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AquaPath!–!Awareness!raising!!module!for!children!
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Teacher!Textbook!
Comune!di!Monza!
This!project!has!been!funded!with!support!from!the!European!Commission.!This!publication!reflects!the!views!only!of!the!author,!and!the!Commission!cannot!be!held!responsible!for!any!use!which!may!be!made!of!the!information!contained!therein!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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Table'of'contents'!
1.! EXECUTIVE!SUMMARY!...........................................................................!3!2.! WATER!FOOTPRINT!................................................................................!4!2.1.!WHAT!the!Water!Footprint!IS?!..................................................................!4!2.2.!Water!Cycle!...............................................................................................!6!2.3.!WATER!FOOTPRINT:!green,!blue!or!grey?!..............................................!7!2.4.!Our!HIDDEN!TREASURE:!DIRECT!U!INDIRECT!WATER!FOOTPRINT!..!8!2.5.!WATER!USE!and!WATER!FOOTPRINT:!WHAT!is!the!DIFFERENCE?!..!8!2.6.!The!NATIONAL!WATER!FOOTPRINT!......................................................!9!2.7.!AQUAULAB:!Let’s!learn!about!the!WATER!FOOTPRINT!........................!10!3.! WATER!SUSTAINABILITY!......................................................................!12!3.1.!WATER!SCARCITY!................................................................................!12!3.2.!WATER!POLLUTION!..............................................................................!13!3.3.!WATER!EQUITY!.....................................................................................!14!3.4.!WATER!WASTE!and!PERSPECTIVES!..................................................!14!3.5.!AQUAULAB:!Let’s!learn!about!the!WATER!SUSTAINABILITY!................!16!4.! DIETARY!HABITS!...................................................................................!17!4.1.!DRINKS!...................................................................................................!18!4.2.!FOOD!......................................................................................................!19!4.2.1.! Which!diet!to!choose?!.......................................................................!20!4.2.2.! Not!only!food…!.................................................................................!21!4.3.!AQUAULAB:!Let’s!learn!about!DIETARY!HABITS!...................................!24!5.! TIPS!and!TRICKS!...................................................................................!25!5.1.!How!to!reduce!our!water!footprint?!.........................................................!25!5.1.1.! What!do!you!wear?!...........................................................................!26!5.1.2.! Which!transport!means?!...................................................................!26!5.2.!AQUAUFESTIVAL:!Let’s!play!about!the!“AquaUPATH!!”!..........................!28!6.! REFERENCES!........................................................................................!30!6.1.!Publications!.............................................................................................!30!6.2.!LINKS!......................................................................................................!30!6.3.!Videos!......................................................................................................!30!7.! GLOSSARY!.............................................................................................!31!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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1.' EXECUTIVE'SUMMARY'!
This!text!book!is!devoted!to!primary!school!teachers,! in!order!to!help!them!explaining!
to!children:!1)!what!the!water!footprint!ish!2)!the!sustainability!of!water!footprint,!3)!how!
dietary!habits!affect! the!water! footprint! and!4)! some!practical! hints! that! also! children!
can!put!into!practice!in!order!to!reduce!their!water!footprint.!It!is!both!user!friendly!and!
scientific! based,! offering! food! for! thoughts,! as! well! as! some! sources.! There! is! a!
glossary!and,!after!every!chapter,!practical!experiments!and!games! to!be!carried!out!
with! children! (AQUALAB)! and! with! citizens! (AQUAFESTIVAL).! It! is! based! on! the!
module!for!adults,!which!you!can!address!for!further!development.!Enjoy!reading!it!!!
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O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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2.' WATER'FOOTPRINT'
2.1.' WHAT'the'Water'Footprint'IS?'Fresh'water!is!what!we!call!“sweet!water”.!It!is!the!natural!water!on!the!Earth's!surface!which! is!not!seawater!and! is! located! in! ice!sheets,! ice!caps,!glaciers,! icebergs,!bogs,!
ponds,! lakes,! rivers! and! streams,! and! underground! as! groundwater! in! aquifers! and!
underground!streams.!Fresh!water!generally!has!low!concentrations!of!dissolved!salts!
and! other! solids! and! it! is! needed! to!maintain! life! on! Earth! and! for! nearly! all! human!
activities.!
But!how!much!accessible!fresh!water!there!is?!Very!little!!Only!2.5%!of!all!the!water!on!
Earth!is!fresh!water!and!97.5%!is!saltwater.!
Water'accessibility:!how!much!can!we!use!of!this!fresh!water?!Very!very!little!!!!More! than!2/3!(68.7%)!of! the!available! fresh!water!are!not!usable!by!humans!as! it! is!
frozen!as!snow!and!ice,!and!more!than!1/3!is!stored!as!ground!water.!This!means!that!
only'0.3%'of'all'fresh'water'on'the'planet'is'readily'available'as'surface'water'in'lakes,' swamps,' rivers' and'streams1,' meaning' not' even'0,01%'of'the'global'world'water!!!
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This! means! that! humans!
need! to! consider! water! as! a!
finite! resource:! the! Water'footprint'(WF)'expresses!the'human' appropriation' of'fresh'water'and!helps!us!understanding!if!this'appropriation'is'higher'than'what'we'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!Source:!(Gleick,!P.!H.,!1996:!Water!resources.!(In!Encyclopedia!of!Climate!and!Weather)!
…!FRESH!WATER!100!
-!frozen!water!68.9!
-!ground!water!30.8!
=!ready!available!water!0.3!!!
TOTAL!WATER!on!EARTH!100!
-!saltwater!97.5!=!fresh!water!2.5!!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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should' use.' Human! population! keeps! growing! throughout! time! and! consequently!water! resources! will! be! more! and! more! subjected! to! pollution! and! shortage! stress.!
Therefore,! fresh! water! is! the! “blue' gold”! as! it! becomes! more! and! more! rare! and!precious.!
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Figure'1:!Global!water!Demand!according!to!population!growth''
Water!as!a!resource!for!people!is!not!always!available!at!the!right!place!and!time.!This!
is!because!water!availability!depends!on:!
•! The!amount!of!water!a!country!or!region!has!
•! The!individual!demand/consumption!of!water!
If! fresh! water! is! becoming! the! “blue! gold”,! what!
about!the!access!to!fresh!water?!Worldwide!access!
to! fresh! water! is! scattered,! primarily! in! developing! countries:!
we! need! not! to! forget! that! out! of! every! seven! people! in! the!
world,! 2! leave!with!water! scarcity!! In! developed! countries! (of!
which!European! countries! are! part)! “only”! 9!million! of! people!
are! without! access! to! water:! a! small! number! if! compared! to!
654!million!of!people!in!developing!countries.!Major!challenges!
happen!in!Africa!and!South!west!and!East!Asia.!While!water!is!
abundant!in!much!of!Europe,!large!areas!are!affected!by!water!
scarcity! and! droughts!—! particularly! in! Southern!Europe!with!
their!severe!lack!of,!and!high!demand!for,!water.2! '
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!2!Source:!Data!from!the!United!Nations!on!the!Millennium!Sustainable!Development!goals!available!in!interactive!maps!at!http://www.theguardian.com/globalUdevelopmentUprofessionalsUnetwork/2015/jul/01/globalUaccessUcleanUwaterUsanitationUmapped!
DO!YOU!KNOW!THAT?!GLOBALLY!IT!IS!ESTIMATED!THAT!663!MILLION!PEOPLE!AROUND!
THE!WORLD!DOES!NOT!HAVE!ACCESS!TO!SAFE!
DRINKING!WATER!AND!2.4!BILLION!PEOPLE!LIVE!WITHOUT!ADEQUATE!SANITATION!
LEARN!MORE:!SAVE!WATER!TO!DEFEND!LIFE:!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zUiVl3JJRM!!
A!THIRSTY!WORLD:!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIJOOfOpUYs&index=7&list=PLHnzEAZ3lShlnekss0LWodXCLcskhWDHY!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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2.2.' Water'Cycle'Water!as!we!described!above!is!a!finite!resource,!so!which!are!water!origins?!
Water' on' hearth' is' always'moving' and' changing' status' on' the' soWcalled'water'cycle:!from!liquid!to!vapour,!to!ice!and!back!again.!
The!water!cycle!describes!the!continuous!movement!of!water!on,!above!and!below!the!
surface!of!the!Earth.!The!mass!of!water!on!Earth!remains!fairly!constant!over!time!but!
the!partitioning!of! the!water! into! the!major! reservoirs!of! ice,! fresh!water,!saline!water!
and!atmospheric!water!is!variable!depending!on!a!wide!range!of!climatic!variables.!The!
water!moves! from!one! reservoir! to!another,! such!as! from! river! to!ocean,!or! from! the!
ocean! to! the! atmosphere,! by! the! physical! processes! of! evaporation,! condensation,!
precipitation,!infiltration,!runoff,!and!subsurface!flow.!! !
In! doing! so,! the! water! goes! through! different! phases:! liquid,! solid! (ice),! and! gas!
(vapour).!This!process!keeps!constantly!moving!!
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Figure'2:!The!water!cycle'
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The!sun!heats!the!water!in!the!ocean!and!it!evaporates.!A!smaller!part!of!moisture!is!added!in!form!of!ice!and!snow,!sublimate!from!the!solid!state!into!vapour.!Into!the!atmosphere!the!vapour!ascends!with!water!from!evapotranspiration,!i.e.!water!transpired!from!plants!and!evaporated!from!the!soil!and!other!open!water!surfaces.!When!vapour!reaches!in!the!atmosphere!cooler!temperatures,!it!condenses!into!clouds.!
