Drop by Drop nº 6 - 2013/14

COMENIUS PROJECT 2014, MEETING IN ALCANENA

PORTUGAL

[

portugal

]

Semana Comenius em Alcanena

2|

Segunda-feira, 5 de maio, recebemos os alunos estrangeiros da Letónia, Roménia, Catalunha e Suécia na nossa escolar.

Estávamos todos prontos para mais uma incrível semana do Projeto COMENIUS "My river, my life". Começámos a semana com uma sessão de boas vindas na Câmara Municipal. Seguiu-se o jantar na ESA para os professores e alunos que já tinham chegado, com uma variedade de pratos típicos e tradicionais portugueses, que todos apreciaram e repetiram. Depois de jantar, teve lugar, no Cine-Teatro municipal, um espetáculo musical sobre a história da nossa escola, representado por alunos, alguns deles envolvidos no COMENIUS. Apesar de muitos dos alunos e professores estrangeiros não terem percebido muito do texto, comentaram que os alunos portugueses cantaram e dançaram muito bem.

O primeiro dia tinha passado e, no segundo, de modo a quebrar o gelo entre os alunos, foi proporcionado algum tempo livre para estarem juntos, ao início da manhã. Seguiu-se uma visita guiada à nossa escola, realizada pela Direção. Ao início da tarde chegaram as escolas da Lituânia e de Itália.

Durante a tarde, os participantes visitaram o CTIC (Centro Tecnológico das Indústrias do Couro) situado no concelho de Alcanena. Depois foi a vez da visita à ETAR (Estação de Tratamento das Águas Residuais), que tinha um cheiro bastante desagradável devido às aguas

contaminadas que sao tratadas na ETAR. As diversas guias explicaram como são tratadas as águas que chegam à estação e o que resulta depois de todos os tratamentos.

Na quarta-feira, foi dia de passear pela capital, Lisboa. Primeiro, visitámos a Mãe d' Agua de Lisboa, que todos adoraram, porque a maior parte nunca tinha visitado um reservatório de agua daquela dimensão e com aquela beleza e monumentalidade. Depois, seguimos para Belém, uma das zonas mais emblemáticas da cidade, onde tivemos algum tempo livre por nossa conta para, após o piquenique oferecido pela ESA, desfrutarmos do espaço e, eventualmente, fazermos algumas compras.

Nessa tarde, os professores e alunos estrangeiros foram ao Oceanário, que adoraram e onde tiveram a oportunidade de ver muitas variedades de peixes e outras formas de vida marinha existentes em todos os oceanos. À noite, enquanto os professores desfrutaram de uma boa noite ao som de um dos mais importantes tipos de música portuguesa, o Fado, enquanto jantavam, os alunos passearam no Parque das Nações, jantando no Centro Comercial e passando momentos muito bons, que não serão esquecidos por ninguém.

Na quinta-feira, 8 de maio, foi altura dos alunos fazerem as apresentações dos seus trabalhos acerca do tema “A água e o future”. A qualidade dos trabalhos foi aplaudida por todos.

Depois do almoço, realizaram-se mais duas visitas: às grutas da Serra de Santo António, onde todos tiraram muitas fotografias às incríveis esculturas criadas

pela natureza e aos diversos fenómenos cársicos; e à nascente do nosso rio, Alviela, onde visitámos o Carsoscópio e se explicou a história geológica da nossa região e das suas características cársicas, para além de vermos a exposição acerca das famílias de morcegos que vivem neste local. À noite realizou-se o jantar de despedida, onde todos passaram bons momentos juntos e se tiraram muitas fotografias. Tivemos direito a música ao vivo e recebemos os certificados e alguns presentes, oferecidos às escolas, professores e alunos dos diferentes países.

Sexta-feira, depois do grupo da Lituânia ter partido, foi altura de dizer adeus às escolas da Roménia. Uma despedida muito comovente para todos, com lágrimas e muitas fotografias à mistura. Os restantes alunos e professores partiram para visitar Barquinha, Constância e Almourol, com o objetivo de compreender a construção de comunidades urbanas junto às margens dos rios.

Depois de jantar, os alunos levaram os seus convidados a Torres Novas, uma cidade perto de Alcanena, para poderem desfrutar de uma última noite juntos, com muita música e dança.

Na manhã de sábado, a mais triste de todas,deu-se o momento em que os grupos dos diversos países que ainda estavam em Portugal tiveram de partir.

No entanto, antes de partirem, todos os alunos estrangeiros assinaram uma bandeira portuguesa que vai ser guardada pela nossa escola, para lembrar todas as pessoas e momentos que nos foram proporcionados durante esta semana pelo projeto COMENIUS.

]

Week Comenius in Alcanena On Monday, 5th May, we welcomed the foreign students from Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Catalonia and Sweden in our school. Everybody was ready for another COMENIUS awesome week. We started the programme with a welcoming session at our town hall. After that, Portuguese and foreign students and teachers had dinner in our school, with typical and traditional Portuguese dishes that everybody enjoyed a lot. After dinner, everybody went to our town theatre to watch a musical performance about the history of our school, where some of our Portuguese COMENIUS students took part. Although most of the foreign people did not understand much of the play, they said they had really enjoyed the singing parts.

