron, the garza encarnada, the little bittern or the European bee-eater. Parallel to this is the extension of the side-necked turtle reintroduction project, coordinated by Llobregat Delta reserve technicians. Since 2005 a series of releases have been carried out which have contributed to increasing the population of this species, which is also protected.

The lake has become a space for the local community, although the town council is promoting its exclusive use as an urban park and is not making the most of its extraordinary opportunities nor the educational resources generated to promote environmental values. In the absence of education and public awareness-raising

campaigns, the flora and fauna in the area is suffering from growing aggression: the introduction of invasive species (Florida turtle and carp); excessive feeding of ducks; invasion of pets (dogs); tipping rubbish and plastic bags. During August and September 2007 periods of intense rains broke the holding wall of the work started by the ACA, which caused a serious loss of fish and severe water quality degradation.

These phenomena have all caused a significant drop in the quality of the water, and in addition an increase in levels of eutrophication. Currently, the ecosystem’s capacity to achieve a good ecological quality as set by the Water Framework Directive is seriously under question as is, therefore, continuing to offer the teaching and research services acquired over the last few years.

Educational activities on the lake The lake has become a space for the promotion of interdisciplinary dialogue.

Various analysis, monitoring and conservation projects have been initiated, which have turned it into a top level experimental fieldwork site for researchers and students. Some of these projects also contribute to promoting environmental and naturalistic values within the University and beyond, which generates interesting educational resources and materials.

Beyond the sphere of the University, the lake’s link with the land has provided new added value for the town due to having become a recreational area for different social groups.

Furthermore, it has made it possible to increase the surface area of protected marshes, which are on the decline in Spain.

REAL Laboratory A biannual interdisciplinary research programme has been established within the Campus Environmental Plan framework (1998) with the aim of correcting deviations from the Plan in campus activities. The REAL Laboratory programme incentivises research, technological innovation, and training in sustainability.

Two calls for projects have been made since 2001 with fifteen projects being carried out with the participation of more than fifty researchers and students from different disciplines. This link between teaching and research in the study of real life case studies constitutes the lake’s great educational and learning value.

ITINERA project Making the most of the interest in the Campus as a semi-urban space in which naturalistic, technological and social aspects

REFLECTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM

are combined, a training and environmental awareness-raising activity has been designed.

This is namely the ITINERA project, which consists of an environmental itinerary around the Campus with twelve points that indicate the elements of natural and technological interest in the area.

Parallel to this, a volunteer project in which university students act as guides on the itinerary has been designed.

Both students and E

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university teachers who are involved in the project and those from secondary schools have remarked upon the positive influence the activity has on the people who follow the itinerary, given that it makes them reflect on the negative effects that acquired attitudes and habits have on this type of natural environment.

An exemplary case: the TOLLA project The study of ecosystems or natural systems mainly serves to understand the complex relationships between living things and their environment. This project helps us to understand more clearly Man’s impact on nature and its consequences. In the same way, predicting the behaviour of natural systems teaches us to make our relationship with the Earth more sustainable. When we alter the natural environment we need detailed knowledge of the situation so that we can make appropriate and responsible changes. In order to predict different factors that regulate natural systems we need to know what they are and therefore formulate development models that, in short, represent a system using mathematical equations that reflect how it works, in the sense that they describe the relationship between each of the components and external influences. To demonstrate the efficacy of the models, we have to assess them comparing the predictions that are provided with real data.

Therefore, the goal of the TOLLA project, within the REAL Laboratory framework, is fundamentally to gather real data from the lake

over time and create a behavioural model that uses these data to make a continual prediction.

The first part consists of creating a database that allows us to gather a set of data provided by chemists and geologists, taken directly from the lake. A website was set up in order to permit the use of these data by the entire scientific community,(2) which allowed them to simultaneously introduce data, obtain graphics and access them remotely.

Using the real data gathered, a complex model could be created of the lake’s behaviour for use as a research tool for ecologists, biologists and environmental engineers, known as a research simulator.

Specifically, the simulator predicts the development of the lake’s components in terms of primary producers (phytoplankton, such as diatoms and algae), herbivores (zooplankton), nutrients or fertilisers (nitrogen, as nitrate plus ammonium) and phosphates with the aim of preventing natural risks in these aquatic ecosystems.

Amongst other things, the data that the simulator needs are the water temperature, the concentration of oxygen dissolved, the water level and other morphological and orographic data, which are obtained directly

Education and Sustainability

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REFLECTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM

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spring 2008

NATURALISATION OF THE LAKE (BEFORE AND AFTER) · MARTA PUJADAS

from the database. This simulator reproduces the behaviour of freshwater aquatic systems in order to perform an ecological study.

To improve curricular adaptation, the simulator’s creators translate this experience into the classroom for us by creating a simplified version of the model to obtain an educational simulator. Using the same website as the TOLLA project, a remote laboratory has been created with a set of simulation practice exercises and dynamic system modelling which allows university students to practice with real data and models from ecological systems. The experience has been well-received by the students whilst raising greater awareness of the environment and, more specifically, aquatic ecological systems.

Conclusions The advance of the sustainability culture demands a paradigm shift, which transversally covers all key social sectors. The experience with the Baix Llobregat Campus lake has led to changes in the perception of the university community, school pupils and local residents regarding the value of freshwater bodies and ecosystems.

Nevertheless, the technocratic inertia to solve

problems at "the end of the line", the simply nominalist incorporation of sustainability criteria in public management and the lack of updated knowledge, have caused a severe negative impact and have contributed to putting the brakes on this pioneering experience. While institutional campaigns by ACA encourage the general public to save every drop of water, pointing the finger at citizens as having the greatest responsibility, often the public authorities allow millions of litres of water to be spoiled or polluted, or permit inadequate uses of water.

The consequences of applying unsustainable public management criteria generate significant barriers to teaching initiatives and educational experiences however pioneering they may be. It is essential that education for sustainability urgently penetrates the mentality, values and skills of governments and public authority managers, including those working in the environmental field.

References UPC Sostenible 2015 portal. The Baix Llobregat Campus lake (www.upc.edu-/sostenible2015) (2) www.tolla.upc.edu (1)

IN BRIEF

IN THE CLASSROOM

Schools from Valle del Ges i el Bisaura, in the north of the Osona region, have been taking part in Catalonia’s Escoles Verdes (Green Schools) Programme since the 2001-2002 school year. One of their programmes is “From spring to spring, we learn from water”. This is a proposal which invites open participation; it promotes knowledge, research and action in students’ own environment and reality focussing on springs as added social value and water as a resource.

This shared initiative is based on a training seminar with teachers from the following schools: CEIP Fortià Solà, IES Cirviànum, Escola Rocaprevera, CEIP Vall del Ges and Col·legi Sagrats Cors in Torelló; CEIP Lloriana in Sant Vicenç de Torelló; CEIP Josep M. Xandri in Sant Pere de Torelló; CEIP Segimon Comas and SES Bisaura in Sant Quirze de Besora.

The technical coordination and creation of the educational dossiers is by the organisation viladraueducacio.com, which in the first year was supported by the consortium of municipalities and the Osona regional council.

Based on the central theme of springs, the idea is that students and their families work on analysing and researching the subject with the intention of finding out more about this social and natural heritage.

This project aims to develop an inventory of the springs in the region, go into more depth on the more educational aspect of this heritage and create a shared space for exchange (a website with its own domain name) where the work done by the students on the springs and related activities can be uploaded. In addition, a Spring Day is planned which will involve participating in the Fira Natura (Nature Fair) in Torelló where the programme will be presented. Training and informative material will also be developed for families.

In terms of the work’s methodology, the plan is for each of the schools to

+34 93 8849131 www.viladraueducacio.com

look for a grandparent or neighbour who will act as a patron, orienting students and giving them information on the history and social aspects of springs.

Afterwards, an annual visit will be made to a selected spring to carry out an appropriate field study, as well as a basic clean-up of the spring if this is considered necessary. This fieldwork is based on an educational dossier and also serves to carry out an initial diagnosis of the spring’s condition.

An educational guide (for primary and secondary levels) and a complementary information dossier is avai-

DONA DE L’AIGUA • NEUS BRUGUERA

w

lable for this practical field trip which allows all of the information available on the spring to be collected by all schools as the basis for later classroom work. Finally, the students will have access to a website where participating schools can exchange information, experiences and ideas.

Western Mediterranean Project The Proyecto Mediterráneo Occidental (PMO; the Western Mediterranean Project), coordinated internationally by Unescocat (Catalonia’s UNESCO Centre since 2005), is an educational project from UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project which includes nine states from the Western Mediterranean area (Algeria, Andorra, Spain, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco and Tunisia).

The goals of PMO are in line with Unescocat’s action areas (peace, human rights, development, sustainability, interreligious dialogue and interculturalism) and are organised around the following central themes: Taking an active part in solving environmental problems, especially those related to the value of water in the Mediterranean, ecotourism and natural heritage protection, and participating in the United Na-

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BAZARUTO ISLAND · © EVELYNE CHIAROT

tions Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).

Putting into practice solidarity and cooperation between countries and people, as well as the culture of peace in the Mediterranean.

Contributing to better knowledge and promoting dialogue between cultures and religions to encourage coexistence and respect for difference.

Promoting linguistic diversity and the preservation of the cultural heritage present in the whole of the Mediterranean.

In order to achieve these objectives, specific actions are proposed to primary and secondary schools associated to UNESCO: inter-school twinning programmes, exchange of teaching materials, international inter-school camps and teachers meetings. Àlex Cosials, Ángeles Rojo and Marga Serra +34 93 4589595 · www.unescocat.org

Education and Sustainability

r e rn fro wat a e l m e

From spring to spring

IN BRIEF

IN THE CLASSROOM

Student case studies on water conservation for energy savings

Mutual energy and water savings Young people from colleges and high schools in India documented case studies illustrating how water conservation has led to energy conservation. A unique feature of this project was that it not only dealt with water, but also considered the relationship between water and energy. The cases focused on behavioural practice as well as applied engineering practice. The following paragraphs highlight the results of each case study.

Reducing tap water wastage: Water wastage has been reduced by the introduction of a nylon orifice in the water taps, in an industry in Surat, Gujarat. This action has enabled a saving of 19 litres of water per minute.

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Water harvesting: facing water shortage, an educational institute in Mumbai set up a small-scale conventional gravity based rainwater harvesting unit at the campus to help raise the ground water table and recharge the bore wells. Another school in Bhavnagar has set up a rainwater harvesting structure to water the kitchen garden which supplements the school children’s mid-day meal. The construction of this structure was enabled through the sale of flower garlands, made and sold by school students.

Holy showers: local authorities in Andhra Pradesh have set up showers on the ghats of the Krishna River, for devotees who want to take a holy bath in the river during the Pushkaram festival in Andhra Pradesh which lasts for 12 days. This has helped in reducing water pollution as well as the energy needed for water treatment.

Improved city supply: city managers have initiated efforts to save electricity consumed in the process of water supply to the inhabitants through the reduction of the distance

RAINWATER RAINWATER HARVESTING HARVESTING AT AT SCHOOL. SCHOOL. PUNE, PUNE, INDIA INDIA •• SANSKRITI SANSKRITI MENON MENON

between the source and the destination. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation managed to save 60% of transmission losses.

New dam design: A new design of dam has been developed by farmers in Gir taluka, Gujarat. The dam consists of a series of semicircular arches that increase the total area of the dam and reduce the pressure of the stored water on the dam wall. This new design is cheaper than the cost of conventional check dams.

These case studies are part of a project carried out by SAYEN, in India and Sri Lanka, developed by Winrock International, with the support of USAID. Savita Bharti · www.ceeindia.org

The best toilet spring 2008

Participatory assessment of water and sanitation facilities in schools in India In April 2006 the School Sanitation programme of the Department of Education of Andhra Pradesh commissioned the Council for Environmental Education to conduct a study of the water and sanitation facilities in schools with the support of UNICEF. The objectives were to undertake a participatory assessment of water and sanitation facilities in schools involving students, teachers and parents, and to identify and present a set of recommendations for improving the installations. A set of innovative participatory methods were used to capture the interest of students and teachers during the process: Guided tour: teachers and students formed separate study teams and carried out tours of the facilities to identify the key features of the installations.