During!warm!weather!snowpacks!often!thaw!and!melt!flowing!as!snowmelt,!back!into!the!oceans!or!onto!land,!brought!by!gravity!flowing!over!the!ground!as!surface!runoff.!A!portion!of!it!enters!rivers.!Runoff!and!groundwater!seepage!accumulate!and!are!stored!as!fresh!water!in!lakes.!A!major!amount!of!fresh!water!soaks!into!the!ground!as!infiltration,!replenishing!aquifers,!some!of!it!stay!close!to!the!land!surface!seeping!back!into!surfaceUwater!bodies!as!groundwater!discharge!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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Table'1:!How!humans!impact!the!water!cycle?!
Eutrophication'It!is!the!process!by!which!an!ecosystem!responds!to!the!addition!of!natural! or! artificial! substances! to! an! aquatic! system.! EFFECTS:!excessive!growth!of!algae!in!lakes,!ponds!and!rivers’!receiving!more!nutrients!than!it!is!needed!
Hydroelectricity'
Hydro! dams! to! generate! electricity! change! the! stored! gravitational!energy! of! water! held! behind! the! dam! into! electrical! energy.!EFFECTS:!It!is!a!nonUpolluting!renewable!way!to!produce!electricity,!but!it!alters!the!flow!of!rivers!
Irrigation'
It! is!an!artificial!watering!system!of!cultivated!land!that!does!not!get!enough!water! through! rainfall.!EFFECTS:! it! removes!water! from! its!natural!source!causing!leaching!and!runUoff!where!it! is!used.!Also!it!may! lead! to! pollution! (due! to! the! use! of! fertilizers)! and! salination!(when!salt!is!brought!up!from!lower!levels)!
Deforestation'
Trees!release!vapour!when!they!transpire,!which!evaporates!into!the!atmosphere,! accumulates! and! transforms! in! precipitations.!EFFECTS:! It! has! a! major! impact! on! water! cycle! and! on! global!climate! change,! as! there! is! less! water! evaporating! into! the!atmosphere!and!subsequently!less!rain.!!
Greenhouse'effect'
It! is! a! phenomenon! of! Earth’s! atmosphere! trapping! some! gases,!which!in!turn!capture!infrared!radiation!to!keep!earth!at!a!moderate!temperature! range.! Human! activity! increasing! Earth’s! temperature!causes! an! increase! of! evaporation! melting! of! ice! that! adversely!affects!climate.!EFFECTS:!directly!on!water!cycle!
2.3.' WATER'FOOTPRINT:'green,'blue'or'grey?'There!are!three!different!types!of!water!footprints:!blue,!green!and!grey:!
A.! Green!water! footprint! is!water! from!precipitation! that! is! stored! in! the! root!
zone!of!the!soil!and!evaporated,!transpired!or! incorporated!by!plants.!It! is!
particularly!relevant!for!agricultural,!horticultural!and!forestry!products.!
B.! Blue! water! footprint! is! water! that! has! been! sourced! from! surface! or!
groundwater!and!is!either!evaporated,!incorporated!into!a!product!or!taken!
from!one!body!of!water!and!returned!to!another,!or!returned!at!a!different!
time.!Irrigated!agriculture,!industry!and!domestic!water!use!can!each!have!
a!blue!water!footprint.!
C.! Grey! water! footprint! is! the! amount! of! fresh! water! required! to! assimilate!
pollutants!to!meet!specific!water!quality!standards.!The!grey!water!footprint!
considers! pointUsource! pollution! discharged! to! a! freshwater! resource!
directly! through! a! pipe! or! indirectly! through! runoff! or! leaching! from! the! soil,!
impervious!surfaces,!or!other!diffuse!sources.!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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2.4.' Our'HIDDEN'TREASURE:'DIRECT'W'INDIRECT'WATER'FOOTPRINT'Most!of!the!water!we!consume!is!not!visible!to!our!eyes!!Considering!that!15.000!litres!
of!water!are!needed!to!produce!1!kg!of!beefh!100!litres!of!water!for!1!kg!of!oranges,!our!
direct! impact!on!our!water! footprint! is!3%!of! the! total,!while!almost!97%!of!our!water!
footprint!is!hidden!on!what!we!buy!and!we!eat!!
Fresh!water! is! the! blue! gold,! but! not!many! people! are! aware! that! there! is! a! hidden!
treasure!which!we!can!all!discover,!save!and!enhance!with!our!consuming!behaviours.!
It! is! the! indirect! water! footprint! related! to! our!
consuming! behaviours.! What! is! the! difference!
with! our! direct! water! footprint?! The! direct! water!
footprint! indicates! the! freshwater! consumption!
and!pollution!that!is!associated!to!the!water!directly!
used! by! the! consumer! or! producer! for! drinking,!
washing,!etc.!The! indirect!water! footprint! indicates!
the!consumption!and!pollution!of!the!(virtual)!water!
associated!with! the!production!of! the!goods! (food,! clothes!or!any!other!product)!and!
services! consumed3.! Whereas! direct! water! footprints! are! the! traditional! focus! of!
consumers! and! companies,! the' indirect'water' footprint' is' generally'much' larger:!activities! such! as! drinking,! cooking,! cleaning!
represents!only! the!3%!of!your!personal!water!
footprint!! Your' water' footprint' is' largely'associated'with'the'products'you'buy!!
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2.5.' WATER'USE'and'WATER'FOOTPRINT:'WHAT'is'the'DIFFERENCE?'What!is!the!difference!between!water!use!and!water!footprint?!! !
The!water! use! includes! the!water!withdrawal! and! the!water! consumption.! The!water!
footprint! counts! only! the! water! consumption,! so! the! volume! of! freshwater! used! and!
then! evaporated! or! incorporated! into! a! product.! It! is! the! water! that! is! no! longer!
available! because! it! has! evaporated,! been! transpired! by! plants,! incorporated! into!
products! or! crops,! consumed! by! people! or! livestock,! or! otherwise! removed! from! the!
immediate!water!environment.!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!3!Source:!The!Water!Footprint!Assessment!Manual,!Arjen!Y.!Hoekstra,!Ashok!K.!Chapagain,!Maite!M.!Aldaya!and!Mesfin!M.!Mekonnen!–!2011!
DIRECT!WATER!FOOTPRINT:!INDICATES!THE!AMOUNT!OF!FRESH!WATER!CONSUMPTION!AND!
POLLUTION!THAT!IS!ASSOCIATED!TO!THE!WATER!
DIRECTLY!USED!BY!THE!CONSUMER!OR!PRODUCER!
INDIRECT!WATER!FOOTPRINT:!INDICATES!THE!WATER!CONSUMPTION!AND!POLLUTION!
ASSOCIATED!WITH!THE!PRODUCTION!OF!GOODS!
AND!SERVICES!CONSUMED.!
WANT!TO!LEARN!MORE?!HAVE!A!LOOK!ON!WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=NTKAV5XOWEO!
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=IEMCJPDMCNE!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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2.6.' The'NATIONAL'WATER'FOOTPRINT'There! is!a! large!difference!of!water! footprint!between!nations,!according! to! the!water!
availability:!by!buying!imported!products!we!indirectly!affect!the!water!availability!of!the!
country!where!the!product!is!from,!according!to!the!WF!of!the!product!itself.!Therefore,!
to!be!a! responsible!consumer!means!also! to!pay!attention!on!purchases,!avoiding! to!
buy! products! impacting! a! lot! on! the! water! footprint! of! countries! with! water! scarcity.!!
A! nation’s! water! footprint! can! be! viewed! from! two! perspectives:! production! and!
consumption.!The!water!footprint!of!production!is!the!amount!of! local!water!resources!
used!to!produce!goods!and!services!within!the!country:!it!includes!the!water!footprint!of!
agriculture,!industry!and!domestic!water!use!and!tells!us!the!total!volume!of!water!and!
assimilation!capacity!consumed!within!the!borders!of!the!country.!! !
The!water!footprint!from!the!perspective!of!consumption!is!calculated!for!all!the!goods!
and!services!that!are!consumed!by!the!people!living!in!a!country.!This!water!footprint!
may! be! partly! inside! the! country! and! partly!
outside!of! it,! depending!on!whether! the!products!
are! locally! produced! or! imported.! Together,! the!
water!footprint!of!production!and!consumption!tell!
an! important! story! about! a! nation’s! water! use! and! dependence! on! external! water!
resources.!The!water!footprint!of!production!measures!the!amount!of!pressure!on!local!
water!resources!and!helps!to!understand!whether!they!are!used!in!a!sustainable!way.!
The!water!footprint!of!consumption!reflects!the!standard!of! living!and!lifestyle!choices!
of! residents.!Understanding! how!much! of!water! footprint! of! consumption! is!within! its!
borders! and! how!much!
is! elsewhere! is! a! first!
step! toward! the!
assessment! of! the!
country’s!external!water!
dependence! and! its!
influence! on! food! and!
other! forms! of! security.!Figure' 3:! Water! footprint!of!national!production!and!
consumption4! '
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4!Source!the!Water!Footprint!Network!
WANT!TO!KNOW!MORE?!!
PLAY!WITH!THE!NATIONAL!WATER!FOOTPRINT!EXPLORER!!FIND!OUT!THE!WATER!FOOTPRINT!OF!