The first day was gone, and on the second one, in order to break the ice between the students and their hosts, we had some free time with each other, followed by a guided tour around our school.

In the afternoon, while the teams of Lithuania and Italy were welcomed, the other groups went to CTIC (Technological Centre for Leather Industry) and also to the local WWTP (Waste Water Treatment Plant), which had a horrible smell due to the contaminated waters that are treated there. However, it was very important to see how they treat the waters and residues that reach the plant and what they do with them afterwards.

On that day, late in the afternoon, most

foreign students and teachers still had time for a short visit to the holy pilgrimage site of Fátima. A perfect ending for a long day.

On Wednesday, we went to our capital city, Lisbon. First, we visited the main water reservoir in Lisbon (Mãe d´Água).

All the people loved the place, because most of us had never been in a water reservoir before and that one is a really beautiful and monumental structure.

After that, we headed to Belém, where we had some free time to be on our own, have a picnic lunch offered by the school, and enjoy ourselves in the capital while, eventually, doing some shopping.

In the afternoon, the foreign students and teachers had the chance to visit the Oceanarium: they loved to see all those fishes and other living species (like the sea otters) that exist in the oceans. In the evening, most teachers enjoyed one of our most important national types of music (“Fado”) while having dinner. During that period, the students had a great time having dinner in the local Parque das Nações Mall, after having walked around the ex-Expo 98 site.

On Thursday, 8th May, it was time for the students’ presentations about the theme “Water and the Future”. The quality of the projects was congratulated by everybody.

After having lunch, we were all taken to the limestone caves of Serra de Santo António. Everybody took a lot of amazing photographs on the incredible sculptures created by nature and its karst phenomena. The trip went on with a visit to the natural spring of our river Alviela, and the local Carsoscope (Live Science

portugal

[

Interpretation Centre). We could learn about the geological history of our region (Karst Region) and about the Alviela’s endemic bats’ characteristics.

That evening, it was time for our farewell dinner. All the group had a great time together, took a lot of photographs and heard to live music throughout the night until it was time to receive the certificates and some gifts.

On Friday, after the Lithuanian team had left, it was time to say goodbye to the Romanian team, a moving farewell for everyone, with tears and lots of pictures.

While they were leaving, the remaining teachers and students went to Barquinha, Constância and Almourol to see the development of urban communities on the river banks over time.

After dinner, the host students took their guests to Torres Novas, a city near Alcanena, to enjoy the last night together, listening to music and dancing through the night.

Saturday morning, the saddest moment arrived, because the other teams were leaving our country. However, before leaving, all the foreign students signed a Portuguese flag that will be shown in our school to remember the people and the great moments the COMENIUS project offered us all.

Catarina Gomez Miguel Malaca Sara Bonifácio

drop by drop | 3

[

portugal

]

Project Comenius Portugal My River, My Life O Rio Alviela tem 40 Km de extensão.

Nasce no Parque Natural das Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, na região central do nosso país, e flui para o principal rio português, o Tejo.

A nascente do Rio, conhecida como "Olhos de Água", situa-se na transição entre o Maciço Calcário e a Bacia Terciária do Baixo Tejo na base de um penhasco.

Esta é uma região cársica e, embora estas regiões sejam caracterizadas pela ausência de rios á superficie, eles circulam no subsolo.

Uma vez que a terra é altamente porosa, quando chove a água infiltra-se rapidamente através das fraturas e enche as passagens subterrâneas, formando os reservatórios de água doce, os aquíferos cársicos. A região dos "Olhos de Água" é a área cársica mais importante em Portugal.

4|

O rio está poluído, há longos anos, sendo a situação causada, principalmente, por águas quimicamente contaminadas da indústria do couro, que são despejadas no rio. Mesmo após a construção da Estação de Tratamento de Águas Residuais (ETAR), o problema permaneceu, porque a estação não tem capacidade suficiente para limpar completamente as águas poluídas que chegam à estação.

Devido a esta trágica situação, várias soluções foram pensadas e propostas de modo a melhorar a qualidade da água.

Primeiro, vai ser substituído o coletor de lixo, que as fábricas ainda utilizam.

Contudo a sua substituição envolve um investimento de 20 milhões de euros.

Os coletores atuais serão substituídos à medida que os novos coletores forem fabricados.

Depois, o processo Físico e Químico será substituído por um outro Biológico, de longe menos poluente e prejudicial à saúde humana.

Finalmente, será criada uma estação na ETAR, onde se procederá á recolha dos banhos com sulfuretos, estes serão tratados na ETAR, num tanque fechado sem correrem o risco de derramarem. E todo o oxigénio será utilizado para re-

duzir a carga orgânica e não para reduzir os sulfuretos como acontece agora.

A substituição dos coletores tornará possível separar as águas da chuva das águas que chegam à estação. Obtémse, assim, um melhor aproveitamento das águas e torna-se o processo mais económico.

Como as lamas se encontram contaminadas, nunca será possível reutilizá-las.

A ETAR não funciona adequadamente, o que intensifica o mau cheiro que se faz sentir na zona.

Com o novo processo haverá uma menor quantidade de lamas, e estas tornar-seão mais estáveis e menos prejudiciais.

Por fim também a cor da água melhorará.

