WATSFAIR COMENIUS PROJECT

51 Ways To Save Water

Created by Alexander Vickers

Why Save Water?1

“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.”– UN Committee on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights

The population of Europe is increasingly mobile and population trends in many countries are fluctuating, putting increasing strain on traditional water resources.

At the same time, seasonal patterns are changing, leading to widespread fears of increasing periods of drought,

“Europe is poised to suffer more droughts as the 21st century progresses because of climate change, according to a study by the European Union’s Joint Research Centre and Germany’s University of Kassel.

Many river basins, particularly in southern Europe, will probably become more prone to periods of reduced water supply as average global temperatures rise, based on the study, published in the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. Minimum river flows may fall as much as 40 percent in Spain and Portugal and the south of France and Italy, the study found.”

By Rudy Ruitenberg Jan 13, 2014, Bloomberg

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-13/europe-seen-facing-more-droughts-this-century-on-climate-change.html

Over the next two decades the total population of the EU25 is expected to increase by more than 13 million inhabitants, from 456.8 million on 1 January 2004 to 470.1 million on 1 January 2025.

Eurostat News Release STAT/05/48 8 April 2005

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STAT-05-48_en.htm

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The Current Situation

The UK population is projected to increase by 4.9 million from an estimated 62.3 million in 2010 to 67.2 million over the ten year period to 2020.

It’s the same message for all participating countries of the Comenius WATSFAIR project:

France, from 64.7 to 67.8 million; Finland, from 5.3 to 5.5 million; Sweden, from 9.3 to 10.0 million.

Only Bulgaria is projected to have a fall in projected population over these years.

These constitute significant increases at a time when water resources are being compromised in many ways and the use of water is still being taken for granted by too many.

The young people involved in this project are implicitly linked to future water crises.

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Hidden Water

Embedded Water and Our True Consumption 

Each Briton uses about 150 litres of tap water a day, but if you include the amount of water embedded within products our water consumption is around 3400 litres every day!

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It’s increasingly the same story whether you live in Bulgaria, France, Sweden or Finland. Much of the water used in producing food and non-food products is a hidden statistic.“If present levels of consumption continue, two-thirds of the global population will live in areas of water stress by 2025. Increasing human demand for water coupled with the effects of climate change mean that the future of our water supply is not secure.”http://www.waterwise.org.uk/pages/embedded-water.html

As we buy more and more products from other countries, we are responsible for water usage across the globe through our consumption choices.

Climate Change

Whether you believe what scientists are saying about climate change or not, there’s no doubt that there are changing patterns in weather across the world.

Seasonal weather patterns are no longer as established as they were and this is leading to both drought and flooding across Europe, reported regularly in the news.

Countries involved in the project all experience a variety of climates and all cope with water distribution in different ways, to cope with different supply and storage situations.

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Projected impacts from climate change in different EU regions

The above map shows projected impacts on agricultural yields in Europe over the next 50 years. Participants in the project live in three of the four impact zones.

The young people in the project have unanimously taken on the messages about taking individual action which, when added together, creates significant change to habits and thus to patterns of consumption.

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http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/climate-change/index_en.htm

Current Water Usage2 “The balance between water demand

and availability has reached a critical level in many areas of Europe, the result of over-abstraction and prolonged periods of low rainfall or drought. ”

Water resources across Europe — confronting water scarcity and drought European Environment Agency 2/2009

Water Usage across Europe

We regularly compared data from a variety of sources about the per capita water usage in different European and non-European countries. These were displayed, discussed and worked on in a variety of ways.

The UK delegation showed a presentation in Finland about “hidden” or “embedded” water, which sparked off a workshop on water footprint issues.

Highlights included:

- a visit to a water-treatment plant serving the town of Shivachevo

- workshops by the UK water company Anglian water

- posters, drama and workshops highlighting the impact of hidden, or embedded, water in the production of everyday items

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Pupils made use of Comic creation software in Finland to create “Water footprint comics”, a selection of which can be viewed below. The young people involved learned that consumer choices involve millions of litres of hidden water use in the processes involved in manufacture and distribution.

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The drinking water treatment plant in Shivachevo

The drinking water treatment plant in Shivachevo was designed in 1997. Water for it is provided by a river catchment in the “Domuz dere” neighborhood from a river with the same name. From there via a specially constructed pipeline water is fed to the plant. The capacity of the station is 10 l / s, 36m3 / h and 864 m3 / day. The plant is built above the town. There is also a reservoir which can keep180 m3 of water. The total area, together with the reservoir is 1, 2 acres.

Steps of the purification process:

1. Contact coagulation and flocculation. At this point water treatment operators may use “coagulation and flocculation”, a very old chemical treatment method, to remove dirt, metals, some microbes, and other suspended solid particles that are too light to sink.

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Bi-lingual explanation of one town’s use of local resources for public consumption.

The Water Treatment Facility in Shivachevo, Bulgaria

A coagulating agent, such as alum, is added to the water.   This causes the suspended solids to stick together (or coagulate) and become large and heavy clumps of material called floc -that’s where the word “flocculation” comes from.

2. Filtering the water through rapid pressure filters filled with a layer of quartz sand.

3. Disinfection with chlorine at the exit of the station to ensure optimum content of the residual chlorine required for the prevention of secondary bacterial water contamination. Drinking water should not contain pathogenic bacteria. It can be disinfected in a variety of ways, but for this amount of water the most efficient and inexpensive one is by chlorination using chlorine reagents such as sodium hypochlorite (bleach).