YOUR!COUNTRY!AND!COMPARE!IT!WITH!OTHERS’!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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2.7.' AQUAWLAB:'Let’s'learn'about'the'WATER'FOOTPRINT'Blue,'green'and'grey!'The'water'footprint'colors!
Blue.! The! blue! water! footprint! is! an! indicator! that! is! suitable! to! be!developed! with! various! educational! activities,! including! several!
experiments!of!evaporation!and!transformation!of!state.!At!school!you!can!
also! look! at! some! of! the! features! of! the! land! causing! the! formation! of!
surface!and!groundwater!basins,!e.g.!by!analysing!the!composition!and!permeability!of!
different!types!of!soils.!You!just!need!to!go!out!in!the!school!garden!and!collect!some!
samples!or!you!just!bring!in!some!samples!of!soil!collected!in!different!areas,!making!
sure!you!dig!for!at!least!30!cm.!In!the!classroom,!divided!into!working!groups,!you!will!
put! all! collected! samples! into! transparent! containers,! where! you! will! add! water! and!
vigorously!shake!the!mixture.!After!about!24!hours,!after!the!soil!is!deposited!again!on!
the!bottom,!you!will!be!able!to!observe!the!different!materials!composing!the!samples,!
with! the! lowest! layer!made! of! stones,! and! the! upper! level! made! of! humus.! Various!
layered!materials! –! e.g.! sand! and! stones,! clay! and! humusU! can! in! turn! be! used! as!
filters! for! three! bottles,! each! one! equipped! with! a! funnel! closed! with! wadding.! By!
pouring!water!on! the! three! filters,! timing!and!comparing! the! time! taken! to!get!off! the!
water! in!the!bottles,!you!can!examine!the!different!permeability!of!soils!and!figure!out!
the! journey! that!a! raindrop!makes!once! it! touches! the!ground.!Further,!by!measuring!
the! water! felt! into! the! bottle,! each! group! can! also! detect! how! much! water! remains!
"trapped"!in!the!ground!(relevant!for!the!green%water%footprint%concept).!
Green.!Do!plants!and!soil!contain!water?!In!order!to!answer!to!this!question,!identify!an!area!in!the!school!garden,!where!you!can!dig!a!hole,!deep!enough!to!accommodate!a!
container! inside.!Close! the!hole!with!a!plastic! sheet,! lock! the!edges!with! stones!and!
place! a! small! stone! in! the! centre,! so! as! to! lower! the! plastic! where! the! container! is!
placed.!After!a! few!days,!check! the!container:!ground!water!heated!by! the!sun,!once!
evaporated!and!condensed!on! the!nylon!cloth,!will! fall! into! the!container!as!droplets.!
You!can!set!up!the!tests!under!different!conditions,!for!example!with!different!types!of!
exposure!to!the!sun,!or!with!more!or!less!sandy!soils,!in!order!to!record!different!results!
and!to!reflect!on!differences!in!the!water!cycle!applied!on!different!climatic!conditions.!!
This! task! can! be! simplified! by! taking! a! small! quantity! of! terrain,! or! by! collecting! the!
grass!from!the!school!garden.!You!will!just!need!to!fill!in!few!plastic!cups!with!different!
samples!collected!and!cover!them!with!plastic!wrap:!after!a!few!hours,!on!the!cover!a!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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condensation! will! appear,! and! a! small! “cloud”! will! produce! a! droplets! rain! on! the!
ground.!
Grey.! This! is! the! less! obvious! water! appropriation! concept,! but! among! the! most!important!ones,!as!it!is!linked!to!the!need!of!natural!systems,!such!as!a!river!or!a!lake,!
assimilating!the!pollution!generated!by!human!activities!and!which!is!directly!related!to!
the!pollutants!concentration.! In!order! to!get!what! the!grey!water! footprint! is,! you!can!
use!water!and!ink!and!imagine!that!ink!is!poison!if!it!is!very!intense.!By!adding!water,!
students! will! understand! the! ink! becomes! lighter! and! an! imaginary! point! of!
brightness/darkness!can!be!established!for!the!fish!to!survive.!They!can!then!see!how!
much!water!they!had!to!add!before!the!water!was!good!for!the!fish!to!swim.!!
Also,! you! can! organize,! as! a! class,! a! visit! to! the! sewage! treatment! plant! or! to! a!
company,! for!example! food!producer.!Before! the!visit,! the!class,!divided! into!groups,!
examines!the!LCA!of!some!products,!namely!it!will!assess!environmental!impacts!of!a!
product's!life!cycle,!starting!from!its!production!until!its!disposal,!and!it!will!highlight!the!
stages!where! there! is!a!higher!water!consumption,! in!order! to!prepare!questions!and!
topics!to!be!discussed!and!asked!to!the!technicians!during!the!visit.!
' '
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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3.' WATER'SUSTAINABILITY'As!water! is! a! finite! resource,! is! its! consumption! sustainable?! If! sustainability! is! “the!
practice! of! reserving! resources! for! future! generation! without! any! harm! to! the! nature!
and! other! components! of! it5”,! water! is! one! of! the!most! important! natural! resources,!
supporting!all!forms!of!life!on!the!planet,!fundamental!for!human!needs!and!related!to!
numerous!global! issues!such!as!poverty! reduction,!health!and!sanitation,! inequalities!
and!degradation!of!ecosystems.!! !
But:!why! to!concern!about!water! sustainability! if! our!planet’s! surface! is! composed!of!
75%!of!water?!Because,!as!we!saw!in!the!previous!chapter,!2.5%!of!the!total!water!is!
fresh!water!and!only!0.3%!of!it!is!readily!available!for!human!consumption!!
Our! pressure! on! limited!water! resources! is! getting!more! and!more! intense:! globally,!
human!population!is!growing!(now!topping!over!7!billion!people,!more!than!double!than!
50! years! ago!)! and! citizens! consumption! patterns! (especially! of! US! and! Europeans!
citizens)! have! a! great! impact! on!water! consumption! and!water! pollution! all! over! the!
world.! Water! is! a! finite! resource! worldwide:! producing! our! daily! products! causes!
significant!water!consumption!and!pollution,!which!does!not!always!make!an!impact!in!
places!where!products!are!used,!but!many! times! in! river!basins!already!experiencing!
water!scarcity!/!water!pollution.!
!
3.1.' WATER'SCARCITY'Water! scarcity! occurs!when! in! an! area! every! person! has! less! than! 1000m3! of!water!
available!p/year.!Water!scarcity!does!not!depend!just!from!limited!water!resources,!but!
also!from!fast!increasing!needs!and!exponential!growth!of!the!population.!!
!
Figure'4:!Hoekstra,!A.Y.!and!Mekonnen,!M.M.!(2012)!The!water!footprint!of!humanity,!Proceedings!of!the!National!Academy!of!Sciences,!109(9):!3232–3237!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5!Melvin!K.!Hendrix,!Sustainable!Backyard!Polyculture:!Designing!for!ecological!resiliency!Smashwords!ebook!ed!2014!
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!
!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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By!2050,!the!global!population!could!reach!9.5!billion,!meaning!an!additional!demand!
of!freshwater!of!64!billion!m3!per!year6.!!
Analogically!with!the!world’s!GDP!(Gross!Domestic!Product)!growth,!also!consumption!
patterns!worldwide,!both! in! terms!of! resources,! food,!energy!and! therefore!water!are!
aligning! with! standards! of! developed! countries,! severely! impacting! on! water!
consumption:! it! is! foreseen! that! by! 2050,! water! withdrawals! may! increase! by! 55%!
overall,!and!especially:!
U! Agricultural!water!consumption!is!expected!to!raise!by!19%!by!2050,!according!
to!an!increase!of!food!demand!by!60%,!100%!in!developing!countries.!
U! Urban!areas!are!developing!at!unprecedented!rates:!every!second!the!world’s!
urban!population!grows!by!2!people.!
To! cover! their! water! needs,! cities! will! have! to! dig! deeper! or! go! further,! or! rely! on!
innovative!solutions!and!technological!progress.!Therefore,!the!earth!could!not!sustain!
such! stress! and! by! 2050! it! is! foreseen! that! 1.8! billion! people! could! be! exposed! to!
absolute!water!scarcity.!!
!
3.2.' WATER'POLLUTION'Water! scarcity! is! becoming! a!more! and!more! serious! problem,! not! only! in! terms! of!
available!quantity!of!fresh!water,!but!also!with!regards!to!its!quality:!
U! Demographic!growth!creates!pressures!in!terms!of!sanitation!and!waste!production!
U! Cities! are! built! at! unprecedented! rates! and! often! their! infrastructures! are! not!
adequate:! over! 80%! of! wastewater! worldwide! is! not!
collected!or!treated!
U! The!food!sector!highly!contributes!to!the!production!of!
organic!water!pollutants!!
U! Heavy! industries! (leather! and! chemicals)! reject!
pollutantsh!also,!about!15U18!billion!m3!of!freshwater!resources!are!contaminated!by!
fossil!fuels!extraction!every!year!
Water! pollution! has! considerable! impacts! on! the! environment.! The! services!
ecosystems! can! provide! across! the! planet! have! deteriorated.! Half! of! the! world’s!
wetlands! (rivers,!streams,!swamps,! lakes,!etc.)!which!play!a!critical! role! in! regulating!
water!quality!and!quantity!have!already!disappeared!since!1900!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!6!UN!2015,!World!Water!Development!Report!
