about WATER

1. Gaining consciousness about WATER “Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per sor Aqua, la quale é multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.” 1224 S. Francesco D’Assisi 03.2009 an Arci proposal

2. Water for life ”At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Earth, with its diverse and abundant life forms, including 6 billion humans, is facing a water crisis... [which] lies at the heart of our survival and that of our planet Earth.” United Nations World Water Development Report 70 % of the Earth’s surface is covered by water only 2,5 % of this is fresh water and much less is clean, available, drinkable water its current main use is industrial agriculture Can SOCIETY and NATURE be divided ? TEACHING LINKS: foreign languages → numbers & percentage, vocabulary, comparisons... geography, social studies, maths science → pollution, climate change life skills

3. Is there enough water for everybody in the world? Yes, according to scientists, the United Nations, universities, social movements, and even corporations! what’s the matter then? unequal distribution, bad management and unfair access to water Teaching links:I CARE- don L.Milani

4. just a basic need? managing a unique resource 2 global trends: 1 public:water as a fundamental right of every human being, it cannot be used for profit 2 Privatize it :water considered as a commodity or a service, assimilated to sewage and sanitation, the more is consumed the better it is for the business Schools dealing with too delicate social issues? DO EDUCATORS TAKE A STAND ABOUT CHALLENGES CONCERNING HUMANITY ? Life skills :empathy, problem solving, decision making, critical ability... CASE STUDIES ANALYSIS: Paris, Lombardia, Mumbai, Argentina... economy, law, foreign languages, geography

5. 2 famous examples: COCHABAMBA (Bolivia - South America): water distribution was privatized by Aguas del Tunari (Bechtel...) prices soared up to 250 % popular revolt (1 young dead) 2-month road blocks and unrest 2000: the corporations withdrew but they asked the government for 25 million $ as compensation for missed profits • LATINA (Italia - ATO2 Campania) : • concessionaria Acqualatina spa, società mista (Veolia) •  7000 ricorsi per aumenti e mancati investimenti [ lawsuits ] •  bills have soared up to 300 % but no investments have been made to repair or improve the aqueducts •  ongoing protests

6. ...and many more struggle around the world...

7. ...and in Trentino? • the context: national law → legge Galli 1994 → full cost recovery → 2002 • BUT: legge 133 Tremonti – 06.08.2008 – art. 23bis : • i comuni metteranno le loro reti idriche sul mercato entro il 2010 – “favorire la più ampia diffusione dei principi di concorrenza e di libera prestazione dei servizi di tutti gli operatori economici interessati alla gestione di servizi di interesse generale in ambito locale". the new law obliges municipalities to create joint-stock /incorporated companies and to put out contracts to tender it depends on the municipality present situation: there are many public companies often called “multiutilities”. How are they managed and controlled? and what about the merger between Dolomiti Energia & Trentino Servizi? 80 % of the “market share” - 700 billion € a year teaching links:economics, law, Italian...

8. all over Italy there are various campaigns and a new law has been recently proposed: July 2007:406.626 signatures are delivered, necessary to support the proposal of alegge d’iniziativa popolarecalled “Principi per la tutela, il governo e la gestione pubblica delle acque e disposizioni per la ripubblicizzazione del servizio idrico” the discussion started 22.01.2009 another example: promoting good quality tap water at home and most of all in restaurants teaching ideas: what would you make a social campaign about? why? how?

9. Water in Trentino Civilization developed thanks to water...  Lake Ledro: prehistoric pile-dwelling the region’s most important ecosystems: lakes, rivers, streams, glaciers, sources, snow,ground water tables, ponds, moors... just 10% of Trentino’s rivers are unspoilt BIM i.e. mountain river basins: an institutional attempt to grant a sustainable future? ECONOMICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE REGION DEPENDING ON WATER:SKI, AGRICULTURE, TOURISM, TROUT BREEDING, POWER PLANTS... • Teaching links: history, science, economy, ways of improving use of water: more effective irrigation systems, less artificial snow...

10. Water in Trentino:European connections The Alps Adige and Brenta contributing to the Adriatic Sea Drava and the Donau’s drainage basin hydrographically linking Trentino with Hungary and Mitteleuropa teaching links: overcoming an ethnocentric approach to matters

11. CONNECTING GLOBAL TO LOCAL What could each of us do? promoting and witnessing a personal choice and commitment SAVING WATER IN OUR DAILY LIFE : how? teaching links:  foreign languages: vocabulary: house, domestic appliances, items, waste... grammar: should, modals, wh-questions, relative clauses... • maths: problems at all levels

12. BOTTLED WATER a profit for whom?  market survey: mostly corporations, checks...  advantages and disadvantages COMPARISON with TAP WATER Italy: one of the biggest consumers of bottled water in the world TEACHING PROPOSALS: chemistry: getting to understand the labels English: the Coca Cola case in Kerala - India marketing: the spread of functional goods law and economy: canone di concessione da Regio Decreto 1927

13. DAMS - DIGHE just an important source of energy ? discovering and managing social and environmental impacts ► Vajont - Italy ► Stava - Trentino ► Ilisu - Turkey ► Sardar Samovar - Narmada river (central India)

14. water and peace  Israel and Palestine  Mekong  Sudan and Ethiopia  Syria - Turkey - Irak... didactic prompts: history:water as battlefield, as barrier, as border, as negotiation area... English literature:the role played by the fleet and the East India Company in the British Empire...

15. ...there are many more ways to address the social and cultural matters concerning WATER... please share yours… ...thank you for your attention!