Estas melhorias vão continuar a ser implementadas. Também se vão realizar campanhas de sensibilização junto aos industriais, para explicar que é possível fazer o mesmo tratamento de maneira a poupar dinheiro e água e reciclar os gastos de água na ETAR, tratando-as e promovendo de novo o seu uso.

]

portugal

[

click to see

Project Comenius Portugal My River, My Life The Alviela river has an extension of about 40 km. It has its spring in the Natural Park of Serras de Aire e Candeeiros in the central region of our country, and it flows into our main river, Tejo.

The River’s spring, known as “Olhos de Água”, is located in the transition between the Limestone Massif and the Tertiary Basin of the Lower Tejo in the basis of a cliff. This is a karst region.

Although these regions are characterized by a general absence of permanent surface rivers, they flow underground.

Since the land is highly porous, when it rains, the water quickly infiltrates through the fractures and fills the underground passages, forming important freshwater reservoirs, the karst aquifers.

“Olhos de Água” is the most important karst area in Portugal.

The river is polluted and this situation was mainly caused by chemically polluted waters of the leather industry that were dumped into the river.

Even after the building of the Waste Water Treatment Plant, the problem

remains because this treatment station doesn’t have enough capacity to completely clean the polluted waters that arrive into the station. That’s why improvements are urgent.

Due to this tragic situation, some solutions were designed to improve the water quality.

The trash collector, where the factories use to deliver their trash that goes into the station, is going to be replaced. For this to happen, however, this new collector requires an investment of about 20 million Euros.

The construction will run side by side with the collectors that already exist and they will be replaced as the new collectors are built. This means replacing the previous physical-chemical process by a whole new biological one, by far less pollutant and aggressive for human health.

Then, a specific station in the Wastewater treatment plant is going to be created, allowing the collection of the baths with sulphides. These are going to be treated in the WWTP, in a proper tank.

All the oxygen will be used to reduce the organic charge and not to reduce the sulphides.

The replacement of the old collectors make it possible to separate rainwater from the wastewater that reaches the WWTP. This way a better use of the waters will be obtained, which will also make the whole procedure less expen-

sive. This will also promote other uses of the river water as well as the improvement of tourism.

This evolution enables the muds to be reused in other things like the industry of cement, for example.

The biological process will also enable the degradation of the muds reducing their amount.

Nowadays, the Wastewater treatment plant is not functioning properly, therefore leading to the bad smell, which doesn’t only from the mud.

Through this we will have less chemistry around the process, and that will create less quantities of mud. In the end this muds will become more stable and less dangerous.

The current physical-chemical process uses chemical products, mainly composed by iron. There will also be an improvement in the colour of the water with the biological process.

Awareness campaigns near the industries will bw made during 2014 and 2015, to explain that it is possible to make the same treatment in a way that provides money and water savings and the recycling of the wastewaters in the WWTP by treating them and promoting their use again.

All these actions reduce water waste, improving, this way, the impact on the river. drop by drop | 5

[ espanya

]

L’estada a Portugal del 5 al 10 de maig del 2014, per mi ha sigut una gran experiència. Quan vaig arribar estava una mica angoixada per l’anglès, però finalment he passat una gran setmana amb els meus companys.

COMENIUS PROJECT– My River My life

Al principi, pensava que les visites que faríem relacionades amb l’aigua no serien gaire interessants, però m’ha sorprès els llocs que hem visitat i van ser activitats que em van agradar.

El que més preocupada em tenia va ser la presentació que havíem de fer davant dels companys del Comenius i dels professors. Però arribada l’hora em vaig sentir molt acollida i vaig veure que era més agradable del que em pensava, és una experiència més i que em servirà per futures presentacions.

La meva família d’acollida va ser molt agradable, estic molt contenta d’haver pogut passar uns dies amb la Marta. I amb els meus companys també hi he estat molt a gust i espero poder tornarlos a veure en una altre ocasió. I si no és el cas guardaré molt bon record de tots ells.

Moltes Gràcies per aquesta oportunitat, Maria Gasull Cobacho.

6|

RECORDS Aquesta estada a Portugal crec que ha estat una gran experiència per a tots nosaltres. Ens ho hem passat genial, hem fet nous amics i, tot això, aprenent I desenvolupant el nostre anglès.

M’ho he passat molt bé en aquesta estada: tant amb en Raul i la seva família, com amb els companys del Comenius.

Mai havia estat a Portugal i això ha comportat que tingués més curiositat per a conèixer coses sobre el país, costums, la gent.. Ha estat una bona idea haver participat en aquest projecte.

Certament, no m’esperava que fos així.

No sabria explicar-vos com m’ho imaginava, però era diferent. Ha estat millor del que jo pensava.

El país en sí, m’ha agradat bastant. Era un poble acollidor, ja que era petitet.

Però el que més m’ha agradat, apart de l’accent portuguès, han estat els “pastéis de Belem” i el “salem”.

Els nostres companys del Comenius també han estat molt agradables i simpàtics, per això m’agradaria agrair-li a tothom les estones i els riures passats junts.

M’emporto un gran record cap a Palamós i crec que tots n’hem tret una bona setmana, i hem après els uns dels altres.

Hem fet noves companyies, i seguirem en contacte amb elles!

Gràcies per la vostra hospitalitat!