DO!YOU!KNOW!THAT?!!
DISEASES!CAUSED!BY!POOR!WATER,!SANITATION!AND!HYGIENE!LEAD!TO!A!FEW!MILLION!DEATHS!EACH!YEAR!
AND!AFFECT!PEOPLE!FILLING!HALF!OF!THE!HOSPITAL!
BEDS!IN!DEVELOPING!COUNTRIES!!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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As!humans,!we!also!may!get!exposed! in!a!number!of!ways7:!drinking!polluted!water,!
swimming!or!bathing!in!it,!consuming!food!contaminated!by!polluted!water,!consuming!
meat!from!animals!that!fed!on!food!polluted!by!water,!etc.!!
!
3.3.' WATER'EQUITY'Freshwater! resources! are! unequally! shared! and! strong! disparities! exist! at! all! levels.!
Water! scarcity! and! pollution! are! impacting! some! populations!more! than! others:! they!
affect!primarily!the!most!vulnerable,!especially!the!poor!as!well!as!women!and!children.!!
Inequalities! regarding!water! consumption!are!also! tremendous:!on!average,!a! citizen!
will! consume!250! litres! of! freshwater! per! day! in!
North! America,! 100! to! 230! litres! in! Europe,!
against!less!than!10!litres!in!SubUSaharan!Africa.!
And! this! is! only! about! direct! water! footprint!!!
In!terms!of!access!to!drinkable!water,!more!than!
1/3! of! the! global! population! (over! 40%! in! some!
countries)! is!suffering!from!deprivation.!This!particularly! impacts!women!and!children,!
often!in!charge!of!collecting!water8.!In!SubUSaharan!Africa,!only!60%!of!the!population!
had! access! to! drinkable! water! in! 2008.! Also! European! regions! (in! Spain,! Italy,! the!
Netherlands! or! Germany)! are! exposed! to! high! or! extremely! high! water! stress.! So,!
water!equity!is!a!concern!also!for!our!continent!and!this!issue!should!be!considered!at!
regional!and!local!levels.!
!
3.4.' WATER'WASTE'and'PERSPECTIVES'Globally,!one!third!of!the!global!food!production!is!wasted!or!lost!annually.!Citizens!of!
Europe!and!North!America!waste!95! to!115kg!of! food!per!year,!about!10! to!15! times!
more! than! a! consumer! in! Asia! or! SubUSaharan! Africa9.! As!most! of! the! products! we!
consume!are!produced!abroad,!the!impacts!linked!to!our!consumption!patterns!are!felt!
worldwide.!!
Further,! European! cities! tend! to! be!water! intensive! and!mostly! inefficient! in! the!way!
they!use!the!resource.!At!the!end!of!1990s,!up!to!half!of!water!was!lost!in!urban!water!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!7!From!http://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/water/!8!Pickering,!a.J.!and!davis,!J.!2012.!freshwater!availability!and!Water!fetching!distance!affect!Child!Health!in!subUsaharan!africa.!9!FAO,!from!UNWATER!website!
DO!YOU!KNOW!THAT?!!
WOMEN!IN!SOME!PLACES!IN!AFRICA!SPEND!AN!AVERAGE!OF!225!MINUTES!A!DAY!COLLECTING!
WATER!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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networks,!due!to!poor!maintenance!and!leakages.!So,!at!global!level!the!issue!of!water!
sustainability! is! a! matter! of! availability,! but! also! of! distribution! and! management! of!
available!resources.!Individual!behaviour!change!is!the!key!to!sustainability,!regarding!
direct!water!consumption!but!also!our!diet,!habits,!waste!and!energy!consumption.! '
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
!
!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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3.5.' AQUAWLAB:'Let’s'learn'about'the'WATER'SUSTAINABILITY'3.5.1.' Water'is'Life'
What! a! seed! absolutely! needs! in! order! to! sprout?! After! a! brainstorming! within! the!
classroom,!the!"essential!ingredients"!are!identified!and,!after!bringing!in!the!classroom!
all!needed!materials,!we!set!up!in!the!classroom!some!germination!tests!with!trays!and!
cotton!wool.!Each! test!will! be!marked!with!a! label! pin!where!growing! conditions!and!
added!substances!are!reported.!For!example,!you!can!make!experiments!with!all! the!
chosen! ingredients! and! see! what! happens! if! one! or! more! ingredients! are! removed.!
Also,!once!the!seed!has!germinated,!does!the!new!plant!need!the!same!ingredients!to!
keep!on!growing?!
!
3.5.2.' Smart'water'tap.'Why!not!to!try!drinking!water!from!tap!during!school!meals?!The!activity!is!introduced!
by!analysing!the!processes!behind!the!production!of!mineral!water!and!tap!water,!and!
by! analysing! and! comparing:! consumption! data,! production! costs,! data! related! to!
transportation! and! disposal! of! bottled! water! and! water! supply,! by! highlighting! the!
environmental! impacts! and! costs! incurred! by! each! school! in! order! to! provide! bottled!
water!in!school!canteens.!It!is!then!possible!to!proceed!on!the!analysis!of!the!water!of!
the! school,! by! using! colorimetric! strips! in! order! to! define! the! major! chemical! water!
features!(nitrates,!nitrites,!chlorides!and!sulphates),!to!estimate!the!water!hardness!and!
pH,!and!finally!to!make!a!comparison!with!the!data!reported!on!labels!of!bottled!water.!
'3.5.3.' Water'for'everyone'
After!gym!class,!you!can!play!an!interesting!roleUplaying!game!related!to!the!availability!
of! water! in! the! planet.! You! bring! to! the! class! five! bottles! of! water! or! a! single! tank,!
preferably! transparent,! filled! in! with! water,! and! as! many! glasses! as! the! number! of!
children.!The! teacher/facilitator!makes!sure! that!every! thirsty!kid!will! have!one!glass.!
Before!drinking,!though,!everyone!will!have!to!first!“change”!its!identity!and!become!the!
representative!of!one!State!belonging! to! the!UN,!by! randomly!picking!up!his/her!new!
nationality! from! a! range! of! cards! prepared! in! advance.! You! distribute! water! in! the!
glasses,!not!equally,!but!according!to!the!availability!of!water!of!the!citizens’!state!the!
kid!is!representing!!Who!can!drink!and!who!cannot?!Reflections,!reactions:!the!debate!
that! follows! will! be! the! starting! point! for! an! inUdepth! activity,! in! order! to! discover!
reasons!and!problems!–!such!as!pollution,!drought,!intensive!agriculture,!etc.!–!making!
difficult!the!access!to!fresh!and!drinkable!water!in!many!regions!of!the!planet.! !
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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4.' DIETARY'HABITS'Our!consumption!patterns,!especially!our!diet,!are!critical!to!the!final!freshwater!use.!
Although! we! are! not! aware,! daily! consumption! habits! such! as! food,! dressing! and!
everything!else!we!purchase,!imply!large!amounts!of!water!consumption!and!pollution!
and!therefore!contribute!to!our!water!footprint!as!citizens!and!as!a!nation.!This!invisible!
water!we!consume!every!day,!needed!to!produce!the!goods!we!use!and!the!food!we!
eat,!is!called!“Virtual!Water”10.!!
Averagely!the!daily!water!footprint!of!a!citizen!is!around!3800!litres.!However,!only!3%!
of!this!water!footprint!relates!to!the!water!we!use!at!home!to!bath,!cook,!wash!our!car!
or!irrigate!our!garden.!97%!of!our!water!footprint!comes!from!the!products!we!purchase!
and!consume!every!day11.!!
The!water! footprint! of! an!European!Union! consumer! is! 25%!higher! than! the!World’s!
average! –! 5.130! litres! of! water! per! day.! This!means! that! the! average! annual! water!
footprint! of! an! European! Union! consumer! is! equivalent! to! the! volume! of! water!
necessary!to!fill!in!two!thirds!of!an!Olympic!swimming!pool.!!
How'can'we'make'an'impact'on'this'water'if'it'is'invisible'to'us?'Can'we'make'a'difference'with'our'water'footprint?'Surely'yes!'Starting'from'our'table!!'
Dietary!habits!strongly!impact!on!our!water!footprint:!while!our!body!needs!2!to!4!litres!
of! drinking!water! per! day,! producing!our! daily! food! requires!averagely!3.000! litres!of!
water12.! The! dietary! shift! to! meatUbased! products! is! one! of! the! main! concerns.!
Producing!1kg!of!beef!requires!15.000!litres!of!water,!ten!times!more!than!1!kg!of!grain!!
And!meat!consumption! is!expected! to! rise! from!37kg!per!person!per!year! in!2000! to!
52kg!by!2030.!Within!European!Union!countries,!
Luxembourg,! Portugal! and! Spain! have! the! top!
water! footprints!(and! in! the!world),!and!only! the!
United!Kingdom!and!Slovakia!have!an!average!
consumption!water!footprint!per!capita!below!the!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!Virtual!Water!U!the!Water,!Food,!and!Trade!Nexus'W'Useful!Concept!or!Misleading!Metaphor?'by!J.A.!(Tony)!Allan,!SOAS/King’s!College!London,!Water!Research!Group,'The!Strand,!London,!United!Kingdom!https://www.soas.ac.uk/water/publications/papers/file38394.pdf!11!Mekonnen,!M.M.!and!Hoekstra!(2011)!National!water!footprint!accounts:!The!green,!blue!and!grey!water!footprint!of!production!and!consumption,!Value!of!Water!Research!Report!Series!No.!50,!UNESCOUIHE,!Delft,!the!Netherlands.!http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Report50UNationalWaterFootprintsUVol1.pdf!12!Source:!FAO,!from!UNWATER!website!