The equipment for carrying out this process can be found in a building called combined. It includes:

- 3 vertical pressure filters

- Pumps for washing the filters

- Dosing pumps for the coagulants

- Dosing pumps for the bleach

- Dosing containers for the reagents

- Dosing containers for the bleach

- Measuring devices for the incoming and the treated water

- Mixing blends for the reagents and the bleach

Water is submitted to the filters by a pipeline with a diameter of 110 mm. After its passing through the filters, the filtered and disinfected water goes to the 180 m3 reservoir.

The filters themselves are filled with a layer of quartz sand with a particle size from 0.7 to 1.6 mm and thickness of 1 m. There are two specific modes of the filters - normal (when all

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three filters work) and forced (when one filter is being washed and the other two proceed the amount of water that must normally pass through it).

The washing of the filters is to be performed with filtered water, which is taken from the reservoir at the site. The water is provided by the washing pump besides the filters.

The staff should monitor the state of the sand by sampling at least annually or more frequently if drinking water quality worsens.

The filters must be washed at least every two days. If it rains heavily for a longer period they have to be washed every day even before the rain stops in order to avoid siltation. For washing the filters filtered water taken from the reservoir is used.

During operation, the staff must monitor:

- the condition of the stopcocks

- the condition of the of nozzles

- the condition of the sand.

The washing pumps should be permanently flooded.

By the side of the building a combined facility for treating the waste water from washing the filters is constructed. It consists of a grit chamber, а sedimentation basin and mud fields.

The waste water after washing the filters is taken to the grit chamber where the sand washed out from the filters by the washing water could settle. The waste water from the successive washing of the three filters is taken to the sedimentation basin. The clarified water is discharged by opening the water valves , which takes place no earlier than 3 hours after the washing of the last filter to allow the water to settle.

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The already clear water is discharged into the sewage system of the site and the sludge is discharged every 10 days by opening the mud valves. This happens when the sedimentation basin is full.

The mud fields collect the sludge from the sedimentation basin. After a period of 10-12 months, it becomes compact and dewatered due to evaporation and drainage. The remaining sludge is scraped up and taken to a depot.

A daily report is prepared about the incoming and outgoing water, about the water used for own needs and the electricity consumption.

Water is sent for analysis every day, and a record is kept of its quality, of the received amount of water and of the submitted reagents. The amount of the residual chlorine, which indicates whether the provided dose is sufficient for the disinfection of the water, is continuously monitored.

The drinking water treatment plant is guarded around the clock according to the requirements of the police.

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Water Quality Studies

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Simple water quality tests were conducted in France, Bulgaria and the UK. Water samples from a variety of locations, including drinking and non-drinking quality, were tested for pH, nitrate content,

hardness and chlorine. Aquarium testing strips were used and results collated.

The instructions for the tests are as follows.

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Water is life ! It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle.Protection of water resources, of fresh and salt water ecosystems and of the water we drink and bathe in is therefore one of the cornerstones of environmental protection in Europe. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/index_en.htm

Instruction test strips

How to test

Dip the test trip into the water and move it 2 to 3 times. Shake off excess liquid and immediately compare the chlorine test field with scale. Wait approx. 60 seconds and compare the other test fields with scale.

Nitrite (NO2):

Nitrite in concentration greater than 1mg/l and if present for extended periods, is also harmful to your fish.

Nitrate (NO3):

Nitrate in concentration greater than 50mg/l is harmful to your fish and promotes algae growth.

The first water quality test was conducted by Brigitte in Toulouse and featured water from seven locations around the city.

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General Hardness (GH)

Favourable GH values are between 6° and 16° dH.

Carbonate Hardness (KH)

Favourable KH Values are between 3° and 10°dH.

pH :

The pH value of water is a measure of the degree of acidity and alkalinity. A ph value between 6.5 and 8.5 will be tolerated by very species of freshwater fish. However, ideal pH ranges are species dependent.

Chlorine (Cl2):

Chlorine is harmful to fish and bacteria.

Sample water in Shivachevo

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Testing samples in Toulouse

Water-testing group in the UK.

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French Water Quality Results

UK Water Quality Results

1. It is obvious that the well water contains much higher amount of NO3 and NO2 than required. It is probably a result of using chemical fertilizers in the surrounding gardens from where they have leaked into

the ground water.

2. Cl2 is higher in tap water, probably as a result of using sodium hypochlorite (bleach) at the Drinking Water Treatment Plant in order to kill of pathogenic microorganisms.

3. All the types of water that have been in some kind of contact with the ground are hard compared to the rain water.

The explanation might be that one can find a lot of limestone around Shivachevo.

Depending on the required levels of the measured parameters, different substances can be added to improve the quality of the water in the aquarium/ garden pond (either increasing or reducing the amounts), and make it good for fish and other aquatic creatures to live in. However, it is not always safe to use even

tap water to fill in the aquarium, as it may contain CL2 which is dangerous for the fish. We also have to take care of the environment as a whole and not pollute the soil, the air and the water as it might result in

nitrate wells, acid rains and poisonous rivers where no life can be safe.

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There is a summary of general observations on the presentation.

Presentation of UK Results

Bulgaria4

A selection of tips and thoughts from our friends in Bulgaria.

How human activities pollute water resources Water PollutionWater pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.