Flash cards: students were asked to point out the positive and negative aspects of

ked in groups to design the ‘best toilet’.

Photo documentation: teachers took photographs of 5 positive aspects and 5 negative aspects for each of the urinals, latrines, drinking water and hand wash basins.

Score card: teachers designed a set of criteria to evaluate the water and sanitation infrastructure in the schools.

Each teacher scored their own school against these criteria.

PLAYING WITH HAND PUMP • UDIT KULSHRESTHA

the water and sanitation installations using photos from the selected schools.

Design the best toilet: the students wor-

The study covered 30 schools in three different districts and resulted in a series of recommendations to improve the infrastructure and design, as well as the maintenance and management of the water and sanitation facilities in the schools.

Ushodayan Thampy, Vanitha Kommu www.ceeindia.org

IN BRIEF

IN THE CLASSROOM

Inspiring, informing and enabling through

alternative technologies

Barcelona Tech, a new space for

knowledge transfer

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WATER WHEEL, MONTE VERDE, BRAZIL. © ALVARO ALKSCHBIRS

The centre is aimed at people of all ages and can be visited daily. There is also a free information and consultancy service. The CAT has become well-established as a place to learn new things, offering courses which last from a weekend to a whole year, and it also offers visits for schools linked to the National Curriculum. A small community lives in the centre and puts these ideas into practice. The centre runs more than 120 courses a year, and has been adapted for groups with special needs, primary, secondary, universities, teachers, etc. The courses are designed in collaboration with the groups and are adapted to the needs of the participants. The educational activities available include excursions, theatre and roleplaying workshops, cooperative workshops and scientific experiments, with specific educational material available for students to work on different topics in the classroom. In addition, the centre offers a wide range of postgraduate and continuous training programmes at the Graduate School of the Environment, which offers courses that focus mainly on sustainable architecture; all of these courses are officially recognised.

+44 (0) 165 470 2400 · www.cat.org.uk

TURN THE TAP OFF • © JOHN DALKIN

b_TEC is a space dedicated to knowledge transfer and technology; in other words, a space for interdisciplinary communication where training, business and research activities are carried out between universities, public authorities and companies, who work in specific areas and knowledge sectors in an innovative and entrepreneurial context within the Spanish and international sphere. b_TEC heads up the design, organisation and management of the Besòs InterUniversity Campus to create a space based on three knowledge vectors: energy, water and mobility.

Its mission revolves around sustainability principles, internationality, the connection with the social environment, communication between different agents and results-oriented innovative work.

The Barcelona Tech Summer Sessions are international days, organized by b_TEC, which have become a meeting place between businesses, public authorities and international universities within the framework of the Besòs Campus. They are aimed at specialists and students of these sectors and promote activities which bring knowledge to a younger and non-specialist audience which reached more than 3,000 secondary and high school students last year. They also organise activities related to these themes for a more general audience through the dynamization of other spaces in their more immediate environment, such as civic centres.

+34 93 3560980 www.btec.org

Education and Sustainability

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) aims to promote a way of life that makes us more aware of our actions and thereby reduces our impact on the environment. With more than thirty years experience and experimentation in alternative lifestyles, the centre proposes practical solutions to various environmental problems. Leading by example, the centre aims to show us that we can combine a more sustainable life with a higher quality of life. The main areas of activity are renewable energies, sustainable building, energy efficiency, ecological crops and wastewater. The function of CAT is to explore and demonstrate a wide range of alternatives, inspiring, informing and enabling.

IN BRIEF

IN THE CLASSROOM

Engineers of the future:

a reality check

spring 2008

POOL FOR PRIMARY TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER

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WATERLESS URINAL • DANIEL LOBO WASTEWATER LIFT STATION

Who hasn’t studied a subject where teachers have used examples that you would never find in real life? I think it’s happened to everybody. Setting unrealistic, invented and even ridiculous exercises can fulfil, at the very least, the theoretical goals of a subject, but it is not enough to have a vast knowledge of theories, slogans, axioms, laws and more theoretical figures; the student should know how these key concepts can be applied in the real and tangible world. We are convinced, and we therefore apply this within our classes at the Technical Unviersity of Catalonia, that a real example, problem or dilemma turns tedious theory into something more engaging and more easily-assimilated by students. If, as well as being real examples, these are sustainable in nature or are related to environmental issues, then teaching staff may be even more pleasantly surprised: problem-solving sessions turn into a heated debate about matters that affect us all and the environment as a whole, which means that (with welldirected debate and argument) the students’ human side can come to the surface, however technical the subject being studied.

This pedagogical methodology is criticised by those who don’t really care, those who look down on what they know nothing about, and those whose teaching notes are starting to fade although they would like to think of them as still being whiter than white. We here defend the importance of setting real and sustainable examples to supplement theoretical concepts, but we are also realistic about the fact that this can bring an added difficulty for teaching staff: in the first place we have to find real applications which allow us to extract elements which can be used as ‘bitesized problems’, and secondly, which have sustainability as the main focus.

Within the teaching of Systems and Automation Engineering, compulsory subject in university industrial engineering studies, we believe that we can meet the two requirements

Antoni Grau · Yolanda Bolea Professors in the Systems and Automation Engineering Department of the Technical University of Catalonia

mentioned previously (real applications with a sustainable focus) if we analyse all the processes that take place in a sewage treatment plant.

This type of plant contains sufficient complex mechanisms, apparatus and elements of process automation to be used in various subjects on our curriculum, whilst considering the problem of treating water, its scarcity, reuse, contamination by spillage into the sea or other effluents, or the breakdown of dry sludge that is extracted from wastewater.

The steps taken to create this educational project were firstly to contact the managers of the company running the treatment plant so that they could participate in the process of creating the teaching material.

After the required formalities, the plant head was therefore contacted and we decided to assign a manager for each of the processes the water goes through; these managers (a total of twelve people from the company) have worked closely with our university team (the project’s academic managers) to draft each chapter and give it the educational focus that was being sought, placing a special emphasis on environmental improvements which are implemented in a latest generation plant.

The result is a teachers’ book that is about to be published, in which there are no grand theories of automatic control or regulation; in their place there are a multitude of real problems, examples and practical examples on all of the processes experienced by wastewater from when it enters a treatment plant until it leaves, as well as treating its contaminants and waste products.

The book also aims to generate thinking on the current water problem and transmit it to university students. The project has been carried out at the Besòs Wastewater Treatment Plant, with the disinterested collaboration of EMSSA, the concessionary company.

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Menorca

The fresh water challenge

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BINIMEL-LA TORRENT, MENORCA. · EDUARD FURRÓ

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ow can we change uses of water so that they can take on sustainability criteria? Perhaps through legislation? Perhaps through public complaints? Or public campaigns? These are the questions that arise after having proven that the real situation of Menorcan water reserves was even more worrying than we had suspected.

Menorca only gets fresh water from the rain that manages to infiltrate the subsoil. For this to happen, it has to rain with the right intensity and frequency, and the water has to reach the southern and western part of the island where the permeable land is situated. In any case, the reality is that Menorca has increa-

singly fewer water reserves and a large percentage of the water that we do have is quite polluted with chlorides and/or nitrates. These problems are also present in other places nearby where the same policy of managing water (as if it were an infinite resource) has been applied.

We should not resign ourselves to thinking that the solution can be dealt with exclusively by technology (desalination and water treatment plants, etc.). At GOB, which has worked for the environment in Menorca for the past thirty years, we were aware that the lowering of the levels of the aquifers is not just a problem for the human population on the island. The fall in the water table (some 7

Miquel Camps Land Use Policy Coordinator at GOB Menorca

Education and Sustainability

2

On an island of 700 km , with no mountains or rivers, fresh water management is a real challenge. In the light of the progressive degradation of the aquifers, GOB (Grupo Ornitológico Balear) has decided to undertake an initiative that is fundamentally aimed at creating the right social climate to change the water policies that have been applied up to now.

REFLECTIONS

BOAT IN THE DESERT Š KIT OATES

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

metres in 20 years) is causing springs to dry out and wetland areas to disappear, which significantly affects a considerable amount of the island’s biodiversity. It is of no use to wild animals and plants that we put the desalination plant into operation if this is not accompanied by a programme of aquifer recuperation. The overall aim has to be to restore the volume and quality of fresh water in the subsoil.

How is knowledge of the situation transmitted to the community?

spring 2008

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The magnitude of the problem suggests that if we were to approach the public authorities alone, it would be difficult for significant advances to be made. No politician likes to ask people to make sacrifices, nor demand compliance with the rules in force or inform that new rules are being prepared. In fact, GOB has publicly maintained discrepancies with the authority responsible for water resources for years, as official messages have always communicated optimism with respect to the state of the aquifers, despite the fact that the indicators showed very negative trends. Now, after having had access to official studies, which show the real situation, we cannot continue to evade the problem any longer.

The report The water in Menorca. Analysis and proposal document (www.gobmenorca.com), arises from these reflections. In simple language, with short texts and accompanied by illustrations, it compiles the main data on the problems of loss of amount and quality of the aquifers, the likely causes of this situation, and the potential solutions that have to be undertaken. A team of collaborators from different disciplines has helped create the document. The report’s contents are now being presented across the island, and different methods and resources are used in these presentations:

The initial presentation, first at a press conference and afterwards with a talk in the Menorca Island Council, was supported by Pedro Arrojo, president of the New Water Culture Foundation, one of the most charismatic leaders of the campaign against the former National Hydrological Plan and a true authority on water policy matters.

Presentations are being held for the general public in all towns on the island, generally in conference format with slides, followed by a debate amongst those present. The events are arranged with town councils, neighbourhood associations and groups from Local Agenda 21.

An adapted version of the talk has been prepared in order to be able to offer it at secondary schools within the framework of the environmental education programmes set up annually by GOB with town councils and schools. Dozens of talks have been programmed on this issue.

Several radio messages have been recorded using the voices of people of different ages, origin and social status, allowing messages on fresh water to be rebroadcast regularly by certain stations when they have free advertising slots.

The water issue has also become part of certain excursions in the On foot around Menorca programme, known as Water Landscapes, through which GOB organises a series of guided excursions on the first Sunday of the month. These are very popular.

Proposals to public authorities Once a suitable climate has been created with the different activities mentioned, interviews are arranged with local authority leaders who are responsible for matters related to water. In

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

A firm pledge and a favourable context The decision to launch this initiative has been the fruit of an intense internal debate within the framework of the organisation. The subject has been discussed on various occasions, both in meetings of the Board of Directors and in open dialogues with the general public and in different commissions. From these thoughts it was presumed that we were dealing with an issue that it would be necessary to work on permanently, at least in the medium-term. The creation of a work team that meets regularly to analyse the campaign’s progress helps face new challenges or opportunities that arise.

Emphasis should be placed on the suitable context offered by the Water Framework Directive, which obliges significant policy changes to be introduced. For example, suffice to say that in 2010 it will be necessary to apply the recuperation of costs to water services, or that in 2015 we must have achieved the good

condition of freshwater bodies (ground, surface and coastal).

The new water culture movement introduces some useful ideas when working in this field, and the huge amount of work that is being done in certain academic areas can also be very usable if an effort is made to apply it locally and facilitate understanding.

Correct water management is one of the challenges to be addressed in Menorca, which was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1993 and which has made important sustainability pledges in different lines of work. Hopefully within a few years we will be able to announce that the island can set a good example on the water issue.

References El estado de las aguas subterráneas en el archipiélago Balear. Isla de Menorca (2004). (The state of ground waters in the Balearic Archipelago. Island of Menorca). Directorate General of the Balearic Government Water Resources Management. Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. Ministry of Education and Science.

Socio-environmental observatory of Menorca www.obsam.cat.

Menorca island land use plan. Menorca Island Council. 2003.

AquaNet Project. Menorca Island Council.

Conference on the reuse of wastewater. Second Sorea Technical Conference. Maó, 2007.

El reto ético de la nueva cultura del agua.

(The ethical challenge of the new water culture.) Pedro Arrojo. Ed. Paidós. Barcelona, 2006.