Bernat Vila Romagosa

]

The stay in Portugal since 5 until 10 of May 2014, for me has been a big experience. When I arrived was a bit distressed for the English, but finally I have happened a big week with my companions.

COMENIUS PROJECT– My river My life

spain

MEMORIES

Thanks for all,

This stay in Portugal has been a great experience for all of us. We had a great time, new friends and we have improved our English, too.

I've had really good experiences: both Raul and his family , and with my fellow Comenius friends. I have never been in Portugal before and this has meant that I was more curious to know about the country , customs , people .. It was a good idea to have participated in this project.

Certainly, I did not expect it to be like this . I could not tell you how I imagined that it was, but it was different. It was better than I thought that was going to be.

The country itself, I liked it a lot. It was a welcoming village as it was tiny . But what I liked most, besides the Portuguese accent , were the "PastĂŠis de Belem" and " salem" .

Our Comenius colleagues have also been very nice and friendly , so I would like to thank them all the past times and laughs together.

I take a great memory to PalamĂłs and I think that it has been a nice week for all of us, and we have learned from each other . We have met new people , and now we have to keep in touch with them!

Maria Gasull Cobacho.

Thanks for your hospitality !

At first, it's thought that the visits that would do related to the water would not be very interesting, but I have surprised me the places that we have visited and were activities that liked me.

What more upset had me was the presentation that had to do in front of the companions of the Comenius and of the teachers. But arrival the hour felt myself very received and I saw that it was more pleasant of what thought me, is an experience more and that it will serve me for future presentations.

My family of received was very pleasant, am very happy about having been able to happen some days with the Marten.

And with my companions also have been a lot to taste and expect power go back them to see in one other occasion. And if it is not the case will save a lot good record of them all.

[

Bernat Vila Romagosa

drop by drop | 7

[ espanya

]

Dipòsits Pluvials de Barcelona La ciutat de Barcelona es troba als peus de la serra de Collserola, entre els rius Llobregat i Besòs. La situació geogràfica va des dels 512 metres d’alçada fins al nivell del mar en només 7 quilòmetres.

Els forts pendents de les zones més altes fan que en dies de pluja l’aigua baixi a gran velocitat i s’acumuli a les zones baixes i es provoquin inundacions.

De inundacions podem trobar de dos tipus, per precipitacions abundants en el mateix lloc on ocorre la inundació. La pluja caiguda és major que la capacitat del terreny d’infiltrar-la i canalitzar-la.

Un exemple són les pluges del 25 de setembre de 1962 Les precipitacions van ser torrencials entre el vespre i la nit del dia 25 amb intensitats superiors als 2 mm/min i que van durar hores. Cal recordar que alguns observatoris van registrar precipitacions entre 150 i 300 mm en gairebé 3 hores. Aquesta torrencialitat va fer créixer rius, rierols i rieres de forma sobtada.

Un altre clàssic d’inundacions a Barcelona eren les que hi havia usualment a la plaça Cerdà, i tot i l la remodelació de 1971, com si d'una revenja divina es tractés, els darrers anys del segle 8|

XX van tenir una quantitat més alta de pluges torrencials del que climatològicament és habitual.

L’any 1983, una tempesta d'estiu va provocar escenes lamentables, a Barcelona es van recollir 16,5 litres per metre quadrat, la pluja va provocar grans embussos de tràfic. Concretament en el pas elevat de la Plaça Cerdà, diversos automòbils es van veure immobilitzats, obligant als seus conductors a sortir del toll arrossegant amb cordes el vehicle.

Dos anys més tard, a l'Octubre de 1985, un autobús va quedar al mig i amb l'aigua que arribava a les finestres va tenir que ser evacuat amb llanxes.

L’altre origen de les inundacions es per avingudes o desbordaments. Les aigües superen la llera dels rius, els llacs o maresmes degut a una crescuda. Com la riuada de 1971 a Barcelona pel desbordament del riu Llobregat.

Ara fa uns vint anys que per solucionar aquest problema d’inundacions a Barcelona es va crear un Pla Especial de Clavegueram de Barcelona que va ser gestionat per la societat privada municipal Vila Olímpica SA per encàrrec de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona.

A Barcelona existeixen un total de deu dipòsits d’aigües pluvials en funcionament, tots ells localitzats a l’àrea urbana i amb un volum total de capacitat de recollida de 492.200 metres cúbics d’aigua.

La finalitat principal d’aquests dipòsits la

majoria dels quals es troben soterrats al subsòl de la ciutat és la de retenir temporalment l’aigua de la pluja, per tal de reduir el risc d’inundacions, augmentar la capacitat de regulació de la xarxa del clavegueram i enviar gradualment l’aigua recollida a les depuradores per evitar la contaminació de l’abocada al mar.

D’aquestes instal•lacions, un total de set dipòsits han estat específicament construïts per evitar les inundacions produïdes a diferents punts de la ciutat on les pluges de major intensitat causaven greus problemes. Localitzats a Bori i Fontestà, el parc de Joan Miró, els jardins del Doctors Dolsa, el carrer Taulat, l’Escola Industrial i Villalba dels Arcs.

A més d’aquests, existeixen quatre més que ja funcionen a la Zona Universitària, el parc Central de Nou Barris, Diagonal Mar i la plaça del Fòrum.