DO!YOU!KNOW!THAT?!
THE!WATER!USED!TO!PRODUCED!AGRICULTURAL!
COMMODITIES!IS!CALLED!“VIRTUAL!WATER”!!
LEARN!MORE!http://www.angelamorelli.com/1/?projects=virtualUwaterUcommunicatingUwaterUscienceUonUtv!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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world’s!average.!These!high!water! footprints,!are!mainly!due! to! the! large!amounts!of!
meat!in!these!countries!typical!meals.!! The!global!water!demand!for!production!of!
food,!feed,!fibre!and!energy!crops!rapidly!increases.!Although!in!many!countries!most!
of! the! food! still! originates! locally,! substantial! volumes! of! food! and! feed! are!
internationally!traded.!All!the!European!countries!have!net!virtual!water!import,!as!well!
as!they!use!some!water!for!making!export!products!but!more!water!is!used!elsewhere!
to!produce!commodities!that!are!imported.!
!
Figure'5:!European!Union!consumers!average!water!footprint!per!sector13.!!
!
4.1.' DRINKS'Drinks! have! also! an! important! WF,! related! to! the! product! and! its! ingredients,! the!
process!for!producing!and!transporting!it,!for!producing!and!disposing!of!its!packaging.!
How!much!water!actually!goes!into!making!a!bottle!of!water?!!
Water:!The!amount!of!water!needed! to!make!a!bottle!of!water!could!be!up!to!6!or!7!times!what's!inside!the!bottle.!
Wine:! one! glass! (125! ml)! costs! 110! litres! of! water,! but! it! depends! were! wine! is!produced:!In!France,!Italy!and!Spain,! the!world’s! largest!wine!producers,! the!average!
water!footprint!is!90,!90,!195!litres!per!glass!of!wine,!respectively14.!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!13!Source:!D.!Vanham,!A.Y.!Hoekstra,!G.!Bidoglio!(2013).!Potential%water%saving%through%changes%in%European%diets.!Environment!International!61!(2013)!45–56.!14!Mekonnen!and!Hoekstra,!2011!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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Soft'drinks:!The!WF!of!a!soft!drink!depending!on! its! ingredients,!sugar! is!one!of! the!main!water!consuming!ingredients.!The!ratio!of!water!needed!for!producing!CocaUCola!
in!Europe!is!roughly!70:1,!as!per!½!litre!in!PET!bottle,!23!litres!of!water!are!needed!(15!
litres!related!to!Green!WF,!8!to!Blue!WF)!and!12!litres!of!water!are!wasted15!
4.2.' FOOD'The!products!which!have!been!created!with!the!involvement!of!animals!in!supply!chain!
are!much!more!difficult!to!be!quantified!in!terms!of!water!footprint,!as!animals!are!often!
fed!by!a!variety!of! feed! ingredients!whose!supply!chains!are!difficult! to! trace.!Unless!
we!have!milk,!cheese,!eggs,!or!meat!from!an!animal!that!was!completely!raised!locally,!
it!is!hard!to!assess!the!exact!WF!of!such!products.!!
!Figure'6:!the!water!footprint!of!our!food!16!
!The!largest!fraction!(98%)!of!the!water!footprint!of!animal!products!refers!to!the!water!
footprint!of!the!feed!for!the!animals.!Generally!speaking,!the!water!footprint!per!gram!of!
protein!for!milk,!eggs,!and!chicken!meat!is!about!1.5!times!larger!than!that!for!pulses.!
Also,! there! is! a! great! difference! between! different! kinds! of! meat:! chickens! are! less!
water!impacting!than!cowsh!also!sheep!meat!is!less!impacting!as!this!animal!is!usually!
raised!on!grass!instead!of!fed!on!grain.!The!global!water!footprint!of!animal!production!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!15!Source:!Product!Water!Footprint!assessment!U!Practical!Application!in!Corporate!Water!Stewardship!September!2010!report,!presented!by!the!Coca!Cola!Company!joint!with!the!Nature!Conservancy!http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/CocaColaUTNCU2010UProductWaterFootprintAssessments_1.pdf!16!Source:!http://temp.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/InfoGraphics!!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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amounts! to! 2.422! billion!m³/year! (87%!green,! 6%!blue,! 7%!grey).! 1/3! of! this! total! is!
related!to!beef!cattle,!and!another!19%!is!related!to!dairy!cattle17.!
4.2.1.' Which'diet'to'choose?'A!vegetarian!diet!(or!at!least,!diet!based!on!much!less!consumption!of!meat),!reduces!
the! foodUrelated! water! footprint! to! 2.300! L/day,! which! means! a! reduction! of! 36%! in!
relation!to!a!meatU!based!diet.!Consumers!can!reduce!their!WF!either!by!reducing!their!
volume! of! meat! consumption! or! by! being! more! selective! on! the! meat! they! choose.!
Also,!it!is!important!to!consider!that!low!impacting!products!might!also!have!a!high!blue!
and!green!water! footprint,!but! low!grey!water! footprint.!Mediterranean!diet,!based!on!
cereals!and!vegetables,!can!be!a!good!example!of!a!WFUhealthy!plan,! less!impacting!
than!Northern!Europe!and!American!diets,!as!it!uses!less!meat!and!animal!products18.!
Let’s!see!the!water!footprint!of!2!typical!products!of!Mediterranean!diet:!
Water' Footprint' of' PASTA:! The! global! average! water! footprint! of! wheat! is! 1827!litre/kg.!1!kilogram!of!wheat!gives!about!790!gram!of!pasta,!so!that!the!water!footprint!
of!pasta!on!average!is!about!1850!litre/kg.!!
Water'Footprint'of'PIZZA'MARGHERITA:!The!global!average!water!footprint!of!one!pizza!margherita!(725!gram)!is!1.260!litre!of!water.!The!largest!contribution!to!the!total!
comes!from!the!mozzarella19,!as!it!represents!about!50%!of!the!total!water!use,!bread!
wheat!flour!44%!and!tomato!puree!about!6%.!The'impact'of'the'water'footprints'of'pasta'and'pizza'depends'on'the'vulnerability'of'the'water'systems'where'the'water'footprints'are'located.!The!impact!of!WF!of!pasta!is!most!severe!in!Puglia!and!Sicily,!where!groundwater!overexploitation!for!durum!wheat!irrigation!is!common.!
The! impact!of! the!water! footprint!of!pizza! is!more!diverse.! It' is'concentrated' in' the'first' step' of' the' supplyWchain' of' tomato' puree' and' mozzarella,' i.e.' in' the'cultivation'of' tomatoes'and'the' feed'crops'of'dairy'cows.!The!bread!wheat!used!for! the! pizza! base! does! not! have! large! impacts.! The! water! footprint! impact! of! the!
tomato!puree!on!the!pizza!is!concentrated!in!Puglia!(groundwater!overexploitation!and!
pollution!related!to!tomato!cultivation)!and!EmiliaURomagna!(water!pollution).!The!water!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!17!Mekonnen!and!Hoekstra,!2010!18!Source:!Ecological,!carbon!and!water!footprints!of!food!production!and!consumption!in!the!Mediterranean!region!U!Roberto!Capone,!Abderraouf!Elferchichi,!Hamid!El!Bilali,!Nicola!Lamaddalena1!,!Lamberto!Lamberti1!http://dietamediterranea.iamb.it/index.php/it/areaUdownload/anteprimaUdocumenti/22UomedUpreviewUfiles/93U3UecologicalUcarbonUandUwaterUfootprintsUofUfoodUproductionUandUconsumptionUinUtheUmediterraneanUregion!!19The!water!needed!to!have!Italians!eat!pasta!and!pizza,!UNESCO!Institute!for!water!education,!May!2009!!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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footprint! impact!of!mozzarella! lies!mostly! in!the!effects!of!water!use!for!producing!the!
feed!ingredients!for!the!dairy!cows.'Mozzarella'production'further'poses'a'potential'threat' to' water' quality,' mostly' in' the' Po' valley,' but' this' problem' seems' to' be'properly'regulated,'although'possibly'not'fully'controlled20.!
!Figure'7:!Green,!blue!and!Grey!Water!footprints!of!bread!and!pasta21!
!
4.2.2.' Not'only'food…'We!affect!our!WF!with!food!but!also!with!other!products!and!services!we!buy,!such!as:!
textiles,!electricity,!transports.!Let’s!have!a!quick!glance:!
1.! Textile:!Cotton! is!the!most! important!natural! fibre!used!in!the!textile! industries!worldwide.!But!cotton!consumption!is!responsible!for!2.6%!of!the!global!water!use.!The!global!average!water!footprint!of!cotton!fabric!is!10.000!litre!per!kg.!That!means!that!on!
average!one!cotton!shirt!of!250!gram!takes!in!average!about!2500!litres!of!water.!A!pair!
of!jeans!of!800!gram!take!8.000!litres.!About!84%!of!the!WF!of!cotton!consumption!in!
the!EU! region! is! located!outside!Europe,!with!major! impacts!particularly! in! India!and!
Uzbekistan.!Which!are!the!effects?!A!sad!but!meaningful!effect! is!the!shrinking!of!the!