Pedro Arrojo. Talk held on 3 November 2006 in the Molí, GOB, Maó.

Grinmed. Meeting of experts and professionals related to the subject of nitrates in Menorca. Maó, 2007.

New Water Culture Foundation www.unizar.es/fnca.

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Education and Sustainability

this case, this includes all town councils, some departments of the Island Council (mainly Agriculture, Environment, Land Use Planning and Local Cooperation) and the Balearic Government, and several bodies derived from the central Government.

These interviews review the potential application of the 56 measures that have been identified as being possible ways of gradually changing negative dynamics. At the same time, these measures are thought out so that they can be applied in three phases: 6 months, 1 year and a half, and 3 years.

Each interview is written up as a public report drafted by GOB which is firstly inspected by the authority in question; this report shows the activities that are being carried out, those that are being studied and, if they go ahead, those that we consider should not be done or which cannot be done. In this way, we achieve transparency, a public record of agreements and a firm commitment, and the subject is kept in the eye of the media.

IN BRIEF

OUTSIDE THECLASSROOM

Where water lives Water consumption where you live water at work THE WATER CARRIER AND BOY © XIAO GUAIEL

The mission of the Agbar Foundation is to promote the Agbar Group’s values, such as a commitment to the environment, research into top quality standards, technological development and the desire to deliver a service. The Foundation is therefore keen to identify opportunities and promote a joined up agenda for water, the environment and society, through spreading knowledge and promoting research programmes, studies and publications.

The Agbar Water Museum, created around the historic Cornellà pumping station, is designed to live water from all points of view: scientific, technological and environmental, but also from a historical, cultural, educational and leisure perspective. The schools programme, with some twenty activities aimed at children and teenagers from infant schools to post-compulsory education, has had more than 17,000 visits annually. It has also been successful in terms of quality education, with innovative projects which encourage students to do their own research. Families are also offered a wide range of activities to enjoy at the Museum, discovering the secrets and phenomena of water. Older people are encouraged to help restore the memory of the uses and daily customs of water through specially-designed reminiscence activities.

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+34 93 3423538 · www.museuagbar.com

+34 637160679 · www.clubemas.cat

We are becoming increasingly conscious of the need to make people aware of the correct management of natural resources and of water in particular. There are now many mechanisms and technologies at our disposal in order to reduce consumption and make better use of our water, but above all we can adopt good practices to change behaviour. This is something that we can all do, whether at home or at work.

Club EMAS, an association of organisations registered with this environmental management system in Catalonia, has decided to invest all its efforts in promoting the improvement in companies’ environmental performance on resource use and preventing pollution. Within the framework of the Revista de Qualitat Ambiental (Environmental Quality Magazine) which is published by Club EMAS, a poster has been designed to raise awareness of the water cycle, water consumption and wastewater management.

The poster introduces the environmental problems associated with this resource, proposes good practices that can be adopted for its use, both at home and at work, and presents a reminder of the main legal procedures. Furthermore, it includes a part that each company can personalise by introducing its consumption data, processes that consume water, activities that generate wastewater and the main parameters that control it.

spring 2008

El Faro: lights for a new culture El Faro (the beacon), the pavilion of citizen’s initiatives, will be one of the most emblematic pavilions at Expo Zaragoza 2008 where the vitality and capacity for innovation with which civil society faces water challenges will be reflected. El Faro will thereby offer specific solutions to water problems, creating new awareness and more sustainable habits. It will be very special, as it will include and transmit the anonymous efforts of the work of more than 175 civil society organisations from around the world.

El Faro revolves around several main principles: the human right to drinking water and sanitation, climate change and all of its consequences, major dams and infrastructures, the public

BUILDING THE BEACON, FUNDACIÓN ECOLOGÍA Y DESARROLLO

management of water, the uses and abuses it is subjected to and the conflicts which arise from it. These goals have a lot resting on them: on one hand, raising awareness of the situation the planet is facing, and more specifically the situation of its aquatic ecosystems and the beings that inhabit them. In addition, there is the need to act responsibly as a consequence, making a firm commitment to helping solve the problems confronting us and preventing problems from arising in the future so that water can go back to being what nature intended it to be: the stuff of life.

+34 976 298282 www.elfaro2008.org

IN BRIEF

OUTSIDE THECLASSROOM

CATALONIA SAVES WATER

inspiring www.city.greatersudbury.on.ca

FITZPATRICK SHOWER · © KEN MC COWN

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www.ecologistesenaccio-cat.pangea.org

tomorrow’s leaders

R

E AT R

E AT YW UR DB SU L

IVA

ST

FE

about this festival is that it has already been translated and adapted for French-speaking children, and introduces the beliefs of aboriginal cultures on water to participants.

The Sudbury Children’s Water Festival offers youngsters hands-on learning on how to preserve and protect water, and shows them the importance of this resource for plants, animals and human life.

E GR

The city of Greater Sudbury, in the north-east of Ontario, Canada (known as the city of lakes as it has more than 330, more than any other municipality in the same province), has held the Sudbury Children’s Water Festival since 2005.

This festival aims to spread the word on the importance of water to more than 2,400 students and serves as a meeting place as it is designed to be adapted to the curricular requirements of 3rd graders from the area’s school boards.

This festival is a creative way for students to learn about all aspects of water. It includes 33 practical activities where students have ten minutes each to take part.

The aim of the festival is to teach people about the importance of water and its conservation, and to promote changes in habits so that young people become catalysts for change in their own homes, schools and immediate surroundings. An interesting point

between 5 and 19% of initial consumption levels, depending on the type and uses of water in the home, simply with the application of several simple measures such as the installation of water-saving devices on the taps, showers and toilets.

Awareness-raising activities were carried out in three specific areas: local authorities, the commercial sector and the public sector. In addition, several infant, primary and secondary schools actively participated in specific activities designed to raise awareness amongst the pupils, and their families, about the importance of saving water.

In view of the serious problems that the drought is having on water resources in Catalonia, experiences which make people more aware of the situation, such as activities organised

by Catalunya Estalvia Aigua, have to help people find possible alternatives if the decision is made to limit the water supply to families if the drought persists. +34 93 4294109

Education and Sustainability

The Catalunya Estalvia Aigua (Catalonia Saves Water) campaign was the response of the organisation Ecologistes en Acció de Catalunya to the possible water transfer from the Ebro Basin to the inland river basins of Catalonia. It arose with the aim of demonstrating that there are imaginative, participative, simple and effective solutions to reducing domestic water demands. The aim was to meet three environmental education objectives: raising public awareness of the need to save water and its efficient use in the home, research into the relationship between uses of water and actual consumption, and quantifying the saving made when water-saving devices are installed in domestic water supply points.

This campaign ran from March 2002 to July 2004 as a pilot study, with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Agència Catalana de l’Aigua; it was implemented in three municipalities: Torredembarra, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda and Barcelona.

The main result was a saving of

TEACHING RESOURCES

A vital resource Water Stress Water stress occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available supply during a certain period or when poor quality restricts its use.

Source: Second World Water Forum

Percentage of fresh water available and world population Everyone needs to be aware of the importance of fresh water for life and the need to use this resource efficiently and responsibly.

Population Fresh water

5% 1%

an Aus d O tra ce lia an ia

ia

35% 59%

As

a

11% 13%

Af ric

rop

e

8% 13%

Eu

26% 6%

S Am outh eri ca

15% 8%

Ce No ntr rth al Am and eri ca

spring 2008

26

Source: UNESCO based on WWDRI, UNESCO-WWAP, 2003

Access to drinking water is the most important requisite for health an exercising our huma rights. We all need drin water but, unfortunate for a large part of th world’s population acquiring clean drinking water is a daily problem.

nd an nking ely, he n

A child born in develo country c thirty to fi more wat a child b develo coun

Each person needs between 20 and 50 litres of clean water every day to carry out their daily activities (cooking, hygiene...).

World popu without (by 6%

Amount of water needed to produce different foods

Pulses, tubers and root vegetables Palm oil

2%

(litre per kilo) Source: FAO, 1997

Citrus fruits 65%

Cereals Poultry

1.1 b do not have

Mutton Beef 0 1,500 3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

Agriculture and livestock are the main sources of food and are the human activities that consume most water. Although agriculture worldwide mainly depends on rainwater, it represents 70% of the extraction of fresh water in the world.

Water, health wastewater is

TEACHING RESOURCES

Events related to trans-boundary river basins Number of events

na oped consumes ifty times ter than born in a oping ntry.

Intensity of conflict/cooperation

0

100

200

400

Source: Wolf et al., forthcoming

Formal war Military activity on a large scale Military activity on a small scale Hostile political/military activity Hostile diplomatic/economic activity Strong/official verbal hostility Moderate/unofficial verbal hostility Neutral or insignificant acts Moderate verbal support Official verbal support Cultural or scientific accord Economic, technological or non-military accord Economic or military strategic support International treaty on water Unification in one nation

28

Although sharing a hydrographical basin can be a potential conflict between countries, experience shows that this situation generates more actions of cooperation than confrontation. In the river basins analysed there have been a total of 1,200 cases of cooperative actions and 500 cases of conflict.

Megacities 26.4 18.0

SÃO PAULO (BRAZIL)

17.9

NEW YORK (USA)

16.7

BOMBAY (INDIA)

16.0

Source: UN, 2002

LOS ANGELES (USA)

13.2

CALCUTTA (INDIA)

13.0

SHANGHAI (CHINA)

12.8

DHAKA (BANGLADESH)

12.5

DELHI (INDIA)

12.4

ulation distribution a water supply

Millions of inhabitants

World population distribution without sanitation

continent)

(by continent)

Africa

5%

Asia

2%

13%

27%

billion people e water in their homes

Latin America and Caribbean Europe Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, 2002.

Updated in September 2002

80%

Currently, 48% of the world’s population live in cities.

In 2030 this proportion will be approximately 60%.

In cities in poor countries where the water supply systems are insufficient, such as Bombay or Delhi (India), a severe contradiction occurs: the poorest people do not have access to good quality water and have to buy drinking water from private sellers at a much higher price than when it comes out of the tap.

References Material adapted from Water in the 21st Century by UNESCOCAT (2008), based on the United Nations report on the development of the world’s water resources: “Water for all, water for life”, edited in English by UNESCO WWAP, 2003. www.unesco.org/water/wwap www.unescocat.org/water www.caixacatalunya.es/territoripaisatge

2.4 billion people do not have access to sanitary systems

h and quality of life are inextricably linked. Access to drinking water and treatment of s essential to cover human needs and guarantee a dignified life.

Education and Sustainability Issue 3 · Spring 2008

Education and Sustainability

TOKYO (JAPAN) MEXICO CITY (MEXICO)

TEACHING RESOURCES

Learning about the water cycle

through museums Rain and clouds

Science and Technical Museum of Catalonia Barcelona City Council +34 93 7368 966 fax. +34 93 7368 960 info@mnactec.co www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs

Centro Cultural Europeo de la Naturaleza (European Cultural Centre for Nature) +34 93 8848 035 ccen.viladrau@ddgi.es

Mountains

Campo de Aprendizaje del Bages (Learning Camp in Bages)

Acércate al Delta (Get to know the Delta)

Ter River Industrial Museum

El Prat de Llobregat City Council Cases d’en Puig, +34 93 3709 002 casesdenpuig@aj-elprat.es

Colònia Vidal de Puig-Reig Museum Igualada Leather Museum and Anoia Regional Museum

Water Museum

+34 93 3423 536 www.museudelesaigues.com

Delta-Sea

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Cultural Centre of the Canals de Urgell

Sewers

Wastewater treatment plant The water cycle Metropolitan Area of Barcelona +34 93 8515 158 · educadors@lavola.com

Industry How does Barcelona work?

Barcelona City Council + 34 938 515 057 comfuncionabarcelona@lavola.com www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs

The CRBS permanent exhibition Urban itineraries Centre de Cultura Contemporània (Centre for Contemporary Culture) +34 93 3064 135 · seducatiu@cccb.org

Museums are a fantastic source of educational material on the subject of water and here we highlight some of the exhibitions on offer in Catalonia. We also recommend some places to visit in the city of Barcelona, given the great need for education on water management in the urban environment (given that 48% of the population lives in cities).