El dipòsit pluvial de la zona de l’Escola Industrial es troba sota el camp de futbol. Té una capacitat de 35.000 m3 com deu piscines olímpiques, té una fondària mitjana de 7 metres.

El dipòsit de la Zona Universitària és el més gran de Catalunya, i el segon d’Europa. Té una capacitat de 145.000 m3, com 42 piscines olímpiques. Té una fondària màxima de 11,5 metres. Està formada per una planta rectangular de 3 compartiments de 140 metres per 122 metres.

El dipòsit d’aigües pluvials de Bori i Fontestà està situat sota uns jardins. Té una capacitat de 93.000 m3, equivalent a 27

]

piscines olímpiques. Està formada per un compartiment rectangular de 220 metres per 16 metres i té una fondària màxima de 9 metres. Té un compartiment poligonal de 78 metres per 73 metres i una fondària màxima de 15 metres.

El dipòsit del Parc Central està soterrat sota el Parc Central. Té una capacitat total de 18.000 m3, comparable a la de 5 piscines olímpiques. Té una profunditat de 7.8 metres.

El dipòsit d’aigües pluvials de Doctors Dolsa. Té una capacitat de 52.500 m3, com 20 piscines olímpiques. Té un compartiment profund de 91 metres per 37 metres, una fondària de 20 metres.

El dipòsit pluvial del Parc Joan Miró. Té una capacitat de 50.000 m3, equivalent a 18 piscines olímpiques. Té una profunditat de 17 metres. Té un compartiment de buidat per gravetat de 56 metres per 43 metres per 3.25 metres. Té una fondària de 10.5 metres.

L’últim, situat a la zona Fòrum, compleix la funció primordial de descontaminar les aigües pluvials generades a les conques vessants de la Riera d’Horta, Diagonal Mar, la depuradora i la zona de La Catalana, reduint així al màxim l’impacte negatiu al front marítim de la zona nordest de la ciutat.

Tots els dipòsits municipals disposen d’un sistema de neteja automàtic programable que permet arrossegar els pòsits de fangs dipositats al fons mitjançant una onada d’aigua. Gràcies a un centre local que disposen tots els

dipòsits.

Hi ha un edifici central “Edifici Clabsa” on dies de pluja més de cinquanta persones estan alerta. Les xarxes informatitzades permeten valorar moltes dades de pluviometria, condicions meteorològiques i el cabal que recorre per la xarxa de clavegueres. Per tant faciliten el control dels efectes d’una tempesta.

Les aigües pluvials circulen pels conductes subterranis, i són retingudes juntament amb les aigües residuals.

L’aigua es va emmagatzemant fins que arriba a un determinat nivell, llavores es retorna a la xarxa de clavegueres fins que arriba a l’estació depuradora “Planta depuradora Edar del Besòs”. A través de processos físics, químics i biològics es depura l’aigua, suposa una millora mediambiental i es considera una part del cicle natural de l’aigua. Finalment

LOCALITZACIONS

spain

desemboca en el mar perquè torni a començar el cicle vital.

Els dipòsits pluvials a Barcelona han ajudat a millorar la circulació d’aigua, a més de solucionar la depuració d’aigües pluvials i evitar inundacions en llocs determinats de la ciutat.

Tot i així, actualment encara hi ha problemes amb el drenatge de les aigües.

Les inundacions que es produeixen a la zona sud del Raval i del Poble-sec en episodis de pluges abundants, encara s’ha de solucionar. El diumenge 17 de novembre de 2013 començaren un nou col•lector per les zones afectades.

TIPUS DE DIPÒSITS

Bernat Vila Romegosa Maria Gasull Cobacho

VOLUM (en m3)

Zona Universitària

Soterrat

145.000

Bori i Fontestà

Soterrat

93.000

Parc Joan Miró

Soterrat

70.000

Doctors Dolsa

Soterrat

61.500

Taulat

Soterrat

50.000

Escola Industrial

Soterrat

35.000

Parc Central Nou Barris

Soterrat

18.000

Diagonal Mar

A cel obert

17.500

Parc del Poblenou

A cel obert

1.400

Plaça Fòrum

Soterrat TOTAL

[

800 492.200 drop by drop | 9

[ espanya

]

Storm deposits in Barcelona The City of Barcelona is down the Collserola mountain, between the Llobregat river and the Besòs river. It goes from about 500 metres until the sea level in only 7 km. The slopes on the highest zones make the water fall faster and it accumulates in the lower areas and cause floods.

There are 2 types of floods, for the abundant rainfalls in the same place where the flood is. The water that has fallen has a bigger capacity than the land penetrating and channeling it. An example of it are the rains of September 1962. The rainfalls were torrentials between the afternoon and the night of the day, with intensities higher than the 2.000 litres/min and lasted hours. In some observatories they registered rainfalls between 150.000 and 300.000 litres in almost 3 hours. Is the same litres that it rains in half a year. This torrentiality made the rivers become bigger, all of a sudden.

Another classic of floods in Barcelona were the ones that used to be in the Cerdà square, and the reorganization in 1971, the next years from the XX century, had the highest quantity of tor10 |

rential rains than normally.