Aral! sea22,! in! Central! Asia,! due! to! the! over! exploitation! of! water! for! irrigating! cotton!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!20!Source:!http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/AldayaUHoekstraU2010_1.pdf!21Source:!http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactiveUtools/productUgallery/!!22!Source:!http://reconsideringrussia.org/2014/08/15/aUguideUtoUtheUstansUofUcentralUasia/aralUsea/!!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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fields.!Formerly!one!of!the!four!largest!lakes!in!the!world,!it!has!been!steadily!shrinking!
since!the!1960s!after!the!rivers!that!fed!it!were!diverted!by!Soviet!irrigation!projects.!
!
Figure'8:!water!footprint!of!a!cotton!tUshirt,!depending!on!the!origin!of!the!cotton!fabric!
!
The!shrinking!of!the!Aral!Sea!has!been!called!"one!of!the!planet's!worst!environmental!
disasters23!as!the!region's!onceUprosperous!fishing! industry!has!been!destroyed,!bringing!
unemployment!and!economic!hardship.!The!region! is!heavily!polluted,!with!serious!public!
health!problems24.!
'
Figure'9:!photographs!illustrating!the!diminution!of!the!Aral!sea.!From!left!to!right:!(top!row)!1973,!1989,!1999,!(bottom!row)!2001,!2003,!2009!(US!geological!survey!and!NASA)!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!23!Source:!Daily!Telegraph!(2010U04U05).!"Aral!Sea!'one!of!the!planet's!worst!environmental!disasters'".!The%Daily%Telegraph!(London)!24!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea!!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
!
!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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2.! Transport:!!The!water! footprint! is!different!among! transport!modes!and!depends!on! the! transport!
fuel.! In! western! societies,! transport! requires! about! 1/3! of! total! energy! use25! and!
contributes!substantially!to!greenhouse!gas!emissions,!but!it!affects!WF!as!well:!If!10%!
of! the! fuel! used! in! transports! is! replaced! by! bioUethanol,! biofuel! U! based! transport! in!
Europe!will!require!a!water!volume!equal!to!about!10%!of!the!European!water!footprint!
of!food!and!cotton!consumption.!
3.' Energy'There! is! a! great! differences! between! the! types! of! energy! source.! Biofuels! and!
hydrogen! economy! need! considerably!more!water! usage! than! the! fossil! fuels.!CornU
based!ethanol,!which!some!tout!as!an!ecoUfriendly!alternative!fuel,!is!not!waterUfriendly:!
ethanol!or!biodiesel!production!requires!13.05!litres!of!water!per!litre!of!biofuel!and!oil!
shale!needs!more!than!22.71!litres!of!water!for!every!litre!of!gasoline.!Thermal!power!
plants! (80%!of!electricity!production)!are!particularly!water! intensive26:! their!cooling! is!
responsible!for!43%!of!total!freshwater!withdrawal!in!Europe,!nearly!50%!in!the!US27.!
4.' Electronic'goods'Also!unexpected!products!may!be!considered! regarding! their!WF,!such!as!electronic!
goods! and,! specifically,! smartphones,! which! are! manufactured! of! many! key!
components! of! general! electronic! devices.! Smartphones! require! raw! materials!
extracted! from! across! the! globe! and! the! manufacturing! process! has! a! significant!
footprint!as!well.!The!overall!footprint!of!a!generic!smartphone!estimated!to!be!12.760!
litres,!or!160!baths,!of!water,!during!their!production.!
5.' Other…'Also! your! stationery! products! have! a! water! footprint!! A! simple! paper! implies! the!
consumption!of!10!litres!of!water!!28!
! !
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!25!Blok,!2006h!IEA,!2009!26!UNESCO,!2014,!World!Water!Assessment!Programme!27!UNESCO,!2014,!World!Water!Development!Report!28!Source:!Hoekstra,!Van!Oel,!P.R.!and!Hoekstra,!A.Y.!(2010)!The!green!and!blue!water!footprint!of!paper!products:!methodological!considerations!and!quantification,!Value!of!Water!Research!Report!Series!No.46,!UNESCOUIHE,!Delft,!the!Netherlands!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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4.3.' AQUAWLAB:'Let’s'learn'about'DIETARY'HABITS'!4.3.1.' How'much'water'do'we'eat?'
We!can!prepare!in!the!classroom!some!simple!experiments!devoted!to!evaporation,!in!
order! to! check!how!much!water! is! present! in! living!beings!and! that! all! life! forms!are!
actively!involved!in!the!water!cycle.!We!bring!an!electronic!scale!and!apples,!then!we!
ask!pupils,!in!groups,!to!cut!them!into!pieces!or!slices,!to!accurately!record!their!weight!
and!then!to!put!everything!exposed!to!the!sun!or!the!a!heat!source!such!as!a!radiator!
of!the!class.!!
What!is!going!to!happen?!During!the!dehydration!process,!the!apple!slices!will!dry!up!
and!the!pupils!will!be!able! to!quantify! the!water!evaporated,!by!weighting!them!again!
and!compare!the!weights!before!and!after!the!water!evaporation.!The!experiment!can!
be! done! also!with! other! fruits! and! vegetables! such! as! tomatoes,! potatoes,! zucchini,!
carrots,!bananas!and!grapes!to!find!out!the!differences!of!water!contained!in!each!one!
of!them!and!also!with!other!foods!such!as!ham,!meat!and!mozzarella.!This!could!also!
be!the!starting!point!for!introducing!the!theme!of!water!needed!to!produce!food!on!our!
table.!!
'4.3.2.' An'inverted'pyramid'
Try! to! draw! on! a! large! poster! the! food! pyramid,! the! graphic! designed! by! the! US!
Department!of!Agriculture! in!1992!and! then!amended!with! the! latest!health! research,!
used!to!encourage!people!to!consume!foods!situated!at!the!top!in!small!quantities!and,!
on!the!contrary,!to!increase!foods!placed!at!the!base!of!the!pyramid.!Afterwards,!look!
for!the!water!footprint!of!all!foods!of!the!pyramid!and!make!a!similar!chart!of!the!one!of!
food! pyramid:! you! will! discover! recommended! and! healthiest! foods! are! those! with!
lower!water! footprint!!You!can!also!build!pyramids!of!both! food!and!water! footprint! in!
three! dimensions! with! coloured! paper! and! expose! the! installation! in! the! school!
premises!in!order!to!raise!awareness!among!fellowUstudents.!
!
! !
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
!
!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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5.' TIPS'and'TRICKS'
5.1.' How'to'reduce'our'water'footprint?''
Our! lifestyle! can! be! more! sustainable! in! terms! of! water! footprint.! A! small! effort! to!
conserve!water!generates!exponential!benefits,!and!each!citizen!has!the!power!to!have!
a!significant!impact!on!it!!!
How!can!we!do!it?!Through!small!but!significant!steps:!
A.! Become!more!responsible!citizens,!aware!of!our!consumes!and!products!we!buy!!!
If! consumers! are! properly! informed,! they! can! choose! and! have! the! chance! to!
change! their! consumption! habits,! such! as! buying! food,! clothes! with! lower! water!
footprint,! or! preferring! public! to! private! highly! water! impacting! transport.! How!
simplier!would!be!if!products!would!“say”!their!own!water!footpirnt:!we!would!be!led!
in!our!purchases!much!more!easily!!Although!a! labelling!system!stating! the!water!
footprint!of!products!does!not!exists!yet29!we!can!get!informed!and!through!several!
sources!and!follow!some!simple!good!habits:!!
B.! Follow!a!balanced!diet!!It!does!not!mean!not!to!eat!meat,!but!to!be!moderated!and!
balanced:! a! meatUeating! person! has! an!
average! daily! water! footprint! of! 5.000! litres!
per!day,!whilst!the!average!for!a!vegetarian!is!
2.500! litres.! In! heavy! meatUconsumption!
oriented! countries,! the! advice! is:! one! meatU
freeUday!a!week!!!
C.! Choose! the! kind! of! meat! you! eat!! Not! all! types! of! meat! are! the! same:! meat! of!
animals! raised! on! grass! is! less! impacting.! Usually! sheep! meat! is! of! this! kind,!
whereas!cornUfed!beef!is!much!more!impacting!in!terms!of!waterfootprint.!
D.! Do!not!waste!products!you!buy!and,!specifically,!do!not!waste!food!!It!is!a!“double”!
waste! as,! by! wasting! food,! you! waste! both! the! food! itself! and! its! virtual! water,!
necessary! water! for! producing! it.! We! should! not! accept! having! industrialized!
countries,!where!wasted!food!is!approximately!30%!of!the!food!we!purchase,!whilst!
several!developing!countries!are!at!risk!of!both!famine!and!water!scarcity!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!29!See!http://www.theguardian.com/sustainableUbusiness/waterUfootprintUlabelsUconsumerUproducts!!
WARNING!!!
YOU!DO!NOT!NEED!TO!“STOP”!EATING!IN!ORDER!TO!REDUCE!YOUR!WATER!FOOTPRINT!!LOW!IMPACTING!PRODUCTS!MIGHT!ALSO!HAVE!A!
HIGH!BLUE!AND!GREEN!WATER!FOOTPRINT,!BUT!LOW!
GREY!WATER!FOOTPRINT!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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!Figure'10:!check!out!the!water!footprint!of!your!daily!life!and!choose!poptions!for!reducing!it!30!
!