City “Good management of water in cities requires, amongst other things, guaranteeing access to water, promoting its efficient use (and preventing it from being wasted), offering good sanitary services and exercising control over pollution of both surface water and groundwater.”

Water in the 21st century, UNESCOCAT.

Education and Sustainability

River

TEACHING RESOURCES

A review of the

key concepts in the management of water and drought The current drought in Spain Spain has led to an avalanche of proposals, solutions and challenges which have also generated new terminology and concepts. This short glossary should help you find your way around this maze.

spring 2008

30

Joan Canela Sostenible.cat journalist

Aquifer: Underground cavities which can hold water, making them veritable 'storerooms' of water resources. Many have been over-exploited, meaning that they do not have the capacity to provide resources in the event of drought.

Indicator of water development: A variable that defines the hydrological scenarios in a water system or hydrographical basin. This variable could be the value of the volume of reserves in reservoirs or the mean value of total rainfall over the past 30 days.

Desalination: The process by which seawater is made drinkable. The positive aspect is that it is almost impossible to exhaust the supply of this type of water, but the high energy requirement needed for the process means the water has a high financial cost and pollutes the environment.

New water culture: Political option that chooses to resolve water supply problems through the regulation of demand, saving water and respecting the natural cycles of this resource.

It arose as the theoretical basis of the movement that opposed the Ebro River water transfer.

Drinking water: This is the name given to water for household use.

Rain: This is the main way that drinkable water is generated. In Mediterranean climates, rain is characterised by its seasonality and irregularity, and periods of drought can be alternated with flooding.

Drought: An absence of precipitation in a certain area and for a considerable period of time.

Given water’s capital importance, it can be extremely harmful both for ecosystems and for human activities. Catalonia is currently suffering from the worst drought in the last decade and forecasts made on climate change predict that they could become even more persistent in the future.

Ecological flow: The minimum circulating water that a river needs to maintain natural habitats, vegetation and fauna. The increase in consumption and drought are factors which have caused some rivers to currently be under their ecological flow.

Emergency decree: Legal tool of the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Government to regulate extraordinary and emergency measures which allow available resources to be saved. The supply of drinking water is the main resource that has to be guaranteed. Each of these measures will be applied or withdrawn on a sliding scale as the levels in the reservoirs fall or are recuperated.

Hydrological scenarios: The specification of the situation with water systems depending on activation thresholds; they define the measures that have to be applied in any of these situations.

Removal of reservoir water: This is the action of emptying water from a reservoir into another downstream. This is used to maintain a sufficient quantity of water which guarantees its quality. At the moment the removal of reservoir water from the Sau River at the benefit of the Susqueda has been postponed but not ruled out.

Reservoir: An artificial lake that enables water for different purposes to be stored. Its level serves as a measuring tool when calculating existing water reserves. At the time of writing the new reservoirs in Catalonia were at 25% of their total capacity, almost half of what there was at the same time last year.

Restrictions: Reductions or cuts in the water supply which vary according to the sector and needs. There are currently restrictions on energy uses, ornamental fountains and street cleaning, and also for agricultural irrigation.

Restrictions on drinking water – which is of most concern to the general public – have been ruled out for the moment.

Reuse: The process by which water that has been used is put back into circulation once treated. ACA has drafted the Programa de Reutilització d'Aigua a Catalonia (PRAC; Program-

TEACHING RESOURCES

me for Water Reuse in Catalonia) which includes the reuse of 58 cubic hectometres for industrial uses.

WATER · © P. MEDINA

River basin: An area drained by the same river and its respective tributaries. In Catalonia there is a differentiation made between interior basins – those which have their source in the country and flow into it – and which represent half of the territory. The Ebro Basin is the only one that is inter-territorial.

Scenario activation threshold: The value of the indicator on which it is decided whether to activate or deactivate any of the emergency or extraordinary action scenarios.

Snow: This is another type of precipitation, which has the advantage of turning into water much more slowly, meaning that it can penetrate the ground more and can be exploited to raise the water table more efficiently than rain.

The disadvantage is that it cannot be exploited as immediately or absolutely as rain, especially if it falls on the heads of basins.

31

Supply: This is how water is distributed to people and for the different uses given to it, meaning that it is always necessary to construct several infrastructures. In Catalonia the ACA (supra-municipal) and municipalities are responsible for supplying it to users.

Treatment (or regeneration): Treatment to which water is subjected in order to purify it after it has been contaminated by human activity. There are different techniques (physical and biological) used to do this, and different types of treatment depending on the uses the water is to be put to afterwards, although until now most of it has been returned to the sea or rivers.

Water resources: This is the entire amount of usable water, be it from rivers, lakes, groundwater, that an area or community has access to.

Water transfer: Artificial channel between two basins which allow water to pass from one to the other. It has the inconvenience of requiring a large infrastructure and of transferring an increasingly scarce resourse from one region to another, which could lead to reluctance from both the recipients and the exporters.

Education and Sustainability

Water: A transparent, tasteless and odourless chemical compound, chemically composed of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). It is present in practically all natural elements and is indispensable for life: food, agriculture, etc. Currently, however, it is also put to many other uses for industrial and recreational purposes, which has led to a huge increase in demand for this so-called “blue gold”. Although there are vast reserves of water on the planet, only a small proportion is potable, and of this amount, the majority is located in inaccessible places, such as the poles or underground deposits.

Well: Infrastructure that allows water to be extracted from the aquifers. In order to combat the current drought the Agència Catalana de l'Aigua (ACA) has set up a credit fund of 25 million euros to finance the recuperation of old wells that allow new groundwater springs to be used.

Published at sostenible.cat, January 2008

TEACHING RESOURCES

Teaching Resources Here we offer a selection of teaching resources related to water which are available at different educational levels. They have been selected to offer a broad overview of what is available and to reflect a variety of themes. We have prioritised original and new resources that are available in several

languages and are easy to find on the Internet.

Please bear in mind that some resources are suitable for several levels. The language of the resource is indicated as follows: Spa.: Spanish; Cat.: Catalan; Eng.: English; Fre.: French; Gal.: Galician; Bas.: Basque.

DRY LAND • JAPINDER SINGH

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INFANT AND PRIMARY EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS Las tres mellizas, tres gotas de agua A children’s story that introduces the subject of the unequal distribution of water on Earth and encourages children to save this resource. From 4 years old.

Roser Capdevila, Carles Capdevila. Icaria Editorial, Intermón Oxfam and Cromosoma. Barcelona, 2001. www.icariaeditorial.com (Spa., Cat.)

revolve around water. The main character in the story tries to free his people from the sorceress Karabá, who deprives the village of water. www.kirikou.net (Spa., Eng., Fre.)

A Trip with the Drip - The Water Drop Book and CD that contains basic concepts, interesting information and activities on various aspects to do with water. www.unep.org/Training/publications (Eng.)

Activitats amb l’aigua Activities that are designed for pupils to explore and experiment with some of the properties and characteristics of water. From 4 years old. www.xtec.es/cdec (Cat.)

La gota Carlota Interactive children’s story that explains the water cycle.

El agua spring 2008

WEBSITES

A very comprehensive interactive book: water and life, states of water, environments, uses and suggestions for play, amongst others. From 6 years old. www.grupo-sm.com (Spa., Cat.)

www.edu365.cat (Cat.)

El cicle de l’aigua Website where you can find online self-evaluation questions, a short practical and explanations of the water cycle.

Què hauríem de conèixer els mestres respecte de l’aigua Material for teachers to update their scientific knowledge. www.xtec.es/cdec (Cat.)

Fitxes de l’aigua Texts, diagrams, drawings, graphics, data tables, recommended reading, workshops to complete in the classroom and recommendations for saving water. mediambient.gencat.net (Spa., Cat.)

MULTIMEDIA Kirikou and the Sorceress An animated film which shows how African customs

www.edu365.cat (Cat.)

Uso, consumo y gestión del agua This website by the Water Services Group of Catalonia presents the Blue Planet and explains all we need to know about water to put it to good use. www.asac.es (Spa., Cat.)

Water Science for Schools Website which offers information about many aspects of water: definitions, where we find it, how it is used. Topics include a photo gallery, graphics, maps and an activity centre. www.ga.water.usgs.gov/edu (Spa., Eng.)

TEACHING RESOURCES

SECONDARY EDUCATION Water game: for young future water managers

El agua en el siglo XXI A collection of eight posters accompanied by teaching materials based on the First UN world water development report. Contains a teachers’ guide for primary schools and another for secondary.

By playing this game students learn the consequences of climate change on their lives. They gain knowledge and develop critical attitudes and concerns for the environment and the consequences of the economy on climate change. www.trustpartners.org (Eng.) To request the CD-ROM: j.speelman@hhsk.nl

www.unescocat.org (Spa., Cat.)

El agua en el siglo XXI. Segunda colección The second collection of posters based on the Second UN report on the evaluation of water resources will be available in June. These posters will be accompanied by interactive teaching activities which can be accessed from the website. www.postersaigua.cat (Spa., Cat.)

El agua envasada Regular environmental education dossier in the form of teaching units which provide data and information and suggest teaching activities. www.ecoterra.org (Spa., Cat.)

Troubled Waters A very realistic comic on environmental politics in the European Parliament. www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004

(Spa., Cat., Eng., Fre. and others)

Propuesta educativa: agua y desarrollo Intermón Oxfam offers us a series of activities which promote the analysis of our water consumption, introduce the concepts of drinking water and water scarcity, and orient students towards the saving of this resource. It contains games for the youngest pupils, and activity sheets focussing on problems of access to water, such as “Bolivia and the right to water”. www.intermonoxfam.org (Spa., Cat., Gal. and Bas.)

WEBSITES El valor oblidat de l’aigua Educational file suitable for studying the conception and management of water, and our relationship with it. By using this resource students will be able to understand how the availability of water depends on how it is managed, perceive the causes and effects of the water privatisation process and develop a critical and analytical attitude towards the inequalities that exist in the access to water resources. www.edualter.org (Cat.)

Més enllà de l’escassetat: el poder, la pobresa i la crisi mundial de l’aigua Teaching material based on the United Nations Development Programme Human development report 2006, with awareness raising and learning activities, structured according to a work dynamic by groups of experts. It contains a collection of six posters, a dossier for teaching staff and eight activity sheets for students. www.unescocat.org/materialsIDH (Spa., Cat.)

La ecoauditoría del agua en tu centro educativo A guide which evaluates the uses of this resource in the school, examines which are the most efficient and least efficient, and sets out specific measures to save water and reduce pollution. www.dgrechid.caib.es/ecoauditoria/inici.es.htm (Spa., Cat.)

Educación ambiental para la responsabilidad A folder with three volumes: documentation, teachers’ guide and workbook. The material is designed to look at the presence of water in the world, its distribution and consumption, its costs and the sustainable management of this resource. Begoña Izquierdo Negredo.

Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona, 2000. www.guiaderecursos.crana.org · www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs (Spa.)

MULTIMEDIA Ecoauditoria de l’aigua Orientation guide for teachers to evaluate the uses of this resource in schools. It contains a CD-ROM with record sheets and other work documents. Teresa Franquesa.

Barcelona City Council, Department of Environmental Education and Participation, 2003. www.xtec.es · www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs (Cat.)

33

Children’s Water Education Council Website offering teaching material on various aspects of water to be used in the classroom. www.cwec.ca (Eng.)

MORE RESOURCES: CENEAM: National Environmental Education Centre www.mma.es/portal/secciones/formacion_educacion/ceneam01 (Spa., Cat., Bas., Gal., Fre. and Eng.)

Centro de Recursos Barcelona Sostenible www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs (Spa., Cat.)

Agència Catalana d’Aigues www.mediambient.gencat.cat/aca (Spa., Cat.)

El aula del agua www.auladelaigua.org (Spa., Cat.)

Education and Sustainability

PUBLICATIONS

TEACHING RESOURCES

HIGH SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITIES The Business of Water and Sustainable Development

PUBLICATIONS Water, a shared responsibility. Second UN report on the evaluation of water resources 2006 A report that offers an evaluation of the situation of water on the planet. It introduces issues such as the governability of water, access to knowledge and the specific challenges of the management of water. It examines sixteen case studies which analyse good practices carried out in different parts of the world on the issue of water. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap (Spa., Eng., Fre.) http://www.unescocat.org (Spa., Cat.)