Domestic sewageDomestic sewage is 99.9 percent pure water, while the other 0.1 percent are pollutants. Although found in low concentrations, these pollutants pose risk on a large scale In urban areas, domestic sewage is typically treated by centralized sewage treatment plants.

Industrial PollutionSome industrial facilities generate ordinary domestic sewage that can be treated by municipal facilities. Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of conventional pollutants, toxic pollutants or other nonconventional pollutants such as ammonia, need specialized treatment systems.

Nutrient pollution Agriculture is a highly intensified industry in many parts of the world, producing a range of waste waters requiring a variety of treatment technologies and management practices. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are typically applied to farmland as commercial fertilizer; animal manure; or spraying of municipal or industrial wastewater or sludge.

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How humanity causes a reduction or even the local depletion of water resources

What is the connection between logging and water pollution? Basically, the main problem with logging is increased erosion and sedimentation, the washing of soils into streams and rivers. When there is rainfall, trees help control infiltration of the rain into the ground, absorbing much of the water into the canopy and controlling the rate at which the remaining rain reaches the ground

Artificial Snow

When we make artificial snow we are wasting water for things that are really meaningless. There are natural snow and ski tracks and that wasting of water is unnecessarily.

How people are wasting water

Top 10 ways of wasting water:

1 Dishwasher - Dishwashers can waste so much water if you run it when it is not full. A way to prevent this is to wash your dishes without use of the dishwasher.

2 Brushing Teeth - DO NOT keep water running while brushing your teeth/ doing the dishes. When you brush your teeth, wet the toothbrush first and turn the water off immediately.

3 Shaving (Men) - Men, you do not need the water running when you shave. Fill the sink up a little less than halfway, and use that water to rinse your blade.

4 Shaving (Women)- When you shave in the shower, do you really need the water running? Turn off the water while you shave your legs.

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5 If It`s Yellow, Let it Mellow. If It’s Brown, Flush it Down- Some people are bothered by this, but it is essential. Every time you flush the toilet, you waste 10 gallons of water. So why not just flush when necessary?

6 Car Wash -This may be hard for us city folks, but if you have a lawn, Wash your car on it! Use Biodegradable soap, like Simple Green’s Car Wash, and a bucket of water..

7 Leaky Toilets- If you notice a leaky pipe, faucet, or toilet, get it fixed immediately. A leaky toilet, for example, can waste up to 200 gallons of water a DAY. So please, fix your water problems.

8 Bathtime! - Bathtime is no longer “Funtime” . It wastes an unnecessary amount of water. An average shower uses 1/5 the amount of water that is needed for a bath! Teach kids to take showers early on.

9 Using the Toilet as a Garbage Can- Do Not Do This! Throw out everything in a garbage can, even if it is tempting to just throw it in the toilet.

10 Hot Water - Only use hot water when absolutely necessary. Hot water uses a lot more energy, and it isn’t always necessary. So think about what is needed before turning that hot water knob!

Recycled Water

Reclaimed water or recycled water , is former wastewater (sewage) that is treated to remove solids and certain impurities, and used in sustainable landscaping irrigation or to recharge groundwater aquifers. The purpose of these processes is sustainability and water conservation, rather than discharging the treated water to surface waters such as rivers and oceans.

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Conflicts5

"Water will be more important than oil this century.”Former United Nations Secretary General Boutros

Boutros Ghali, 2003

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Why global water shortages pose threat of terror and warFrom California to the Middle East, huge areas of the world are drying up and a billion people have no access to safe drinking water. US intelligence is warning of the dangers of shrinking resources and experts say the world is 'standing on a precipice'

Suzanne Goldenberg, The Observer, Newspaper Sunday 9 February 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/09/global-water-shortages-threat-terror-war

Water Conflicts

Come hell or high water

The students from Katedralskolan in Uppsala, Sweden researched, created, presented and led a series. They delivered the workshops in Finland to international audiences in English.

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Water conflicts, causes and consequences

by the students of Katedralskolan, Uppsala, Sweden

Contents

• Introduction

• Water of life

• Human rights and water

• What is a Water conflict?

• About water conflicts

• Lack of water

• Too much water

• Market failure and common goods

• Indirect water use

• Water and equality

• Examples of water conflicts around the world

• Conflicts between countries: Jordan river

• Conflicts in water rich countries: Nicaragua

• International companies vs local community: India

• Abandoned regions: Aral Sea

• What can we do?

• What can you do?

• The future is now!

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Introduction

Water of life

Water is something that is easy to take for granted, especially if you live in the rich part of the world. It is a true mark of civilization progress that you can actually, around the clock, pour fresh drinking water right out of the tap. This is something that we all too easily take for granted without much further reflection. But where does the water come from? How can it constantly flow through the water pipes? We pour water down the drain, but where does it go?And how about the rest of the water, not only the clearly visible water in the tap? A juicy water melon is literally bursting with liquid, where does that water come from?

Water seems simple and straight forward, but come to think about it water is something extraordinary. Water is truly the liquid of life, we cannot live a single day without it. And we should be careful not to take it too much for granted but rather to appreciate it and learn to treat it for what it is, the most valuable resource in the world.

Human rights and water

Sure everybody appreciates a glass of cold water, preferably with some ice cubes in, on a hot summer’s day. But water has been acknowledged on a much higher level for its importance.

The largest and most important international organisation, the United Nations, has adopted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is a list of rights that should apply to every human being, everywhere on earth. It is the goal of the global community to assure that these rights are protected in every country around the world. In 2010 the UN passed a resolution that recognizes the human right to water.