In 1983, a summer storm caused appalling scenes in Barcelona were collected 16.5 litres per squared meter, rain caused major traffic jams. Specifically the flyover Square Cerdà, several cars were immobilized, forcing their drivers to leave the pond with ropes dragging the vehicle.

Two years later, in October 1985, a bus was in the middle and with the water that came into the windows, they had to be evacuated with boats. The other origin of floods is the overflows. Waters overtake the limit of rivers, lakes or marshes due to flooding. As the flood of 1971 in Barcelona because of the overflow of the river Llobregat.

20 years ago, to solve this problem of flooding in Barcelona, they created a Special Plan for Sewerage in Barcelona which was managed by the local private company Vila Olímpica SA, commissioned by the City Hall of Barcelona.

In Barcelona there are a total of ten rainwater tanks in operation , they are all located in the urban area with a total capacity of collecting of 492,200.000 litres of water. The main purpose of these tanks most of whom are buried in the basement of the city is temporarily retain rainwater , to reduce flood risk , increase regulatory the capacity of the network sewer and gradually, send the

water to treatment plants to prevent the pollution of the sea.

Seven tanks have been specifically built to prevent floods in different parts of the city where the most intense rains caused serious problems. This places are: Bori i Fontestà, Joan Miró Park, the gardens of the Dolsa doctors, the Taulat street, the industrial school and Villalba dels Arcs.

There are four others that were, and are working in the university area, the central park of Nou Barris, Diagonal Mar and the Fòrum’s square.

The rainwater tank of the Industrial School area is under the Camp Nou stadium. It has a capacity of 35,000.000 litres (like 10 Olypmic swimming pools).

Has an average depth of 7 meters.

The tank of the university zone is the biggest of Catalunya and the second one of Europe. It has a capacity of 145,000.000 litres, like 42 olympic swimming pools. Consists of a rectangular sole with 3 compartments of 140x122 meters.

The rainwater tank of Bori I Fontestà is located under gardens. It has a capacity of 93,000.000 litres, like 27 olympic swimming pools. Consists of a rectangular compartment of 220x16 meters and has a maximum depth of 9 meters. It has a polygonal compartment of 78x73 meters and a maximum depth of 15 meters.

]

The tank of the Park Central is buried under the Park Central. It has a total capacity of 18,000.000litres, comparable to five Olympic swimming pools. It has a depth of 7.8 meters.

The rainwater tank of Doctors Dolsa has a capacity of 52.500.000 litres, like 20 Olympic swimming pools. It has a deep compartment of 91x37, and a depth of 20 meters.

The rainwater tank of Joan Miró’s Park has a capacity of 50,000.000 litres, like 18 Olympic swimming pools. Has a depth of 17 meters. It has a compartment (emptied by gravity) from 56x43x25.3 meters. It has a depth of 10.5 meters.

The last one is located in the Forum and make as primary function decontamination stormwater generated watersheds in Riera d'Horta, Diagonal Mar purifier and the Catalan area. Reducing the maximum negative impact of the sea front of the north-east of the city.

All municipal deposits have a programmable automatic cleaning system that allows drag the sediments at the bottom by a wave of water. Thanks to a local centre to have all deposits.

There is a central building "Building Clabsa" on rainy days over fifty people are alert. Computerized networks allow many rainfall information, the conditions and the quantity of water that crosses

the sewer system. And facilitate information of the effects of a storm.

Rainwater circulate underground, and is retained with wastewater. The water was stored until it is a certain level , then returns to the sewer system until it reaches the treatment plant " Besòs EDAR wastewater treatment plant”.

Through physical, chemical and biological purified water is an environmental improvement and is considered part of the natural cycle of water. And the last step is circulate to the sea to begin the life cycle again.

The rainwater tanks in Barcelona have helped improve water circulation, in addition to solving the purification of rainwater and prevent flooding in certain

LOCALITZACIONS

spain

places of the city.

However, currently there are still problems with water drainage. Floods that occur in the southern Raval and PobleSec in heavy rainfalls, has yet to solve.

On Sunday November 17, 2013 began a new collector to the affected areas.

TIPUS DE DIPÒSITS

Bernat Vila Romegosa Maria Gasull Cobacho

VOLUM (en m3)

Zona Universitària

Soterrat

145.000

Bori i Fontestà

Soterrat

93.000

Parc Joan Miró

Soterrat

70.000

Doctors Dolsa

Soterrat

61.500

Taulat

Soterrat

50.000

Escola Industrial

Soterrat

35.000

Parc Central Nou Barris

Soterrat

18.000

Diagonal Mar

A cel obert

17.500

Parc del Poblenou

A cel obert

1.400

Plaça Fòrum

Soterrat TOTAL

[

800 492.200 drop by drop | 11

[

italia

]

gether to preserve our waters and

ARTICLE From Coordinators Comenius Project 2012-2014 Italian TEAM

12 |

At the end of the two-year project,

find common solutions to develop

the Italian Team was looking for a

good practices , as we wish to step

way to summarize the experience ,

forward to a better common future.

and two words came out almost im-

Even more when talking about our

mediately: DISCOVERY and SHAR-

Countries and Populations. Seven

ING.