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Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World’s Water The lack of fresh water on a world scale threatens the development of the 21st century in terms of ecology, economics and politics. The authors, Canadian activists, denounce the disturbing panorama of the reality: multinational companies are profiting from the weakness of governments, whilst consuming the water reserves.

Maude Barlow, Tony Clarke. Ediciones Paidos Ibérica.

Barcelona, 2004 www.paidos.com (Spa., Eng.)

The Water Manifesto: Arguments for a World Water Contract

spring 2008

A critique which emphasises the undervaluing of water in the current market, where water is considered as a commodity and not as a fundamental right.

Riccardo Petrella. Icaria and Intermón Oxfam.

Barcelona, 2002 www.icariaeditorial.com (Spa.) www.intermonoxfam.org (Spa., Cat., Eng.)

Catalunya estalvia aigua The study presented in this book highlights the possibilities of saving on the domestic consumption of water and the savings made measured through the “Catalonia saves water” campaign, through measures that are simple and accessible for most people. mediambient.gencat.net (Cat.) www.ecologistesenaccio.cat (Cat.)

Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target A mid-term assessment of progress.

UNICEF report which offers the estimates and trends that are currently being discussed on the subject of water related to the Millennium Development Goals. www.unicef.org (Spa., Eng.)

Through the use of various case studies this book analyses what was a relevant subject at the Sustainable Development 2002 conference held in Johannesburg: the renewed commitment to improved provision of water and sanitation around the world.

Jonathan Chenoweth, Juliet Bird.

Greenleaf Publishing Ltd., 2005 www.greenleaf-publishing.com (Eng.)

The World’s Water: 2006-2007 Fifth version of a biannual publication. An excellent reference work on the study of fresh water resources around the world. It provides a detailed analysis of political, economic, scientific, social and technological aspects of water.

Peter H. Gleick, Gary H. Wolff, Heather Cooley.

Pacific Institute, 2007 www.worldwater.org (Eng.)

Challenges to International Waters; Regional Assessment in a Global Perspective A report that provides an extensive overview of the most important publications from Global International Waters Assessment – GIWA. It provides in-depth information on the environmental and socioeconomic aspects of most transboundary basins, looking for the roots of conflicts and offering solutions.

United Nations Environment Programme, Kalmar, Sweden (2006) www.giwa.net (Eng.)

El secuestro del agua. La mala gestión de los recursos hídricos This book reviews the multiple dimensions of the global water crisis, including one issue that should not be overlooked: the recent trend of managing water through private companies.

Maggie Black. Intermón Oxfam Ediciones. Collection: Dossiers para entender el mundo (issue 31).

Barcelona, 2005 www.intermon.org (Spa., Cat.)

Rivers for life: managing water for people and nature A book on the ecology and management of rivers. During the 1970s and 1980s, biologists believed that the health of aquatic communities depended on maintaining a minimal flow. This book gives us an extensive and motivating look at how the ecology of a river really works.

It contains numerous examples of the ecological reconstruction of natural flow patterns and several case studies on new forms of management. Sandra Postel, Brian Richter. Island Press. Washington, 2003 www.islandpress.com (Eng.)

TEACHING RESOURCES

AQUASTAT-FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)

WEBSITES Ecologistes en acció A website where users can find information on different current issues concerning water: related news, information on current problems, national hydrological plan and water transfers, awareness raising campaigns, amongst others.

This is an FAO global information system on the subjects of water and agriculture. The objective of Aquastat-FAO is to offer the users of this website broad and extensive information on the condition of water as a resource and on its use on a global scale. www.fao.org (Eng.)

www.ecologistesenaccio.cat (Cat.)

CONFERENCES AND EXHIBITIONS

ECOCASA Programme Terra Foundation explains its domestic environmental audit project on this website. How green is your house? www.ecoterra.org (Spa., Cat., Eng.)

Water Resources Institute WRI is a group that reflects on and promotes scientific research on environmental issues. The website has maps, statistics and scientific articles on water. www.wri.org (Eng.)

United Nations Environment Programme The website has a specific section on the situation of the world’s water resources, where we can find strategies of the organisation, programmes, activities, actions, publications and other informative materials. Of particular interest is Vital Water Graphics, a compilation of water data and graphics. www.unep.org (Eng.) www.unep.org/vitalwater (Eng.)

Expo Zaragoza 2008 International exhibition on water and sustainable development, with the following central themes: 1) Water, a unique resource; 2) Water for life; 3) The aquatic environment, and 4) Shared water. These four main themes are dealt with from the perspective of international, national, local and individual challenges. Of particular interest is the citizens’ initiative pavilion, El Faro, where 200 civil bodies which work with water will take part.

35

From 14 June to 14 September 2008. Zaragoza, Spain www.expozaragoza2008.es (10 languages) ww.elfaro2008.org (Spa., Eng., Fre.)

WATER POLLUTION 2008 Ninth International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Water Pollution.

From 9 to 11 June 2008. Alicante, Spain www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/water08/ (Eng.)

The website of this association for sustainable development has several online videos, case studies, publications and articles on the subject of water. www.wbcsd.org (Eng.)

SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION 2008 Second International Conference on Sustainable Irrigation Management, Technologies and Policies.

From 11 to 13 June 2008. Alicante, Spain www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/irrigation08/ (Eng.)

USGS Science for a Changing World

FRIAR 2008

The US Geological Survey provides rigorous scientific information and contains selected online resources which include lectures, statistics and maps for teaching staff and students.

International Conference on Flood Recovery Innovation and Response.

education.usgs.gov (Eng.)

2 and 3 July 2008.

Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), London, United Kingdom www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/friar08/ (Eng.)

Water-Wiki A website for the collective use of knowledge and online collaboration between government bodies related to the management of water in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and countries of the former Soviet Union. waterwiki.net (Eng.)

Water Fair Virtual exhibition organised by UNDP which makes it possible for experts and professionals to share their best practices and solutions for the integral management of water as one of the key challenges of the 21st century. www.waterfair.org (Eng.)

General website on international conferences in water management for 2008 www.conferencealerts.com/water.htm (Eng.)

Bimonthly newsletter of UNESCO’s Water Portal Here you can find all of the most important conferences and events on an international scale related to water. www.unesco.org/water/news (Eng.)

Education and Sustainability

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

IN BRIEF

OUTSIDE THECLASSROOM

social entrepreneur

networks in Latin America

© OHAD THE LONG ROAD AHEAD · ©© OHADBEN-YOSEPH BEN-YOSEPH

spring 2008

36

AVINA is a network of social entrepreneurs founded in 1994 to contribute to sustainable development in Latin America by building productive alliances based on trust among social and business leaders and by brokering consensus around key agendas for action.

This network prioritises four working areas: equity of opportunities, democratic governance and the rule of law, sustainable economic development, and natural resource conservation and management. It works by consti-

tuting alliances with leaders from civil society and the business sector in shared initiatives which have a high potential to bring about transformation, strengthening partners, creating spaces between them, communicating their messages in the public domain, promoting links of trust and shared values and common agendas between civil society and the business sector. The sum of these efforts are aimed to help build action plans to promote

sustainable development.

One of the challenges achieved during the past year was the First Latin American Conference on Sanitation, Latinosan 2007, with the goal of contributing to improving the health, well-being and the dignity of the inhabitants of Latin America and its vulnerable groups, such as indigenous communities, women and children. During the conference, and as a result of a proposal by AVINA’s Coasts and Water representative, a key achievement was that Latin American governments committed to the universalisation of access to safe water and basic sanitation in the Cali Declaration.

Another initiative that should be highlighted is the advocacy of civil society in the Paraguayan law of water resources passed in July last year, which was the result of a process of more than two years in which the Grupo Impulsor Agua Sostenible (GIAS), formed at the request of this network and made up of the Asociación de Juntas de Saneamiento del Departamento Central, Junta de Saneamiento de Itauguá, Asociación Paraguaya de Recursos Hídricos, Sociedad Paraguaya de Aguas Subterráneas, Alter Vida/ Geam, Sobrevivencia, IDEA, Fundación Moisés Bertoni and Red Foro Agua, urged the drafting of this law before the chamber of legislative powers and took part in the process.

Finally, in Chile the organisations Líderes sin Fronteras, Defendiendo San Pedro, Centro AquaSendas and Tribuna del Biobío have secured funding to develop the Social Organisations for a New Water Culture project in the Biobío region; these organisations had already begun creating a space where experiences can be shared on the subject of water.

+34 600 585625 · www.avina.net

Water solidarity:

building partnerships The Alianza por el Agua (Alliance for Water) is a Spanish initiative which brings together public authorities, centres for opinion and research, social and citizens organisations and companies in a wide-ranging alliance to mobilise resources (financial and technical) and to channel them into the running of specific projects on drinking water and sanitation in Central America, promoting solidarity between water users in Spain and Central America so that they can meet one of their goals: for 5 more million Central Americans to have access to drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.

This alliance works on the principle of contributing to extending this population’s right to drinking water and basic sanitation, and to ensuring both the quality of the service and the conservation of natural resources, mobilising resources from Spanish society to finance works and projects, raising awa-

THEY CARRY THE WATER · © JULIEN HARNEIS

reness of solidarity with the South, and, in the North, promoting collaboration between multiple agents.

In order to create this bridge of solidarity and persuade 5% of the Spanish population to join this initiative, saving a minimum of 5% in their consumption, the alliance sends a dual message to Spanish people: on one hand, the importance of adopting good practices in their daily use of water and, on the other hand, symbolically linking the saving achieved to carrying out cooperation projects for drinking water and basic sanitation in Central America. Since it was set up, it actively seeks to invite new organisations and citizens to join it. To achieve this it welcomes different types of members which means that participation in the alliance can be at both an institutional and a personal level.

+34 97 6298282 · www.ecodes.org

IN BRIEF

OUTSIDE THECLASSROOM

Education and participation:

100 actions from the authorities litres less

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OF SWIMMING POOLS IN SANT CUGAT

In 2002, Sant Cugat de los Vallès Town Council approved a municipal bylaw to save water. The aim was to achieve the reduction of the town’s consumption, something that appears to have worked judging by recent figures, as over the last five years consumption has fallen by almost 100 litres per person per day.

This bylaw defines six systems for saving water. Buildings which have garden areas of more than 1,000 m2 that need watering will have to set up a system of collecting and exploiting rainwater. Swimming pools with a surface area of water of more than 40 m2 will need to use recycled water. All buildings with more than eight living units will need to install a system for the reuse of grey water. Finally, the bylaw sets out three systems which will have to be installed in all new buildings: inlet flow regulators, water aerators in showers and taps, and dual flush toilet cisterns. New building licences have a period of one year to start the work and two more to finish it.

This entire process has been accompanied by subsidies, tax rebates and building taxes. Up until 2007, the bylaw had been applied to 4,529 homes, involving 20,963 users. In addition, posters have been designed to spread the word on the initiative, and the water issue is being looked at within the education plan that the council is proposing to schools and colleges.

This initiative has been followed by other towns and a standard bylaw has been drafted by the Barcelona regional government’s working party Nova Cultura de l'Aigua de Xarxa de Ciutats i Pobles cap a la Sostenibilitat.

One of ACA’s objectives is to promote respect for water resources in rivers and their aquatic ecosystems, therefore ensuring that everybody makes good use of the resources and takes care of them. In order to do this, it runs awarenessraising campaigns in different areas aimed at saving water, such as the distribution of 650,000 tap aerators in the top selling newspapers in Catalonia, the creation of a network of ironmongers and plumbers committed to this project, who have accredited mechanisms for saving water, and a series of travelling exhibitions.

In addition, ACA has developed a set of entertaining and informative tools for all ages with the aim of having fun and providing useful guidelines on different aspects of water, such as a workbook, the water game, practical advice on saving water and specific publications.

Finally, of particular interest is the participative management programme for Catalonia’s river basins.