The resolution states not only that there should be access to water in general terms but it also identifies several specific ways in which water should be truly available to all humans.

Firstly it should be sufficient. The UN declares that every person need around 50-100 litres of water a day. No one drinks that much, you might object. It is important to remember that water is not only for drinking but also of great importance for hygiene, cooking etc.

Secondly the UN states that the water should be safe. With this they mean that it should be healthy, free of dangerous particles, chemicals, radioactive substances and so on. Contaminated water is a big issue in the poorer countries of the world but it is also an increasing problem in the developed world as well.

Furthermore water should, according to the UN, be acceptable. It should taste and smell OK and it should be accessible on a cultural level. What can that mean? For example in many cultures women must veil themselves, in some places even with burkas. Those women must have access to women only zones for drinking and washing themselves. Another example is that old people and children might not only need access to the water itself but also need help to wash and drink.

Water should be physically accessible. Water should be available close to homes and working places and everyone should with minimum effort be able to fetch water.

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Finally the UN states that water should be affordable. They even have specific requirements. The UN says that the cost of water should never be higher than 3% of the household’s total income.

So why is the UN so concerned about water and what happens if this right to water is violated?

Millions of people around the globe are today lacking water in one way or another, and the problems are increasing for several reasons.

What is a Water conflict?

When thinking of resources that cause conflicts one might think of valuable minerals, gold, oil, diamonds, land etc. But you cannot live on gold alone. As the pressure on the earth´s resources is intensifying, the struggle to fulfill basic needs for survival increases. And this struggle often turns into violence. This is true both on the micro scale where neighbours quarrel in line to the well as well as on a global scale where actual wars can be fought to ensure the population´s access to water.

It is not possible to precisely define water conflicts. In some cases it is easy, when the conflict for example is fought to gain control of a specific well. In other cases the water might be a trigger or one factor of many in a large scale conflict. When lakes are drying out, glaciers are melting, big corporations deny people access to water, or a neighbouring country uses up the water in rivers for irrigation so that only a trickle remains of the once mighty river when it reaches your land – these are all examples. In all those cases, conflicts about water flame up as tension increases on both economical and political levels.

About water conflicts

Lack of water

The main problem in many regions is that they are running out of fresh water. This might seem odd since the amount of water in the world should be the same. And it is true that the earth is a confined ecosystem. All the water there has always been around. So how can we run out of it, is it floating out in space? No, but we humans can only drink fresh water. We are complicated organisms and we are quite sensitive when it comes to the quality of the drinking water. Most of the water in the world is salty, and therefore not usable as drinking water. The little that remains is mostly bound up in glaciers, in inaccessible parts of the world like Antarctica. The accessible freshwater is groundwater, melt water and water in lakes and rivers. These water sources are nowadays often contaminated by chemicals, particles and so on.

Due to global warming the natural water circulation system of the world is disturbed. The effects differ in different parts of the world, but as evaporation increases with the warmth this affects the freshwater. Dry regions are getting dryer. Glaciers are disappearing and are no longer providing year round water supply by melting water.

With a warmer climate, water in liquid form is decreasing. Instead, more of the water on earth turns into gas form. The humidity in the air is increasing and lakes are drying out.

Deserts are spreading, and deserts are hostile places for humans to live in. The spreading of deserts is partly caused by global warming but overpopulation, livestock eating water binding plants and the deforestation that

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occurs both driven by big companies and by individuals gathering firewood and building materials are also contributing to the spreading of deserts.

Too much water

The situation with water shortages is acute. There is a huge and bitter irony in the fact that at the same time water surplus is causing big problems. How can that be?

While some places get dryer due to climate change, some places gets wetter. Water is distributed more unevenly around the globe. When more water is evaporating it causes more rain in already rainy parts of the world. This causes more flooding. We can already see it happen in places like Bangladesh and Bosnia. This will increase as the global temperature continues to rise. Flooding is expensive for communities; it makes it hard to provide food for the population. This causes refugees, civil unrest and in the end conflicts.

It is not only temporary flooding that is problematic. As glaciers on land melt, the water flows into the seas. This causes a rise in sea levels. The consequences of this are unfathomable. Look at the big cities and economical hubs of the world where big parts of the human population live. What will happen when cities such as New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, London, Los Angeles and Calcutta are covered by water? We will have immense hordes of climate refugees, economies may collapse and conflicts and civil unrest will explode. The cities not affected by the water will be invaded by the refugees, and it is likely that countries will use violence to protect their borders and help their populations. It will also affect the possibilities to produce foods and other life important goods.

Market failure and common goods

To understand why we have water shortages and water conflicts, it is important to find several parallel explanations. You have the actions of individuals, groups, communities, industries, companies, regions and companies. You can also examine the systematical problems in how society is organized.

Most people in the world live in market driven economies. To understand economical theories is essential in order to understand water conflicts. It has long been known that most environmental issues, including water shortage, are caused by the mechanisms behind what economical scientists call market failure. Market failure in turn is caused by the problems with common goods. Both those terms needs a closer examination and an explanation.