5.1.1.' What'do'you'wear?'Lower!water!consumption!can!be!achieved!at!the!
beginning! of! textile! production! chain! and!
depending! on! the! raw!material! used! for! the!manufacture! of! fibres,! as! well! as! using!
more!efficient!technologies!in!dyeing!and!finishing!manufactures.!.!Sometimes!we!buy!
too!many!clothes.!Why!should!we!have!four!pairs!of!jeans!if!we!can!live!only!with!two?!
Try!buying!less,!according!to!your!real!needs.!
5.1.2.' Which'transport'means?'It!is!more!efficient!to!use!bioUelectricity!or!bioUethanol!than!biodiesel.!Transport!per!train!
based!on!bioUelectricity! is!more!waterUefficient! than!transport!by!car!using!bioUethanol!
or! airplane! using! bioUethanol.! Therefore,! using! public! transport,! train! and! ship! for!
travelling,!instead!of!bioethanol!and!biofuel!vehicles!is!not!only!good!for!air!quality,!but!
could!reduce!the!water!footprint!for!36%!per!person!in!1!year.!!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!30!Source:!http://temp.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/InfoGraphics!
DO!YOU!KNOW!THAT?!!
REDUCING!WATER!USAGE!ALSO!HELPS!TO!PREVENT!
CLIMATE!CHANGE!
!
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
!
!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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Conclusions'There! is! a! generalized! lack! of! awareness! amongst! citizens! about! the! water! that! is!
required! and! polluted! to! produce! the! goods! they! consume.! Moreover,! there! is! a!
generalized!perception!our!personal!water!footprint! is!mostly!due!to!the!water!we!use!
at! home,! when! in! fact,! this! averagely! represents! only! around! 3%! of! our! total! water!
footprint.!!
While! international! action! is! therefore! necessary! and!welcome! to! improve!water! use!
efficiency,!what!we!do,!as!Europeans,!will!strongly!influence!the!success!of!any!policy.!
We!consume!on!average!far!more!water!than!in!most!other!parts!of!the!world,!and!our!
consumption!patterns,!our!diet,!our!energy!consumes,!our!clothes,!have!considerable!
impacts!on!global!water!use!and!the!related!discussed!issues.!So,!we!need!to!change!
our!consumption!behaviours!!
At!the!end!of!our!“AquaUpath”!we!know!that!the!Earth’s!water!is!finite,!but!it!is!infinitely!
renewable:!if!we!are!able!to!respect!its!finite!resources!with!our!lifestyle!we!can!make!
an!effective!footprint!for!the!sustainability!of!our!planet!!
! ! !
! '
O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
!
!
This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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5.2.' AQUAWFESTIVAL:'Let’s'play'about'the'“AquaWPATH!!”'5.2.1.' Talking'water!'
We!prepare!a!cosy!space!with!tables,!some!chairs!and!posters!where!citizens,!children!
and! young! people! can! stop! and! leave! their! "footprint"! regarding! the! theme! of!water.!
Tools:!pencils,!markers,!coloured!paper,!tempera,!watercolours!and!adhesive!tape.!
The'voice'of'water.!We! invite!passersUby! to! close! their! eyes!and! think!of! the!water!under!whatsoever!form.!Then!we!ask!them!to!find!an!adjective,!a!sound,!a!smell!or!a!
place! inextricably! linked! to! water! and! to! draw! or! write! associated! terms! on! a! large!
waveUshaped!poster!lying!on!the!ground!or!hung!up!on!a!wall.!
Acrostics.!On!another!poster,!we!ask!passersUby!to!choose!one!of!the!words!they!can!find!on! the!poster! "the!voice!of!water",! to! reUwrite! it!vertically!and! then! to!compose!a!
sentence!by!using!words!beginning!with!the!letters!from!columns.!
Water'music.!We!fix!with!silicone!on!a!table!some!wine!glasses,!possibly!of!different!shapes.!We!fillUin!each!glass!with!different!amounts!of!water!and!we!invite!passersUby!
to!wet!the!tip!of!their!finger!and!continuously!slide!it!on!the!rim!of!the!glass,!making!a!
light!pressure.!Different!sounds!will!be!produced!and!it!will!be!possible!to!use!glasses!
as!musical!instruments!of!an!orchestra,!like!in!1700!when!a!musical!instrument,!the!soU
called!harmonic!crystal,!was!made!with!crystal!glasses.!
'5.2.2.' How'much'rain?'
We!set! in! the!city!a!stationing!for!setting!a!rain!gauge,!simply!made!of!reused!plastic!
bottles.!It!is!sufficient!to!cut!out!the!upper!part!of!a!bottle!with!a!scissors!so!as!to!obtain!
a!funnel!and!a!container.!!
We!put! the!funnel! into! the!container,!with!a!permanent!marker!and!with! the!help!of!a!
ruler! we! graduate! it! and! the! rain! gauge! is! ready!! You! can! leave! instructions! for! the!
construction!of!the!rain!gauge!drawn!on!a!panel!or!on!cards!and!foresee!a!poster!with!
some! information! for!citizens,!concerning,! for! instance,! the!availability!of!water! in! the!
world!and!the!data!of!the!average!annual!precipitation!in!our!area,!compared!with!other!
regions!worldwide.!
'5.2.3.' Check'out'your'footprint!'
You! reproduce! on! a! large! poster! all! questions! of! the! “Aquapass”Ubooklet! and! you!
distribute! paper! copies! of! it! to! citizens,! by! inviting! them! to! respond! to! the! shown!
questions!and!to!report!on!the!big!poster!their!answers!by!using!coloured!dots,!so!that!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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passersUby! can!easily! see!given!answers.! It! is! relevant! to!have!an!Aquapath!Project!
Expert,! able! to! give! information! on! water! footprint! and! readyUtoUuse! suggestions! on!
how! you! can! easily! reduce! your! water! footprint.! Set! up! two! locations:! the! first! one!
where! citizens! can! experiment! the! online! calculator,! the! second! one! with! some!
practical!experiences!to!be!tested.!For!example,!you!can!suggest!the!construction!of!a!
model! of! flow! reducer! made! of! plastic! cups,! perforated! in! the! same! position! by! a!
needle! and! an! awl,! respectively.! You! encourage! citizens! to! close! the! holes! with!
adhesive! paper! tape,! to! fillUin! the! glasses! of! water,! and,! stopwatch! ready,! to! rapidly!
remove! the! tape! and! measure! the! time! water! needs! to! fall! down! in! a! basin.! The!
“needlesUshower”!can!last!up!to!twice!longer!than!the!one!with!larger!holes.!In!order!to!
maintain!the!same!output!pressure,!despite!the!smaller!capacity,!filters!available!on!the!
market!not!only!break!up!the!water!into!tiny!particles!like!the!filter!made!of!needles!did,!
but!also!they!mixed! it!with!air!so!as!to!keep!the!water! flow!rich!and!comfortable.!The!
water! consumption! is! reduced! of! about! half! and! the! outflow! pressure! remains! the!
same,! despite! the! smaller! capacity.! Other! tests! can! be! suggested:! e.g.! citizens! can!
visualize! the! amount! of! water! used! for! brushing! teeth! or! hands,! whether! the! tap! is!
closed!or!not,!or!else!the!quantity!of!water!contained!in!toilet!flushes.!
'5.2.4.' Water'hunt!'
Organize!an!outdoors!teamUbased!treasure!hunt!with!tests!and!riddles!on!the!theme!of!
water.! You! need! to! foresee! some! tests! of! general! knowledge,! other! specific! on! the!
theme!of!water! footprint,!other! involving!passersUby!with! interviews,!or!contributing! to!
the!creation!of!a!large!installation!on!one!of!the!project!themes,!in!order!to!give!visibility!
to!the!event.!Teams!can!start!at!the!same!time!or!staggered.!At!the!end!of!the!treasure!
hunt,! the! teams!who!answered!correctly!all!questions!and! in! the!shortest! time!will!be!
rewarded! with! a! symbolic! prize! such! as! waterUsaving! filters! and! fruits! or! vegetables!
with!labels!showing!their!water!footprint!will!be!distributed!to!all!participants.!!
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O1/A3:'Awareness'raising'module'for'children'!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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6.' REFERENCES'
6.1.' Publications'•! The! Water! Footprint! Assessment! Manual,! Arjen! Y.! Hoekstra,! Ashok! K.! Chapagain,! Maite! M.!
Aldaya!and!Mesfin!M.!Mekonnen!–!2011!•! Gleick,!P!H.,!1996:!Water!resources.!(In!Encyclopaedia!of!Climate!and!Weather!•! Hoekstra,!A.Y.!and!Mekonnen,!M.M.!(2012)!The!water!footprint!of!humanity,!Proceedings!of!the!
National!Academy!of!Sciences,!109(9):!3232–3237!•! The! water! needed! for! Italians! to! eat! pasta! and! pizza,! M.M.! Aldaya! *,! A.Y.! Hoekstra,! Twente!
Water! Centre,! University! of! Twente,! 7500! AE! Enschede,! The! Netherlands!http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/AldayaUHoekstraU2010_1.pdf!!
•! Hoekstra,!Van!Oel,!P.R.!and!Hoekstra,!A.Y.!(2010)!The!green!and!blue!water!footprint!of!paper!products:! methodological! considerations! and! quantification,! Value! of! Water! Research! Report!Series!No.46,!UNESCOUIHE,!Delft,!the!Netherlands!