These projects, which started in September 2006, have served to provide the public, authorities and general users with debate, enquiries and formulation of proposals in relation to the problems of water resources and the planning and management of the water cycle in their local area.

+34 93 5672800 · www.mediambient.gencat.net/aca

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Education and Sustainability

+34 93 5657000 · www.santcugat.org

The Agència Catalana de l’Aigua (ACA; Catalan Water Agency) is the public body attached to the Generalitat’s Departament de Medi Ambient i Habitatge (Environment and Housing Department) with complete authority on the integral water cycle in the inland river basins of Catalonia.

ANOTHER WAY OF CARRYING WATER · SALLY LA NIECE

per person

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

The right to water and the role of development N

Water for peo water Some 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion do not have sanitation systems. Taking this as a starting point, development NGOs (non-governmental organisations) play an important role in educating civil society, ranging from collaboration with universities and research centres to the promotion of training activities and campaigns which promote the recognition of the right to water.

38

T Aida Vila collaborator of Engineering Without Borders (EWB)

spring 2008

Francesc Magrinyà professor of the Technical University of Catalonia and member of EWB Quique Gornés spokesperson of Sensibilización and Incidencia (Raising Awareness and Advocacy) Sonia Pérez coordinator of Educación para el Desarrollo (Development Education), Catalan Association of EWB

he recognition of the right to water has developed slowly since the Seventies to the present day and, even though we do not have an official declaration of the human right to drinking water, international opinion is now very different to that manifested in the first international conferences on the issue.

During the Nineties, the relationship between access to drinking water and exercising human rights started to be highlighted on a global scale. Some examples of international instruments which refer to this matter are the Declaration on the right to development of the United Nations General Assembly (1986), the declaration from the World Summit for Children (1990) or the declaration from the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade for the Nineties (1990).

As a consequence of the aforementioned, the 20th century closed with a willingness to provide a boost to the international water issue; it is therefore considered indispensable that an integral focus be adopted, which includes participative management and takes into account the gender problems associated with water scarcity.

Some of the key achievements which have materialised as a result are the launch of UN-Water’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) to obtain reliable data on the global situation of the resource, the inclusion of a water-related target in the Millennium Development Goals and the creation of the World Water Council, which established a series of regular meetings on the subject – the World Water

Forums – to debate the strategies that should be adopted in the international sphere, always based on monitoring the activities undertaken during the previous period and the contents of the United Nations reports.

Although the official declarations of the World Water Forums leave a lot to be desired in terms of the recognition of the human right to water, these meetings have favoured social mobilisation and the creation of an unprecedented network of organisations which is organised with the aim of using the declaration of the human right to water as a way to achieve the universalisation of access to water resources.

Up to now, the only official international statement that has been reached on this matter is the interpretation of article 11.1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, created by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and based on the link between water and many of the rights recognised in the Covenant.

According to this interpretation by CESCR, “water is a limited natural resource and a public good fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights” and “the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. An adequate supply of safe water is necessary to prevent death from dehydration, to reduce the risk of water-related disease and to

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

NGOs NGOs

ople, for life 39

The role of development NGOs in recognising the right to water The interesting thing about the development NGOs in relation to the recognition of the right to water is the opportunity to combine different activities: on one hand, it is essential that projects and programmes carried out in poor countries go beyond pure intervention where the dynamics of the project itself are all consuming. The projects and programmes should permit the analysis of actions, which may help transform reality. These include social aspects, raising awareness, supporting the associative network, involving different actors, etc.

The interesting thing about the development NGOs in relation to the recognition of the right to water is the opportunity to combine different activities: on one hand, it is essential that projects and programmes carried out in poor countries go beyond pure intervention where

Education and Sustainability

HUNGER, INDIA ¡ UDIT KULSHRESTHA

provide for consumption, cooking, personal and domestic hygienic requirements�.

The declaration of the human right to water in the terms expressed would imply that states are required to take responsibility for the availability and quality of the resource, and its physical and economical supply and accessibility without discrimination. Respect for this right would be legally enforceable, both in the internal and international sphere.

Up to the present, political and economic pressures, mainly derived from the interests of the main multinationals in the sector, have prevented this goal from being met. Nevertheless, certain constitutional state reforms such as that of Uruguay, which featured the inclusion of the human right to water and the requirement that the resource is publically managed in all its phases with social participation and control, offer a glimmer of hope.

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

spring 2008

40

the dynamics of the project itself are allconsuming. The projects and programmes should permit the analysis of actions, which may help transform reality. These include social aspects, raising awareness, supporting the associative network, involving different actors, etc.

Furthermore, it is important that educational activities for development (raising awareness, training, research and political advocacy) are based on real experiences of intervention in poor countries so that we can highlight the need to turn access to water into a human right.

It is appropriate that different actors work together to create synergies: universities, development NGOs (Engineering Without Borders, Arquitectos sin Fronteras, World Geologists and Universitarios del Mundo for example), local southern development NGOs, southern universities, cooperation centres at universities, associated research groups and cooperation agencies.

One example of this type of intervention is what has been done by the Catalan Association of Engineering Without Borders (EWB), with various intervention projects in the South.

In rural areas we could highlight the example of the La Libertad region in San Salvador. The generation of knowledge has focused on the drafting of a master plan that has allowed more information to be gained on water resources and their preservation for rural communities against the interests of new developers or industrial settlements of contract manufacturers.

At the same time, EWB has given support in the form of training activities to a local development NGO, Asociación Comunitaria Unida por el Agua y la Agricultura (ACUA; Community Association United by Water and Agriculture), which currently has its own instruments available for intervention in different water supply projects.

In urban areas, as is the case of Yaoundé (Cameroon), the collaboration between EWB, the National Superior Technical School of Yaoundé, the Technical University of Catalonia (through the support of the Cooperation and Development Centre), and the Research Group on Development Cooperation and Human Development (GRECDH - Urban Services) has meant that the programme for the improvement of access to water and sanitation has been nurtured by different ways of thinking and knowledge, generated by final degree theses, dissertations and doctoral theses. This has helped profile the type of intervention and has demonstrated the relationship between health conditions and forms of access to water. It is therefore fundamental that the development NGOs are supported by universities and research centres with the goal of identifying and responding to technical needs.

As well as the collaboration between development NGOs and the university, within the formal education sector we could highlight Intermón Oxfam’s educational programme, "Water and Development", for primary and secondary schools. The main aim of this programme is to analyse water consumption, introduce the concepts of drinking water and water scarcity, and encourage students to save this resource.

MONSOON, INDIA · UDIT KULSHRESTHA

Intermón Oxfam’s materials, especially designed to be applied in the classroom by teachers, also have interesting links to reference documents, such as the United Nations report on the development of the world’s water resources, or campaigns promoted by other bodies, such as the Red Vida (Inter-American Network for the Defense and the Right to Water ).

Other development NGOs, for example Edualter, have developed resources on the subject of water aimed at primary and secondary school teachers (see the Teaching Resources section of this magazine), and in the sphere of informal education, EWB has set up online training activities in which the relationship between water and human development is discussed.

Within the different dimensions of education for development, such as political advocacy and social mobilisation, we should mention the "Water for all: a right and not a product"

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

campaign, undertaken by EWB. The main goal of this campaign is to coordinate the different actors involved in developmental cooperation as regards specific policies concerning drinking water and sanitation in southern countries, as well as raising awareness within Spanish civil society on the human right to water, stressing the pressures of neoliberal policies, which encourage the commercialisation of this

and second United Nations world water development report, Water, a shared responsibility. (www.unesco.org).

(2) Article 11.1 of the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights: “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and hou-

resource.

It is essential that spaces be provided so that development NGOs, public institutions and other bodies can pool common experiences and concerns aimed at improving cooperation policies in this sector, including training, technology and community and democratic participation in water management. From this point of view, the development NGOs have a bearing politically, and can generate and create opinion. They are able to carry out studies with prior knowledge of the cause due to their experience and proximity to underprivileged collectives and grassroots organisations, and due to their links with other actors involved in international cooperation and development education.

References (1)

First United Nations world water development report, Water for people, water for life,

sing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international co-operation based on free consent�.

(3) Can be cited as an example of the right to the highest standard of health (article 12 of the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights), the right to housing and food (article 11 of the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights), as well as other rights established in the universal declaration of human rights, such as the right to life and human dignity.

(4) General observation number 15.

(5) www.intermonoxfam.org (6) www.laredvida.org (7) www.edualter.org (8) http://agua.isf.es

Education and Sustainability

41

IN BRIEF

OUTSIDE THECLASSROOM

100 thousand promises

for water In 1997 the “Zaragoza, water-saving city” initiative was set up. This initiative aims to inform people of the need for responsible consumption of a resource which is becoming increasingly scarce. Eleven years on, the project has received recognition across Spain and internationally, and now with the International Exhibition “Water and Sustainable Development” to be held in Zaragoza the initiative is receiving even more impulse. So the challenge was set of gathering 100,000 commitments from at least 25,000 people focussing on saving water and using it efficiently. The people involved make a public declaration that they are committed to these water-saving actions.

42

This initiative, managed by the Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo (Ecology and Development Foundation), with the participation of the partners EXPOZARAGOZA 2008, Zaragoza City Council, ACUAEBRO, Ibercaja and the Aragón Regional Government, is working in partnership with more than two hundred organisations on this initiative – companies, social organisations, professional colleges, the communication media, institutions and public bodies.

The ultimate aim is to highlight the profound sensitivity that the citizens of Zaragoza have for this elemental, life-giving resource. This sensitivity has helped make Zaragoza into the World Capital of Water.

+34 97 6298282 · www.ecodes.org

WATER DOESN´T BITE · © SMAKU

Ten years celebrating water spring 2008

+34 93 5672800 · www.festadelaigua.cat

The Festa de l’Aigua (Water Festival) is a cultural event which combines raising public awareness with artistic and educational activities which place value on a sustainable relationship with the environment.

At the same time, the festival is an annual meeting point for participation and aims to make people aware of a new water culture.

This year, the tenth edition of the Festa de l’Aigua was held in the Passeig de Lluís Companys in Barcelona under the banner “Water is life. Every drop counts”. Many organisations related to the world of water participated in this event, with a day full of activities designed for all age groups. Workshops, shows and exhibitions all helped make people think about how to optimise their use of water and how the water cycle works. This event brings together organisations involved in water

FESTA DE L’AIGUA, AGÈNCIA CATALANA DE L’AIGUA

management in order to run educational activities and encourage

people to think environment.

about

the

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Water resource crisis, sustainability and education in India

COUNCIL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Water you shouldn’t drink...

43

Over the last century or so, India’s population has quadrupled.

The average availability of usable water has correspondingly decreased from about 6,000 cubic metres per capita per day to 1,500 to 1,800 cubic metres per capita per day.

Water Water resource resource crisis, crisis, sustainability sustainability and and education education in in India India

Education and Sustainability

Water you shouldn’t drink...

Over Over the the last last century century or or so, so, India’s India’s population population has has quadrupled. quadrupled.

The average availability of usable water has correspondingly The average availability of usable water has correspondingly decreased decreased from from about about 6,000 6,000 cubic cubic metres metres per per capita capita per per day day to 1,500 to 1,800 cubic metres per capita per day. to 1,500 to 1,800 cubic metres per capita per day.

T

he nature of water consumption has also changed. A large proportion of the water demand up until the 1980s was mostly for agriculture/domestic use. This was used without much treatment. In the 1990s as a consequence of mechanization and artificial

supply for agriculture, water usage increased. Water was being used in industry as well, because it was made easily available.

By the end of the 20th century, the high levels of consumption and discharge had started leading to a double crisis. Though the per

Vijay Paranjpye Director of Gomukh Environmental Trust for Sustainable Development

REFLECTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

What’s a good way to learn about rivers and water management?

44

Rishi Markandeya devised the jal parikrama to sensitize pilgrims towards the great mysteries of the universe, to perceive the evolution of all living creatures including man, to be aware of and have respect for the incredible power and beauty of nature. The journey traditionally takes three years, three months and three days to complete. During this time the pilgrims observe chastity and carry no provisions but eat off the land. Here are descriptions of learning journeys by two latter day pilgrims.

a great teacher.