Common goods are, as the word implies, goods that are common. Most often, these are natural resources of different kinds. Many resources are owned by one or several persons or companies. The owners have an interest in sustainability in order to be able to profit from the resource not only now but in the future as well. This way ownership and market economy guarantee sustainability. Some resources fall outside of this system since it is not possible to distinguish who owns them. It is not owned by anyone but possible to use for everyone. This triggers an economic behaviour where it becomes a race to the bottom where everyone must take as much as possible before someone else does, and the resource is depleted. As an example you can have fish in a lake. If your neighbour over -fishes there will be less fish for you, so some market rules trigger you to fish more, so you can build up a stock of fish so as to not to starve when winter arrives. Your neighbour will probably react by fishing even more and so on. Both are in the long run losing by this behaviour but it’s a sort of prisoner’s dilemma. Examples of those common goods are air, water, climate, and fish in the seas. In those cases the market is not guaranteeing sustainability but instead the market forces cause exploitation and environmental problems. This is market failure. In the long run we are all losers.

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These effects are solidified by the often short investment horizons of big companies. In order to keep stockholders and investors happy, quick and large profits are celebrated. Therefore many companies overuse natural resources, especially common goods.

A way to solve these problems could be to make the common goods “ownable”. But this might be a slippery slope since it would make something that now is available for free, into something that people can own, and thus people who want to use the goods can be charged. To put chains around wells and then charge the local population for the right to use the well that they have accessed for thousands of years is morally questionable and does not correspond with the human right to have access to fresh water.

Indirect water use

It is not only the use of water for drinking and cooking that matters. Many people around the world rely on water to get food. Fish is staple food in many societies. Wetlands clean freshwater. Many wetlands are today diked to make room for buildings etc. This worsens the water shortage.

Water is also polluted by chemical compounds, traces of medicines etc from factories and ineffective water purification in water treatment plants.

Water is needed not only for humans to drink but livestock consume huge amount of water to drink.

Then we have the huge issue of irrigation. We grow food, cotton for clothes, and food for livestock etc. This uses huge amounts of water.

Water is also used in many factories to produce plastics, medicine etc. Almost every human activity causes an increase in water consumption. All of this is called the hidden water. Counted together you can see the water footprint of all humans, how much water are we truly consuming. This way we can see whether or not this amount is sustainable or not.

When we drink 30 cl coffee it is not only the water in the cup that should be counted. You also have the water needed to grow the beans, transport, producing the pesticides used on the beans, water in the roasting process etc. Your little cup of coffee has a huge water footprint, ca 35 litres per cup.

Water and equality

Most water is consumed by the rich part of the world. We have huge water footprints as we consume so much. Many of the products we consume are produced in dry parts of the world, thus we are contributing to the water shortages in the poorer parts of the world.

Furthermore most of the international corporations are based in the rich parts of the world. But their factories and plants are in low wage countries. Those companies have a huge amount of political, economical and intellectual power and this causes an inequality compared to local communities.

Rich countries can afford to build well functioning water treatment plants, irrigational systems etc. They are thereby less affected by water shortages. The people with most power to change the situation are least affected and may therefore not see the problem to the same extent as the poor who are mostly affected.

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Even within the same country differences can be huge. India has a lot of water shortage problems. But the rich in India still have pools, running water, irrigated lawns and can eat food that has required huge amount of hidden water. At the same time people in the village next door might be dying due to contaminated water and dried up wells.

The problem is that sooner or later the consequences will affect everyone, both rich and poor. But when the rich people of the world start to become affected it might be already too late to do something about the issue.

There are also the moral responsibilities. The people who already are the most privileged are worsening the situation for those who have nothing. The ones causing the problems are not the ones suffering the consequences. The historical aspect is also important to acknowledge. The countries struggling with water shortages are often former colonies that have been and still are heavily exploited by the western world.

Examples of water conflicts around the world

Conflicts between countries: Jordan River

The Middle East is sometimes called the minefield of the world. It is brimming with conflicts, many of them dating back generations and very infected. Different cultures and religions must cooperate in this area. Natural resources such as oil are raising the stakes and igniting violence. It is also one of the driest regions in the world. Floating through several countries is the Jordan River, one of the few reliable sources of fresh water in the region.

First the river passes through Israel. Israel has a lot of plantations and much of the crop is very water dependent, such as watermelons and pomelo. Fruits etc that are then shipped away for export. Water is literally pumped up from the river into the melons and shipped off to other parts of the world. When the Jordan River is reaching the country of Jordan it is reduced to a trickle and big parts of the year it does not even reach the sea any longer. This is causing a lot of tension between Israel and Jordan, two countries with very strained political relations to begin with.

Conflicts in water rich countries: Nicaragua

Water conflicts are not only a problem in dry regions. Nicaragua is a country with plenty of freshwater. The water conflict in Nicaragua is caused by the fact that a company in Nicaragua owns water supplies and pipelines. The overpricing by the company has caused a lot of protests and civil unrest in the country which has escalated to violence and riots.

International companies vs. local community: India

Plachimada is a village in Kerala in the south of India. Near the village, the Coca Cola Company built a factory in 2000. The factory required huge amounts of water, causing the ground water level to shrink by 10 meters in only a couple of years. This lead to massive civil unrest and a lot of suffering in the village. The judicial fight between Kerala and Coca cola took on large proportions. It raised moral and political questions about regional development, human rights, economic growth and the role of multinational companies.

Abandoned regions: The Aral Sea

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The Aral Sea in Caucasia can show us a glimpse of how bad the situation can become if we do not acknowledge the problem with water distribution and try to resolve the problems. The region around the Aral Sea was a lively community and had a lot of trading potential. The sea was rich in fish and the water was used for irrigation of huge cotton fields. Overuse and exploitation of the sea caused the water level to sink. It is important to remember that this was during the Soviet era, which shows that also in a plan economy exploitation can occur. In a few decades the sea shrank by 90%. The area dried out and today poverty is the only thing that remains for the people in the region. There are no fish, and nothing can be grown.