European cities and countries from

First of all about Project Topic: WA-

north to south ( Boras in Sweden,

TER and the RIVERS of each country

Pinki in Latvia, Kaunas in Lithuania,

gave us the opportunity to discover

Livorno in Italy, Craiova and Buzau

different landscapes, natural en-

in Romania, Alcanena in Portugal

vironments and cities developed

and Palamos in Catalunia/Spain)

around them, with their fascinating

were able to meet, introduce their

traditions and cultural heritages, so

features, let other partners taste

that each one of us could actually

their own special food, discover

feel how important these landmarks

their history, learn about their

are for each one of us. Even prob-

economy and technology related

lems connected to waters and rivers

to water supplies, compare their

are unluckily shared by European

school systems, every time sharing

countries involved in the project:

information and learning from each

pollution, lack of clean fresh waters

other.

in some areas, as a consequence

Not to mention our Teams: com-

of a bad management of the re-

posed of principals, teachers, and

sources‌

students, they offered the best

The situation, though,

has helped the development of the

ground where sharing and discovery

feeling that we have to work to-

has become an experience for life.

]

italy

[

The English language , mixed up

been created and this surely will

ready become a patrimony for each

with different accents and expres-

bring fruits, for each one of the

partners’ schools. Moreover, it has

sions from each country’s lan-

participants. Making new projects,

been a great support and a thrust

guage, let everybody understand

moreover, will be easier, due to

towards the discovery of the identity

that communication IS possible,

this Comenius experience, because

of territorial identity in view of the

because behind a shared language

we have been learning from each

greater European identity , which

there is a common view that we

other’s organization and attitudes

we all share.

have been pursuing along the years

in six interesting and challenging

If being European means what is

of the project: i.e. to build up a

meetings all over Europe. Here a

written in the motto of the Union,

community where anyone could

special mention has to be made for

“Unity in Diversity”, the COMENIUS

feel at ease. Students, particularly,

the Coordinators of the project in

Multilateral Project “Water, the Life

have enjoyed the opportunity to

each country, who have been work-

of My river, my Life” , has undoubt-

travel and meet young people from

ing hard to let the project succeed

edly given a strong contribution

other countries, discovering that

in its performance.

towards it.

many stereotypes drop as soon as

As a matter of fact, the efforts

you come to know people face to

that every team and each partici-

face. What a different experience

pants made in the building up of a

than calling friends the digital faces

quantity of official materials which

of people on social networks! For

required expertise and sharing of

them, and for teachers along with

know-how (i.e. videos, reports,

them, relationships born during

presentations, newspaper issues,

the meetings and the mobility has

website contributions and so on)

become a lasting experience that

and the unofficial, huge exchange of

we trust will be continued after the

mails, twitters, FB messages, skype

end of the projects itself. A net-

contacts, form now a huge nucleus

work of people and knowledge has

of shared heritage that has aldrop by drop | 13

[

italia

]

1

3

2 3

PORTOGALLO: colori , gusti e tanta simpatia!

Per il progetto Comenius ad Alcanena in Portogallo dall'Itis Galilei di Livorno sono partiti tre ragazzi: Andrea Torres, Matilde Casali e Noemi Scotto. Insieme a noi i docenti referenti del progetto, Federico Agen e Maddalena Degan; la nostra Preside, Giuliana Ficini, e altri membri dello staff: il collaboratore Maurizio Taddei, la prof S. Giannetti, inglese, e la resp. Amministativa, Daniela Bacciardi. Un bel gruppo affiatato..

14 |

Siamo arrivati un giorno di ritardo e tutti gli altri ragazzi si erano già conosciuti ma siamo subito stati accolti con grande entusiasmo da tutti.

Siamo stati molto contenti sia di rivedere gli amici conosciuti a Livorno nella precedente edizione del progetto, sia di conoscere i nuovi ragazzi.

Sebbene ogni posto sia stato grandioso il posto più affascinante è stato Lisbona: vederla dall'alto

dalla torre di Belem, passeggiare nei parchi e assaggiare le pastel! Che esperienza !

Siamo stati in altri posti ad Alcanena e, anche se erano interessanti, sono state sicuramente gite più…. puzzolenti! La visita all’impianto di trattamento delle acque di scarico: un ricordo indelebile...

Abbiamo visitato anche le grotte carsiche nei dintorni di Alcanena con le loro bellissime stalattiti e stalagmiti e una fresca temperatura tra i 14°-16° - per fortuna, perché fuori era un giorno caldissimo!

L’accoglienza dello staff della scuola, e delle famiglie degli studenti è stata ottima, anche se abbiamo trascorso pochissimo tempo con loro, per via di un programma super-intensivo. Ma i pranzi condivisi , in famiglia o alla mensa scolastica, ci ha consentito di assaggiare le specialità portoghesi: il Chouriço, -una specie di salsiccia-, arroz, un riso di contorno, la zuppa di fagioli verdi e soprattutto, il piatto onnipresente sulle tavole portoghesi: il BACCALA’!!

Mangiare e stare insieme ci hanno consentito di scambiare informazioni

sulla cultura, il modo di vivere diverso e la loro scuola. Il loro sistema scolastico è molto diverso dal nostro, e molto più simile al sistema anglo-sassone. Ci hanno fatto partecipare anche ad alcune lezioni : una di chimica , con una decina di studenti e una di Educazione Fisica, molto più partecipata. L’insegnante ci ha insegnato la Tia Anica, una danza popolare portoghese e , una danza da ballo americana, e per finire la Waka Waka di Shakira.