Jal Dindi The Jal Dindi is a unique water pilgrimage initiated in the year 2002.

The main proponents of the Jal Dindi started out as kayaking enthusiasts in the rivers of Pune. The

In 2002, Dr Vishwas Yevale, one of the core group members, was performing the last rites of his father-in-law at Tuljapur, where the Bhima and the Indrayani meet. He thought that people could come to this place, which is a place to get moksha, as a pilgrim-

WATER PILGRIMAGE, JAL DINDI · VISHWASANKRITI EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES

spring 2008

Narmada Parikrama I have made the journey along the river banks of the Narmada from its source to its final exit at the sea three times. In a sense I would like to think upon these journeys as a "parikrama", the sacred ritual that has been followed from time immemorial by millions of people.

The parikrama, while in no way can be compared with a genuine pilgrimage, was in a sense equally arduous and no less significant.

My task was to evaluate the economic viability of the multi-purpose projects that are going to dam this great river. The parikrama of course helped me form a network of people to share information and ideas. I was held spell-bound by the vast range of insights that the valley offered about its waters, its people, its fertile lands, its past and its future. These insights were inescapable, because more than any other river in the world, the Narmada is

raw sewage, garbage, water hyacinth in the rivers quickly prompted them to take some serious action. At first, they made a lot of efforts to remove truck loads of hyacinth. Soon they realized that as long as untreated sewage is entering the river, the removal of hyacinth will be a never-ending task. The next step was to attempt eco-remediation of nallas carrying raw sewage into the rivers. This has been tried out with varying degrees of success in three locations in Pune.

In parallel, they felt the need for a larger group with a shared concern about the rivers. The river is never far from their mind.

capita consumptive use remained more or less the same, the non-consumptive use, especially water used for agriculture, has increased due to changes in cropping patterns. Industrial discharge into water bodies has also increased.

Untreated wastewater causes collateral contamination — when wastewater is discharged untreated into freshwater sources, it pollutes a much greater quantity of freshwater. Not only is available water polluted, the livelihoods dependent on the water also suffer a great loss.

age on the river itself. The idea for the Jal Dindi was born here. The Jal Dindi starts at Pune, and it takes 12 days of kayaking to reach Tuljapur. This pilgrimage reveals the beauty and the problems of the river courses. The transformative power of the pilgrimage has made the Jal Dindi into a people's movement over the years.

Vishwasanskriti Educational Initiatives has documented this initiative in the film Jal Dindi. The film, directed by Abhijit Tilak depicts the story of the Jal Dindi, from how it all started to its evolution as a people's movement.

Duration: 2 hours and 8 minutes.

Dr. Vishwas Yevale

Challenge for sustainability The challenge for sustainability in the water sector relates to improving equity, adequacy and quality. Education has an important role in this. Management and intelligent resource use requires negotiations and new social contracts, all of which need knowledge and awareness among different stakeholders to be effective. Indeed, the role of education is to help various stakeholders understand why new management methods are needed, and then to arrive at the details of management and behaviour.

REFLECTIONS

There is a definite need for water use related to education in the agriculture sector, since agriculture demands high usage of water. As the Global Water Partnership advocates, agricultural techniques and crop varieties should yield ‘more crop per drop’. And there is need to minimize chemical use per hectare for eliminating direct and collateral contamination. As regards industry, the quality of discharge is more the concern than the quantity of usage. If industry cleans up whatever water is used before discharge, then it may be allowed to use as much water as it needs.

The third category of stakeholders is the policy makers/decision makers. Local governments and other regulatory agencies have a major role in keeping natural water systems free from development and discharge. By protecting these natural water systems, clean water can be made available to both people and ecosystems.

Governance and water management A ‘negotiated river basin management’ approach is a useful anchor for educational effort in the water sector. This means that all actors within a river basin should have information on the nature of use of water, including aspects of equity, quality, efficiency and sustainability of resource use. Once this knowledge is available, discussions and negotiations can happen on how to change for the better.

In Maharashtra, several different civil society groups have over several years been addressing water-related issues. These include technologists and implementers of groundwater and watershed management programmes such as AFARM and ACWADAM; those that have brought in concerns of equity such as the left-based movements; and those that have brought environmental and natural eco-systemic considerations into the debate, such as the Ecological Society and Gomukh. The state government agencies have played a critical role in being responsive to these influences and demands from civil society and professional agencies.

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Over the last three decades, water management thinking has transformed from a centralized piped water supply oriented approach to a decentralized, locally governed, augmentation of local sources approach. As it happens, the World Bank too has pushed for decentralization and cost recovery.

The existence of on-ground movements, especially among farmers, and technical inputs from civil society has ensured that equity and ‘resource literacy’ accompanied the move towards decentralization. The recently set up Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority is expected to follow the river basin management approach. It will bring the various gram panchayats, municipalities and other regulators and actors onto a single platform for discussion and negotiation, and would have to operate within the logic of the natural river basin system.

“The city does not think of water as a natural system. Water is thought of something coming from dams and pipes. Rainwater harvesting and groundwater are not part of mainstream water management planning in a city. It’s a problem only when the city has acute shortage or is flooded with water. We have to conceive of an approach that helps build up a knowledge base about water as a natural system among urban citizens.”

Education and Sustainability

From the point of view of availability, if by 2050, the population has stabilized, it is possible to manage demand by paying attention to efficient use and recycling. Using available and appropriate technology we can get a substantial reduction in collateral contamination.

COUNCIL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

INTERVIEW

Maria Rieradevall

“There is an imbalance between nature’s rhythms and our own.”

Maria Rieradevall is an expert in environmental education, water and river conservation. She shares her views on changing attitudes and restoring rivers through citizen participation.

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spring 2008

Interview by Joan Canela, journalist from sostenible.cat

Environmental journalists often cite examples of what are known as “good practices”, but environmental indicators continue to be negative.

What do we have to do to reverse this trend?

It is obvious that we need a decisive attitude from the authorities to change policies. But we also have to explain to people that we all have to tighten our belts to achieve results that may not be immediate, but in the end will generate more benefits than losses. Nor is it about giving things up, rather about changing priorities. The problem is, in part, that people have lost the ability to think in the medium or long term; only immediate results count and nature works to a different rhythm. There is an imbalance between nature’s rhythms and our own. We need to be clear that if we intervene in an ecosystem we have to give it time to recover, but if we pressure it with constant intervention it will certainly never recuperate.

And what direction do you think this decisive attitude from the authorities should take?

The core of the problem is about economics: we have to put a value on natural resources. I am not a specialist in this field, but when you speak to someone who is you realise that it is not at all easy to come up with this value. You have to convert into euros things that are not strictly convertible: enjoyment, future perspectives, landscape, happiness... All of these elements have to be assigned a commonly recognised value. The problem is that they can be incompatible with other values. Just take any car advert: on one hand it puts value on the natural environment and tempts you to visit places with stunning

scenery, and on the other hand, it promotes an inappropriate methodology. You can have one thing or the other, but it is difficult to have both.

In this sense, there are people who discuss proposals for a 'new water culture' or the 'new energy culture’ who are now talking about a 'new resources culture’.

It is obvious that this new relationship with resources is essential. Perhaps we don’t have to look at it as making major sacrifices but instead as a matter of efficiency, and efficiency is a contemporary issue - we should convince people of this. We have become lazy, not just in this area, but in many other areas, such as education in general. We leave it solely up to schools to teach children responsibilities, which, as a matter of fact are everybody’s. I believe there is a lack of responsibility; we have lost it and need to get it back.

Have the goals of environmental education and raising awareness of rivers and the natural environment been met?

There is still a lot of work to be done in this area, obviously. The initial goal of Proyecto Ríos (the River Project) was to bring people closer to the rivers and this has been met, but of course we still have to reach many more people. We also have to take into account that this project works from the bottom up, without huge advertising budgets, and instead relies on word of mouth. Starting from this premise, the project can be considered to have been a notable success. We could compare it to other initiatives, for example Proyecto Nutria (the Otter Project), which was

INTERVIEW

widely covered by the Club Súper3 (a children’s TV programme), without which, it may not have had such a great impact. In general, we can be content with the response received.

How would you take stock of the achievements of Proyecto Ríos, now that it has reached its tenth anniversary?

We are currently at a very important point as the participatory processes planned in the Water Framework Directive are being developed. We have made progress in this area as the directive was not in place when we started to work on Proyecto Ríos, but now it is starting to be applied we have people – or at least a percentage – who are better prepared for the task.

Experiences such as ours should be taken up as a new way of managing land and resources, not just water.

What are the main challenges when attempting to encourage people to participate?

It is relatively simple to achieve occasional participation if we ask people to make an effort at a specific time. What is much more difficult is achieving more constant participation, or in other words, making people loyal. Good feedback is therefore necessary, keeping people informed of progress and making them feel rewarded. I think that this reflection is valid for any type of participative project.

What are the techniques and tools that seem to you to be most successful

when trying to encourage people to work with you?

Looking back, I think that agreements with local authorities have been very positive, and they have put their organisational and promotional capacity at the service of the project. Here we could give the example of links forged with the Besòs Consortium, which has helped us a great deal when aiming to consolidate a group for each municipality.

This type of collaboration is important and we have had some very good experiences of joint activities between the authorities, local people and technical experts.

Education and Sustainability

And has this capacity for advocacy brought about real changes in the rivers?

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BREATHE · © PABLO PRO

We can now say that we have consolidated our position as a point of reference for everybody who wants to work closely with rivers and who wants to collaborate in protecting the environment, above all the aquatic environment, which is what we specialise in.

I believe we have achieved the initial objective, as Proyecto Ríos is now a solvent and wellfounded programme. Another important milestone is that we have managed to reach some very different social groups.

The diverse backgrounds of our audience is very positive, as the project is not just understood as being purely educational and aimed at children, but instead from the start it we have also targeted adults, as they are the ones who have the capacity to intervene, really change things and of course vote!

2050 VISIONS

Educating with The map shows some examples of educational activities organised by RCEs based on water.

C

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The United Nations University promotes the creation and development of “Regional Centres for Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development” (RCEs) to promote the integration of sustainability in formal and informal education. There are currently 54 RCEs across the world and here we mention some of the educational activities that they are undertaking in the area of water.

A

spring 2008

Jalisco, Mexico A RCE The University of Guadalajara and the United Nations University have developed an interactive online case study, an award-winning tool for distance learning to encourage local participation in the management of hydrographic basins. This electronic case study presents a detailed account of the struggle faced by different groups involved in the sustainable development of Mexico’s Ayuquila river basin over a period of more than thirty years. The study allows students to find out about the geography and history of this important river basin and shows the complex issues faced by local efforts to balance economic development and environmental protection.

Eduardo Santana-Castello santana@cucsur.udg.mx, www.ayuquila.com

RCE Curitiba, Brasil

B The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná has been working on an initiative of participative management for a sustainable river basin since 2005.

Projects are carried out in interdisciplinary teams so that the local population (of all ages) knows where water problems exist and can design

D solutions to reduce them.

One of the projects consists of the construction (by the students under the supervision of the university team) of composting latrines in public schools in the Curitiba metropolitan area.

Fernando Arns fernando.arns@pucpr.br · www.pucpr.br

C RCE Greater Sudbury, Canada The Dearness Environmental Society has created different activities to reduce the use of water and energy within classrooms. These activities include new educational units and learning dynamics aimed at students on ways to reduce waste and on how to encourage others to do the same.

Tom Tamblyn info@dearness.ca · www.dearness.ca

The size of the territories on this map corresponds to the distribution of the world’s water resources.

B

RCE RhineMeuse, Holland

Along with schools, teacher training institutions, councils, companies and universities, RCE Rhine-Meuse is designing and putting into practice the Flights for Knowledge project. This is based on open educational methods that allow learning at any time and in any place, with any person and using any device. The project is based on subject areas, which include water, and is begun at a young age. The children and teachers are in contact with expert professionals in the areas being studied.These experts could be from companies, councils and organisations that work in environmental management.