Aral Sea is like a canary in the coal mine, one that we should be eager to listen to. Many other parts of the world risk ending up in the same way, as lakes and glaciers are disappearing at an alarmingly fast pace.

What can we do?

Water conflicts will be an increasing problem. We should not idly watch this happen.

There are already good efforts going on around the world to help the situation. The UN has started to act on this issue. In many places companies and local communities collaborate to improve the water quality.

Sustainable development is increasingly important when companies, states and local communities make decisions.

Philanthropists fight for the right to clean drinking water.

New inventions reduce the need of water in production processes, make water purification more efficient, etc.Non governmental organisations rally to help make the world a better place by restoring wetlands, helping local communities, digging wells, reducing the human impact on the climate etc.

As the world is starting to acknowledge the problem both the UN, organisations like the European Union, and many countries have started educational initiatives. People with education concerning water supplies can teach others and make wise decisions on their companies and as consumers.

What can you do?

One can feel small when discussing huge environmental issues. But the truth is that everyone can help make the world a better place. Here are a few suggestions as to what you can do. It does not even necessarily require much time or effort.

• Take shorter showers

• Consume less

• Educate yourself!

• Buy products with a smaller water footprint

• Buy ecological, this way less water is contaminated with pesticides and chemicals.

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• Buy fair-trade, this gives power to poor communities to protect their water sources.

• Educate others!

• At work and in school, try to affect the water footprint!

• Work as a volunteer in an NGO.

• Become vegetarian or eat less meat.

The future is now!

It is better to act than to react. The future is now, the situation is already problematic but together we can change the course of history! Let us be remembered as the wise generation. Let sustainable development be the guideline for individuals, communities, regions, countries, companies and the global communities. Clean water is a human right, let us together fight for this right now, instead of fighting against each other in water conflicts in the future!

The workshop involved creating a poster to highlight water conflicts in India surrounding the production of soft drinks.

Movie 5.1 Water conflict in India

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Max and Vlada set up an interactive workshop outlining the conflicts surrounding the River Jordan.

Movie 5.3 The Jordan river by Max and Vlada

This presentation highlights the plight of people living near the Aral Sea in Asia.

Movie 5.2 The Aral Sea

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Water Conflicts Game - Ecuador

Bus Stop:How do the problems occur?1. You are going as an European businessman/woman to South America to take on the job of giving all citizens of the city Guayaquil water. At this first point you are given a new name, Interagua, which is a free out of jail card if a problem would arise

2. You have no talked to the people of the city and they have given you a deal, they are to pay you ten million Euros in exchange for the infrastructure necessary for water supply.

3. At the factory you are to produce the goods. When calculating, you realize that you could do a worse job for only five million Euros and keep the rest. What do you do?

(keeping in mind that this will probably lead to people won't get water to their homes but you are safe from punishments with your new name)

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This movie presentation is accompanied by the game notes below from the actual workshop.

Movie 5.4 Water Conflicts in Ecuador

First Option:

You do the job at a cost of 5 million Euros and keep the rest (in this option you will become rich)

Second Option:

You go according to the agreement you had with the people of Guayaquil and cash out a normal salary.

4. Judgment day has come (you receive either card A or Card B)

Card A - From a humanitarian point of view, you have done a bad job. Some citizens of Guayaquil now have to walk several kilometers to get water while some get sick because of the poor quality of the water. Though you have done a good job for yourself and your home country in Europe. You are now rich.

Card B -Thanks to you all people in the town Guayaquil will have access to high quality water from their own house. You go home with a normal salary and no bonuses.

5. When you get home your banker tells you that they are going to raise the rent of the apartment you live in. If you did a bad job in S-A you can afford the new price but if you did an honest job you now have to move to a worse apartment in an unfavorable neighborhood.

6. Next year your employer sends you out to do the same job again for a different city. Would you act differently this time?

***

Discussion questions:

Why did you act differently the second time (if you did)?

Is it right for the European businesswoman/man to go both ways or is one more correct than the other?

Even though most people would agree that the second option is more the second option

Do you think that having a shield protecting you from any punishments makes you more willing to fool the people of Guayaquil?

If it is so, what solutions might there be for that problem? (international agreements, handled by the public sector...)

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Promises from Finland

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Students spent a lot of time in Finland creatively considering the issues surrounding hidden water use and FairTrade. drama led to heightened awareness of embedded water and the realisation that people’s everyday choices CAN have a cumulative effect on reducing water wastage. Here are some of the pledges made by Finnish young people which resulted from the workshops.

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We promise that to save water we don’t buy plastic bags anymore.

-Emma-Sofia, Arttu and Kasperi

I promise that to save water I will spend less time in the shower.

-Valtteri, Riikka, Sara and Juho

I promise that to save water I won’t let the water run while I brush my teeth.

-Uki

I promise that to save water I will recycle more.

-Suphanida and Nhung

I promise that to save water I’ll wear all my jeans to the end before I buy new ones.

-Elsa and Elina

I promise that to save water I will buy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (Fair Trade) once a month!

-Aada

I promise that to save water I will spent less time in a shower.

-Marina

I promise that to save water I won’t wash my hair every time when I take a shower.

-Iida

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I promise that to save water I will go to second hand shop more often.