•! Virtual!Water!U!the!Water,!Food,!and!Trade!Nexus'W'Useful!Concept!or!Misleading!Metaphor?'by!J.A.! (Tony)! Allan,! SOAS/King’s! College! London,!Water! Research!Group,'The!Strand,! London,!United!Kingdom!https://www.soas.ac.uk/water/publications/papers/file38394.pdf!
6.2.' LINKS'6.2.1.! What!the!water!footprint!is?!http://www.angelamorelli.com/water/!6.2.1.1.! Graphs!of!WFN!http://temp.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/InfoGraphics!!6.2.1.2.! Interactive!tool!of!WFN:!http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactiveUtools/waterU
footprintUassessmentUtool/!!6.2.1.3.! National!WF:!play!with!the!WF!explorer!tool!!
http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactiveUtools/nationalUwaterUfootprintUexplorer/!6.2.1.4.! Water!scarcity!www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=8&secNum=5!6.2.2.! Water!sustainability!6.2.2.1.! www.unep.org/water!6.2.2.2.! Water!availability!http://www.theguardian.com/globalUdevelopmentUprofessionalsU
network/2015/jul/01/globalUaccessUcleanUwaterUsanitationUmapped!6.2.2.3.! Water!scarcity!http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml!!6.2.2.4.! The!shrinking!of!the!Aral!Sea!http://reconsideringrussia.org/2014/08/15/aUguideUtoUtheU
stansUofUcentralUasia/aralUsea/!6.2.3.! Dietary!habits!6.2.3.1.! Interactive!Tool!of!WFN:!http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactiveUtools/productU
gallery/!!6.2.3.2.! Virtual!Water:!http://www.angelamorelli.com/1/?projects=virtualUwaterUcommunicatingU
waterUscienceUonUtv!!6.2.3.3.! Textiles:!http://www.sewyourselfsilly.com.au/news/waterUfootprintUhowUtheUfashionU
industryUandUyourUshoppingUimpactUtheUplanet/!!6.2.4.! Tips!and!tricks:!how!to!assess!your!WF?!6.2.4.1.! WF!Label!http://www.theguardian.com/sustainableUbusiness/waterUfootprintUlabelsU
consumerUproducts!!6.2.4.2.! Vademecum:!http://temp.waterfootprint.org/downloads/2010UPocketGuideU
toReducingYourWaterFootprint.jpg!!
6.3.' Videos'•! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zUiVl3JJRM!!•! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIJOOfOpUYs&index=7&list=PLHnzEAZ3lShlnekss0LWodXC
LcskhWDHY!•! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alUdoUHGuIk!!•! http://waterstink.com/tag/tonyUallan/!! !
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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7.' GLOSSARY'A.! Accessible!water:!the!part!of!sweet!water!(0,3%)!readily!accessible!for!use!as!surface!water!in!
lakes,!swamps,!rivers!and!streams:!not!even!0,01%!of!the!global!world!water!!
B.! Blue!WF:!indicates!the!consumption!of!fresh!surface!or!ground!water,!!Blue!Gold:! it! is! a! term! to! identify!water,! as! it! is! getting!more!and!more! scarce!and! therefore,!precious!
C.! (Water)! cycle:! The! water! cycle! describes! the! existence! and! movement! of! water! on,! in,! and!above!the!Earth!(water)! consumption:! is! the! water! no! longer! available! because! it! has! evaporated,! been!transpired! by! plants,! incorporated! into! products! or! crops,! consumed! by! people! or! livestock,! or!
otherwise!removed!from!the!immediate!water!environment!
D.! Direct!WF:!indicates!the!amount!of!fresh!water!consumption!and!pollution!that! is!associated!to!the!water!used!by!the!consumer!or!producer,!!
Deforestation:! permanent! destruction! of! forests! in! order! to!make! the! land! available! for! other!uses,!having!a!major!impact!on!water!cycle!and!on!global!climate!change,!as!there!is!less!water!
evaporating!into!the!atmosphere!and!subsequently!less!rain!
E.! Eutrophication:!It! is! the!process!by!which!an!ecosystem!responds!to!the!addition!of!natural!or!artificial!substances!to!an!aquatic!system!Earth's!water:!it!is!always!in!movement!and!is!always!changing!states,!from!liquid!to!vapour!to!ice!and!back!again!!
F.! Fresh! water:! soUcalled! “sweet! water”! is! the! natural! water! on! earth’s! surface! apart! from! salt!water,!consisting!of!glaciers,!groundwater!and!surface!water.!It!is!2,5%!of!the!global!world!water!
G.! Green!WF:!fresh!water!from!precipitation!consumed!by!plants,!!Grey! WF:! fresh! water! consumed! to! assimilate! the! load! of! pollutants! based! on! natural!
background!concentrations!and!existing!ambient!water!quality!standards,!
H.! Hydroelectricity:!it!is!the!electricity!generated!by!hydropowerh!the!production!of!electrical!power!through!the!use!of!the!gravitational!force!of!falling!or!flowing!water!Habits:!what!we!should!pay!attention!to!in!order!to!reduce!our!WF!!Not!only!by!closing!tap!when!brushing!teeth!(12!litres!are!wasted!if!it!you!leave!it!running!),!but!also!our!dietary,!transportation!
and!living!habits!!
I.! Indirect!WF:! indicates! the!consumption!and!pollution!of! the! (virtual)!water!associated!with! the!
production!of!goods!and!services!consumed,!!
Irrigation:! It! is! an! artificial! watering! system! of! cultivated! land! that! does! not! get! enough!water!through!rainfall!
J.! Jeans:!a!pair!of!jeans!of!800!gram!costs!8.000!litres!!K.! Kilogram:!1kg!of!cotton!requires!10.000!litresh!1!kg!of!oranges!requires!100litres!L.! Litres!of!fresh!water!directly!consumed!per!person!per!day:!250!in!North!America,!100!U!230!in!
Europe,!less!than!10!in!SubUSaharan!Africa:!how!to!accept!those!inequalities?!
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This!project!has!been! funded!with! support! from! the!European!Commission.!This!publication! reflects! the! views!only! of! the! author,! and! the!Commission! cannot! be!held! responsible! for! any! use! which! may! be! made! of! the! information! contained!therein.!
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WF!labelling:!it!is!still!an!on!progress!idea:!every!product!could!indicate!its!blue,!green!and!grey!water!footprint,!so!that!consumer!could!be!more!aware!of!his!WF!
M.! !Meat:!Producing!1kg!of!beef!requires!15.000!litres!of!water,!while!1!kg!of!grain!1.500!N.! !National!WF:!is!the!WF!of!both!the!production!and!consumption!of!a!nation!!O.! Oceans:!covering!with!all!saline!waters!97.5%!of!the!earth!water!surfaces.!They!are!essential!for!
water!cycle!
P.! !(Water)!pollution:!has!considerable! impacts!on! the!environment!and!affects! the!availability!of!fresh! water:! half! of! the! hospital! beds! in! developing! countries! are! filled! by! people! affected! by!
diseases!caused!by!poor!water,!sanitation!and!hygiene!
Policies:!what!citizens!can!influence,!by!requiring!better!management!of!water!
Q.! Quality!and!Quantity!of!Water:!are!to!be!both!considered!to!define!the!water!footprint!R.! Rainfall:! impacted! by! climate! change! are! becoming! more! erratic,! putting! at! risk! especially!
regions!depending!on!rainfed!agriculture!Renewable:!water!is!finite!resource!but!infinitely!renewable!thanks!to!the!water!cycle!
S.! (Water)! sustainability:! fresh!water! is! a! finite! resource! and! its! consumption! needs! to! become!more!sustainable!worldwide,!!(Water)!scarcity:!As! far!as! the!global!population! increases,!consequently!water! resources!are!more! subjected! to! pollution! and! shortage! stress:! by! 2050! it! is! foreseen! that! 1.8! billion! people!
could!be!exposed!to!absolute!water!scarcity!!
T.! Tea:! it!has!a!high!WF!(a!cup!of! tea! requires!30! litres!of!water)!but!82%!green,!10%!blue,!and!“only”!8%!grey!WF!
Tap:! by! drinking! water! from! it,! not! only! you! are! sure! you! drink! a! wellU! controlled! highUquality!water,!but!also!you!save!1,39!L!per!litre!of!water!you!drink,!plus!a!lot!of!pollution!!!
U.! (Water)!use:!includes!water!withdrawal!and!water!consumption!V.! !Virtual!Water:!invisible!water!we!consume!every!day,!needed!to!produce!the!goods!we!use!and!
the!food!we!eat!Vulnerability!of!water!systems:!affects!the!impact!of!the!water!footprints!of!several!products!!
W.' !Water'footprint:!human!appropriation!of!fresh!water.!It!indicates!water!consumption'X.! XXL!=!US!and!European!WFh!XXS=!WF!of!developing!countries,!
X!year:!when! fresh!water!will!not!be!any! longer!available,!unless!we!change!our!consumption!patterns!!
Y.! You:!what!can!you!do!to!reduce!your!WF?!1)!Be!responsible!consumerh!2)!Not!exceed!meath!3)!Choose!the!meat!you!eath!4)!Do!not!waste!food!!
Z.! ZeroUcommaUthree:!the!quantity!of!available!freshUwater!on!the!global!Earth’s!water!!zero!kilometres:!buy!local!products,!usually!having!a!lower!water!impact!
(be)!zealous!!on!reducing!your!WF!and!help!your!family!and!friends!doing!the!same,!for!a!better!world!!
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