Jos Eussen info@opeduca.nl, www.rcerhine-meuse.org

2050 VISIONS

water D

49

F

RCE Penang

E Water Watch Penang (WWP) is a non-profit organisation set up in November 1997 with various objectives: to raise public awareness on the problems related to water resources, encourage research into these issues, provide a response to enquiries on recycling and exploiting water, offer advice on saving water and organise environmental education activities in schools. WWP aims to broaden children’s minds on the fight against the pollution of the region’s rivers, whilst teaching teachers the best way to educate their students.

Chan Ngai Weng info@waterwatchpenang.org www.waterwatchpenang.org

Cebu, Filipinas F RCE The Philippine region of Cebu is very interested in water management and most of RCE Cebu’s projects focus on this resource. Activities include the management of water resources through rainwater collection in homes and other projects aimed at the management of hydrographic basins.

RCE Cebu has also organised the cleaning and sanitation of a river in the region and organisational meetings in order to work on the proposal for a community-based project on forest management, which focuses in particular on the Livelihoods, Water and Sanitation Programme, and Ecotourism Development.

Cherry Piquero-Ballescas cballescas@yahoo.com

© 2006 SASI Group (University of Sheffield) and Mark Newman (University of Michigan) www.worldmapper.org

Education and Sustainability

E

WE RECOMMEND

BOOKS

Water Wars Author: Vandana Shiva Editorial Icaria, 2004.

English, Spanish.

Vandana Shiva uses her exceptional knowledge of science and society to analyse the historical erosion of the rights to access to water and to raise the alarm on its privatisation, which threatens cultures and ways of life across the planet. The book reveals how many of the most significant conflicts in the world today, often masked as ethnic or religious wars, are in fact disputes over scarce and essential natural resources.

El reto ético de la nueva cultura del agua 50

Funciones, valores y derechos en juego.

Author: Pedro Arrojo Agudo Editorial Paidós, 2006. Spanish.

This book looks into the new ethical approaches that are proposed by the citizens movement for a New Water Culture, which managed to mobilise over a million Spanish citizens against the former government’s national hydrological plan and which has recently converged with active Latin American movements and prestigious sectors of the scientific community in the First Meeting for a New Water Culture in Latin America.

The Message from Water Author: Masaru Emoto

spring 2008

Editorial La Liebre de Marzo, 2003. Spanish, English.

Somewhere between science, art and spirituality, The Message from Water presents us with the results of research on the analysis of water from different origins with the aim of observing the HADO (subtle energies related to the conscience). The book shows magnificent images of crystallized water, induced, according to the author, by environmental factors such as music or the conscience.

Cuentos del mundo del agua

FILMS

Contracorriente Directors: Mario Pons and Abel Moreno Production: A Salto de Mata 60 min. 2006. Spanish.

What do the following have in common: a fisherman from the Ebro Delta, a peasant from Murcia, a journalist from Madrid, the Environment minister, a farmer from La Mancha, a young inmate of Iruña prison, the head of legal services at Iberdrola and an old woman from the Aragonese Pyrenees? Contracorriente sheds light on the dark background of the water conflict in Spain. Will the commercialisation of water be the cause of wars in the 21st century?

Sounds of Sand Director and Producer: Marion Hänsel 96 min. 2006. Spanish, Catalan, English and French (original language: Catalan).

A story of exodus, searching, fatalism and hope. On the one hand, there’s the desert eating away at the land. The endless dry season, the lack of water. On the other there’s the threat of war. The village well has run dry.

The livestock is dying. Trusting their instinct, most of the villagers leave and head south. Rahne (Issaka Sawadogo), the only literate one, decides to head east with his wife and three children.

A Dream of Water Production: Bausan Films for UNESCO (WWAP) and Expo Zaragoza 2008 60 min. Available from June 2008. Spanish, Catalan, English and French (original language: French).

A documentary that looks at the importance of water in the world. It presents a journey around the planet that shows the fears and solutions that different cultures have in relation to water. Through the testimony of different boys and girls from all over the world, the water situation in different countries is described within the context of different cultures.

Author: IRC International Water and Sanitation Center

Water, a right and not a commodity

Intermon Oxfam, 2006.

Spanish, Catalan.

Director: Luna Haroa

There is a finite amount of water in our world and every drop is an interminable cycle of renewal. If water could speak, it would tell us the exceptional stories of Misheck Kirimi, from Kenya, who travelled many miles in the search of clean water; Rosalie Castro, who lived through floods in the Philippines; Ashish Singh, from India, who was fascinated by the world of fish... Discover its stories; the story of water is the story of mankind.

Production: Enginyeria Sense Fronteres 20 min. 2007. Spanish, Catalan, English and French (original language: Catalan).

A documentary that compiles interviews with different individuals involved in the subject of water.

It reflects on the human right to water, universal access and public management with social control, as well as the dangers of the commercialisation of water to the challenge of eradicating poverty.

CALENDAR

CALENDAR

2008

x

Here we highlight some international days related to water and sustainability.

JANUARY

The International Year of Sanitation begins

The UN General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. People from all over the world are invited to this celebration in which the importance of the global challenge of sanitation is brought to the fore. esa.un.org/iys FEBRUARY

2

WORLD WETLANDS DAY

NOVEMBER

6

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PREVENTING THE EXPLOITATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN WAR AND ARMED CONFLICT

DECEMBER

10

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

51

MARCH

22

23

WORLD WATER DAY The objective of the United Nations’ World Water Day is to preserve the quality and quantity of water, and to ensure that all human beings are supplied with it. This year an emphasis was placed on issues related to sanitation. The celebration of World Water Day promotes knowledge of this valuable resource and encourages the reasonable use of water resources with the aim of contributing to protecting and conserving them. www.unwater.org/worldwaterday WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY

APRIL

7 22

WORLD HEALTH DAY EARTH DAY

WATER BOTTLED • UDIT KULSHRESTHA

3 22

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

JUNE

5 17

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT The United Nations declared this day to raise awareness of the need to cooperate in the fight against these phenomena.

AUGUST

31

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY DAY

SEPTEMBER

Last week of the month WORLD MARITIME DAY OCTOBER

2 10

INTER-AMERICAN WATER DAY INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR NATURAL DISASTER REDUCTION

2005-2015 INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR ACTION “WATER FOR LIFE” The primary goal of the “Water for Life” decade is to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. These commitments include the Millennium Development Goals to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and to stop unsustainable exploitation of water resources. www.un.org/waterforlifedecade Previous years dedicated to different aspects related to water: 2000 WATER FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (UNESCO) 2001 WATER FOR HEALTH (WHO) 2002 WATER FOR DEVELOPMENT (UN) 2003 WATER FOR THE FUTURE (UNEP) 2004 WATER AND DISASTERS (UN) 2005 WATER FOR LIFE (UN) 2006 WATER AND CULTURE (UNESCO) 2007 COPING WITH WATER SCARCITY (FAO)

Education and Sustainability

DECADES MAY

e

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

What do you think about

Education and Sustainability?

After publishing the second issue of Education and Sustainability we carried out a survey to find out your opinion on the contents, structure and format of the magazine. Around a thousand people and/or organisations received the survey by email, of which 361 responded, or in other words, more than 30%. The data and opinions obtained have been extremely useful for the Editorial Committee when designing this

52

3% 3% 3% 10% 24%

12%

13% 16%

17%

third issue dedicated to water.

“Good content and format. The graphic design is very well done.

Very accessible for a nonspecialist reader.”

Who reads Education and Sustainability?

The magazine is distributed to organisations offering formal and informal education; out of those who responded to the survey, 49% work in the formal

University NGO and associations Public authorities Primary education Secondary education Informal education Other Companies Students

ORIGINS OF READERS

60

Very interesting

Not very interesting

“I liked it because this kind of initiative is necessary. And I loved the contents of the magazine.”

Readers also said that they would like to see more teaching resources, practical applications, classroom experiments and articles which reflect different stances, and less news publicising projects, personal opinions and environmental administration. We have attempted to respond to these suggestions in this issue.

“Perhaps the format is too journalistic, it seems to me that it would be good to go into more depth on specific issues and try not to be so newsy.”

What do people like the most?

We have expanded the sections on “Teaching Resources” and “Ecological Footprint”, as they are the sections that are considered most important by those surveyed. Regarding the articles on “Reflection”, in response to several comments given in the survey, we have asked authors to go into more detail and to show the different points of view on the subject under discussion.

40

30

20

10

len dar In b rief : the o cla ut of ssr oom Art ivis m

Ca

flec

tion Tea res ching our ces Eco log foo ical tpri We nt rec om me nd. ..

In b r the ief: i n cla ssr the oom Inte rvie w 205 0V isio ns

0

Re

Number of responses

spring 2008

50

sector and a high percentage in the civil sector and public authorities. Thirty-four percent wish to read about initiatives on a national and international scale and there is interest in seeing initiatives in primary and secondary education as well as at university level.

ASSESSMENT OF THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE MAGAZINE

“The question is: should we just think about the contents of our teaching?

Isn’t it more important to think about which kind of teaching approach to use?”

If you wish to make any comments or suggestions that you would like us to bear in mind, please contact us at the following address: es@rce-barcelona.net

e

\\

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Ecological footprint

=

Paper production 3.99 m2

Printing service 0.18 m2 Obtaining complementary raw materials

Distribution 0.59 m2

Transportation of complementary materials 0.08 m2

Production presses, ink, plastic, wetting liquids and developing 15.83 m2

Waste management

Transportation of waste 0.08 m2

Transportation of paper 0.98 m2

Evolution of water consumption per copy

Ecological Footprint

1.89 litres

1.97 litres

2.21 litres

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

Ecological rucksack This indicator includes the amount of materials involved in the printing process and paper consumption, and reflects the hidden flows of resources and waste generated in the production of the magazine. We can see the growing evolution of the magazine’s ecological rucksack due to the incorporation of new aspects in the calculation method applied (transportation and production of raw materials).

Total calculation

Issue

Copies

1 2 3

2000 3000 4000

ECOLOGICAL RUCKSACK

Pages Footprint (m2) 48 not available 56 79,586.00 54 90,472.54

Calculation for each copy

Issue

Copies

1 2 3

2000 3000 4000

+

Water Electricity Emissions Raw mate(litres) (kWh) (kg CO2) rials(kg) 3,792.74 1,684.72 756.08 not available 5,916.00 2,628.00 1,186.00 635.23 8,836.46 3,924.92 1,742.46 1,246.02 ECOLOGICAL RUCKSACK

Pages Footprint (m2) 48 not available 56 26.53 54 22.62

Sources: El Tinter, SAL; Ecological Footprint Network – Canada; IDESCAT; Petjada ecològica de l’EUPM; University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; The Paper Research Industry Association; Dalum

Waste (kg) 93.36 146.00 214.49

53

Waste Water Electricity Emissions Raw mate(kg) (litres) (kWh) (kg CO2) rials(kg) 0.050 1.890 0.840 0.380 not available 0.049 1.972 0.876 0.395 0.212 0.054 2.209 0.981 0.436 0.312

Papir A/S Denmark, Ljubiljana digital media lab, Croatia; KHT Institutionen för Energiteknik, Sweden; ECODESIGN Company, engineering and management consultancy GmbH.

Education and Sustainability

Obtaining raw paper material 0.87 m2

\ \ \ \

The ecological footprint is an environmental indicator diagram below). The following have been included: that is defined as the area of ecologically productive obtaining the raw material (cellulose) and its recycling, land (fields, meadows, forests or aquatic ecosystems) the production of paper, the production of ink, printing needed to generate the resources used and to assimila- presses, wetting liquids and cloths, the impact generate the waste and emissions proted by printing and the transportaduced by a certain product, sertion of raw materials, waste and vice and/or population. The the final product. The manageecological footprint is expresment of the waste corresponding sed in hectares or any other to the editing and design of the indicator of surface. We have magazine has not been included, divided the footprint of this and neither have the resources magazine into different secneeded to obtain the raw materials tions: obtaining the paper, the from the complementary proproduction of complementary ONE COPY OF THE MAGAZINE CONSUMES 2.21 LITRES OF WATER ducts. The final result is 22.6 m2 products and energy and water consumption; design, per copy and a total of 90,473 m2 for the total 4,000 printing and binding and, finally, distribution (see the copies of this issue.

EduSost.cat