-Telma

I promise that to save water I won’t buy leather jackets.

-Emma

I promise that to save water I won’t buy water in bottles.

-Ipe

Comics to inspire change....7

During the visit in Finland we made comics about the themes of our project. Task was to do a comic that gives information and tries to affect on people’s attitudes and behaviour. The comic of each student was supposed to be based on the theme that the student drew lots. They were also advised to use the expression and the words given beforehand. The comic were made by Pixton.

Here are some comics about the water. They form some of the 51 ways to change people’s perceptions about water use.

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Commitment Cards8

BULGARIAN WATSFAIR

PROJECT GROUP COMMITMENTS

Students who participated from Georgi Karavelov School make commitments for the future.“Lots of little things...”

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“While we did the Shower Study and the Water Footprint Study at my school, I was the one with the longest showers and the largest individual water footprint.That is why I promise to take much shorter showers and not to let the water run while brushing my teeth or shaving.”

DANIEL DOYCHEV

“I will definitely be interested in saving (more) water simply by taking shorter showers, minimalizing the usage of drinkable water at home (e.g. collecting rain water for gardening) and by popularizing the idea and slogan of WATSFAIR.”

HRISTO STEFANOV

“I never actually thought about how much water we waste in our everyday life. Now, thanks to the WATSFAIR Project, I know that I must save water for our future by consuming less and using smart.”

ILIYAN POPOV

“I will wash my hair once a week. I will also collect rain water to take care of the flowers in our garden.”

IVANINA KRAYKOVA

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“I will turn off the faucet while brushing my teeth. I will shut it tight, so that it won’t leak and we won’t waste considerable amounts of water every day.”

IVELINA HRISTOVA

“When I brush my teeth, I will not let the water run and I won’t let my family use drinking water for watering the flowers or washing the car...”

KRISTIANA MIHAYLOVA

“The Watsfair project helped me to learn actually how important the water resources are. Since I’ve realized that, I use water more responsibly without wasting it. For example, I will not to take too long showers and will water my flowers with rain water.”

MARIYA STEFANOVA

“I will be more careful when I use water because I saw that so many people in the world need it and it is not fair to waste it. When I have a shower I will be as fast as I can and I will turn off the tap when I brush my teeth in order not to waste water.I will re-use things that can be used many times and thus will save “hidden water” too.”

MARIYANA SABEVA

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“My promise is not to waste water because the problem is really serious. When one looks at the statistics, they start thinking a bit more about its possible solutions. I will also try to make people around me get involved into saving the water resources.”

MARTIN TODOROV

“I will use waste water or gray water on the garden. I will take shorter showers. I will use a low flow shower head.”

SIMONA ZINOVA

“Throughout history, people have devised systems to make getting and using water more convenient. Now we often use it rashly, so I promise to at least turn off the tap, while I’m brushing my teeth, to take a shower instead of taking a bath and to wash my bike with a bucket and a sponge instead of a hose. After all, it is important to use our water wisely.”

TRAYAN MUCHEV

“Water is one of the most important things in our lives. My promise is that my family and I will start saving water. Thanks to the WATSFAIR project I learnt about a lot of ways we could do that. I will turn off the tap while rinsing the dishes, and I have already asked my dad and my brother to do the same while shaving. It’s about time for us, the young generations, to start preserving the resources we have.”

SIMONA OBRETENOVA

“Saving water is important to everyone. I learned that a small amount of water used can help the planet and should not be wasted frivolously, so I just started taking much shorter showers and paying attention to leaking taps that have to be repaired.”

YANITSA NEDKOVA

“Before the project I didn’t realize how much I did wrong. I didn’t stop the shower while washing my hair and never thought about turning off the faucet while brushing my teeth or rinsing the dishes. As for the “hidden water”, it never came to me how important it could be to re-use and re-cycle.Now I watch out for leaks, and use the water from the well for things that do not require drinking water. And I try to persuade everybody around me how vital it is to preserve our water resources and to use them wisely and responsibly.”

PAVLINA DUKOVA

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Acid Rain Workshop9

Acid rain is rain consisting of water droplets that are unusually acidic because of atmospheric pollution - most notably the excessive amounts of sulfur and nitrogen released by cars and industrial processes.

Amanda Brineyhttp://geography.about.com/od/

globalproblemsandissues/a/acidrain.htm

VISIT IN SHIVACHEVO, BULGARIA

ACID RAIN WORKSHOPAT GEORGI KARAVELOV SCHOOL

EXPERIMENTAL PRESENTATION OF ACID RAIN AND ITS EFFECTS ON PLANTS

INSTRUCTOR: CHEMISTRY TEACHER VALENTINA VALKANOVATRANSLATION: STUDENT STANIMIR AZMANOV

You will be divided into 4 groups: two groups of two and two groups of three. On your tables you have the things you will need for the experiment: two glasses (or small jars), glass or other covers for the containers, a metal spoon with a long handle, a small amount of sulfur (no more than 1/3 tsp), a vessel full of water, blossoms or rose/ geranium petals, a spirit-lamp.

Instructions:

1. Put some blossoms and flower petals into the two glass containers. 2. Light the sulfur using the spirit-lamp flame. 3. Put the spoon with the burning sulfur into the first and then into the second container, keeping them covered with the glass/ other cover. 4. When the containers are filled with the gas, take the spoon out and put the burning sulfur out by dipping it into the water. 5. Pour some water into one of the containers and shake it well while keeping it closed. 6. Leave the two containers away for a while. In about half an hour the first effects on the plants will become obvious.

CAUTION!!! The experiment should be carried out with windows open or the room should be ventilated immediately after you finish with it.

Questions: 1. What new substance is formed during the combustion of sulfur? Answer: Sulfur dioxide

2. What process occurs when pouring water into one of the containers filled with the resulting gas? Answer: We get acid/ sulpfric acid.

3. What did you observe?

EXPERIMENTAL PRESENTATION OF ACID RAIN AND ITS EFFECTS ON BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS

Things you need for the experiment:a small piece of chalk, a piece of mosaic, marble pieces, pieces of construction material from a crumbling building, strong vinegar or diluted hydrochloric acid, glasses.

Instructions:

1. Put the pieces of the different materials on the bottom of the glasses.2. Fill the glasses with vinegar/ diluted hydrochloric acid so that the liquid covers them.

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- What do you observe?

- What changes with the pieces of different materials?

Acid rain!

What happens to plants and materials is what acid rain causes in nature on a large scale. Here is how acid rain is formed.As a result of their businesses people pollute the air with harmful gases. These gases are emitted mainly by burning fossil fuels in heating plants and electrical power stations, industrial plants, vehicles, while heating homes. Coal and oil contain sulfur. During the process of burning it turns into other gases. Poisonous gases discharged into the atmosphere get mixed with the water droplets in the clouds, forming new substances called acids. They fall to the earth with the rains thus forming acid rain. The snow, the fog and the dew can also be acid.Acid rains severely damage trees, other plants and agricultural crops. They destroy the protective wax coating of the leaves. So the plants become more susceptible to diseases and pests. The affected areas cover with spots and dry. Acid rains destroy the chlorophyll of the plants as well. As a result they cannot form the necessary nutrients and die.Acid rains pollute the water in rivers and lakes. Fish, other aquatic animals and plants die, because they cannot exist in an acidic environment.Acid rains destroy the facades of the buildings, because they interact with some substances in the building materials. This is especially dangerous for the monuments. Rainfalls influence other materials such as cement, concrete, metals, textiles as well. Clouds causing acid rain can be carried over long distances by the air currents and the winds.In order to reduce or prevent the formation of acid rain it is extremely important gases emitted into the atmosphere to be purified. Power plants are the main cause for acid rains. It is therefore necessary to use a high quality solid and liquid fuels which emit less amount of harmful gases. Special treatment facilities that capture and dispose the released gases should be installed to the chimneys of the industrial plants.There are new engines that reduce the amount of exhaust gases. Purifiers are installed to the cars and other vehicles. It is also important to limit the use of low-quality fossil fuels to heat people’s homes. Saving energy and less use of cars can give good results. An extra question:

The normal rain is slightly acidic because it absorbs a certain amount of carbon dioxide from the air. Acid rain is more acidic than normal, because it absorbs gases such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides.

Where do sulfur and nitrogen oxides come from in the air?

Possible replies:

Everything that is emitted by the cars, exhaust gases from factories burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal, gases from volcanoes or other sources.Suggested answers by the students:• Burning of coal and gas.• Oxides in the air come from pollution from factories and industry.• Volcanoes.• Smoke from power plants. By "power" plants we mean those that burn fossil fuels.• They come from the combustion of materials containing sulfur and nitrogen.

Answers that point out both true and false sources of pollution:

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Suggested answers by the students:

• Power plants using fossil fuels and nuclear power stations. [Nuclear Power Plants do not cause acid rain]• The oxides come from the ozone, from the atmosphere and from meteors falling to the Earth and also from the combustion of fossil fuel.

Answers that mention "pollution" but did not indicate its source, which is a major cause of acid rain:

Suggested answers by the students:

• Pollution.• The environment as a whole, the atmosphere in which we live, i.e. pollution.• Gasification, pollution, fires, cigarettes. [It is not clear what is meant by"gasification"; "fire" is not sufficiently precise; cigarette smoke is not a major cause for theacid rain]• Pollution from nuclear power plants.

Chemistry teacher Valentina Valkanova and the assisting student Stanimir Azmanov giving instructions for the Acid Rain Workshop

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International teams of students and teachers work together to reproduce and observe the effects of acid rain on plants, buildings and monuments.

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In Conclusion10

Between the years 2012 and 2014, young people form the UK, Sweden, France, Finland and Bulgaria have met and interacted in a wide variety of workshops all centred around the issues highlighted by WATSFAIR.

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We hope that some of the experiences presented to them by the dedicated teaching staff at the five schools below will have a small effect on the choices and lifestyles of the amazing young people who have been involved. The content of this document has been created by students and teachers from the schools below.

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Pääskytie School, Porvoo, Finland

Georgi Karavelov School, Shivachevo,

Uppsala, Sweden

The Lady Jane Franklin School, Spilsby, UK

Toulouse, France

FairTrade11

We should not forget Fairtrade! The young people in the project showed a high awareness of Fairtrade issues and if they, as consumers, make ethical choices which include Fairtrade products, then they will know they are contributing positively. The project has made us all think about our consumer habits. For more information see: http://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/resources/2010-04_Climate_Change_and_Fairtrade_Position_Paper.pdf

“With Fairtrade you have the power to change the world every day.”

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk

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WATSFAIR

A Comenius project involving schools from the UK, France, Sweden, Finland and Bulgaria. The theme for the project

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