Per noi, il progetto Comenius e le persone che hanno partecipato , sono diventati molto importanti.Anzi , amici: persone con cui confidarsi, con cui ridere, trascorrere belle serate… e soprattutto, persone con cui confrontare idee, opinioni, modi di vivere.

La scuola, il Progetto, l’Acqua ci hanno fatto incontrare ; hanno reso possibile l’unione di sette diverse nazioni, tradizioni , costumi; ma soprattutto lo scopo finale che ci ha unito: SALVARE il NOSTRO PIANETA, SALVARE L’ACQUA! Una esperienza indimenticabile e sicuramente da ripetere!

] 3

italy

[

4

5

PORTUGAL: a mix of colours, tastes and friendship!

For the Comenius Project in Alcanena, Portugal, three students left from ITIS G. Galilei , Livorno (Italy): Andrea Torres, Noemi Scotto and Matilde Casali. The teachers responsible for the project Federico Agen and Maddalena Degan were also with us, and our Principal, Mrs Giuliana Ficini. Some other school staff members joined us in the expedition: the Vice-Principal Maurizio Taddei , Susanna Giannetti, English teacher, and Daniela Bacciardi, our administrative manager. A large and friendly group.

We arrived one day later and all the others had already met, but we have immediately been welcomed with great excitement from everyone.

We were very happy both of seeing again the ones that came to Livorno and of meeting new people.

Even if any place was, and still is, fascinating the most beautiful was

Lisbon! (photo 1-2) Seeing Lisbon from the top of the Belem Tower, walking in the parks and tasting the "Pastel de Nata"! (foto 3)… What an experience!

We saw other places in Alcanena and, even if they were interesting too, they were somehow more... stinky! (actually Waste Water Treatment Plant smelled pretty well!!!) . We also visited the karstic caves (photo 4) where we saw many interesting stalagmites and stalactites and it was pretty chill inside (the temperature ranged between 14° and 16° Celsius), but we didn’t dislike it as it was one of the hottest day of our travel.

The school staff was very kind and polite. We stayed at some students’ families, but we couldn’t spend much time with the family because of our intense program. Those few times that we had dinner at home, and those times that we ate at the school canteen, we tried some typical Portuguese dishes like Chouriço (a sosage); Arroz (rice), that is used as side dish; a soup of green beans and a dish with the, maybe, most famous Portuguese food: the BACHALAU! (Cod fish).

Having lunch with the Portuguese students was a nice chance to better

understand their culture, how they live and what their school is like.

For instance they have a completely different school system (much more similar to the Anglo-Saxon one) and we also had some lessons, like chemistry and PE. Chemistry was pretty interesting and the class was composed by, more or less, ten students. The PE class was more “populated” and the teacher made us dance some dances like Tia Anica (a typical Portuguese dance), an American prom dance and the Shakira’s Waka-Waka.

For us, the Comenius project and especially the people who participated in this project, have become very important. Friends whom to confide in, laugh with, spend nice evenings ... and above all, the persons with whom each of us can compare ideas, opinions, different ways of living. (photo 5) The school, the project, the water brought us together. They have made possible the union of 7 different countries traditions and customs, but in the end….. all for ONE purpose : SAVE OUR WORLD, SAVE OUR WATERs. This is one of those experiences that we'd love to do again! drop by drop | 15

[

italia

]

ACQUA per il FUTURO.

Presentazione del TEAM ITALIANO

1

Il tema proposto, Acqua e Futuro, ci

alle ricerche del Centro. (VIDEO 1)

pace di sfruttare l’energia derivante

ha spinto a fare una indagine sulle

Ma volevamo anche ricordare che

dalla pressione delle onde sulla

ricerche che l’istituto S. Anna, sez.

l’acqua è fonte di divertimento, da

superficie, invece che dal moto mec-

CIBR (Centro di Studi di Roboti-

qui la parte n.3.

canico verticale. Il progetto è stato

ca) porta avanti a Pisa e Livorno.

PARTE 1: ONDE per l’ENERGIA

sviluppato anche grazie ad una col-

Tra le loro ricerche, c’è quella di

Uno dei progetti del CIBR è Poly-

laborazione con enti portoghesi; il

adattare la tecnologia robotica

WEC, ovvero Polymerici Wave

primo ente a metterci mano è stato

all’ambiente marino ,in particolare

Energy Converter, un generatore di

il PECRO, un'altra branca del centro

per lo studio dell’inquinamento

energia che sfrutta l’energia cinetica

ricerche S. Anna. (VIDEO 2)

marino sott’acqua. Abbiamo raccolto

delle onde per produrre energia

PARTE 2: ROBOTICA SOTTOMARINA

l’intervista di uno dei ricercatori del

elettrica. La vera innovazione di

Uno dei progetti più interessanti del

centro.

questo sistema risiede nel fatto che

centro legati al mare è senz’altro

La nostra presentazione si divide

la CIBR ha studiato un materiale

quello denominato PoseiDRONE. Il

in tre parti, le prime due relative

polimerico leggero ed economico ca-

PoseiDRONE è un a specie di polpo

Aiming to join our idea on the future and the water, we made a project based on the work of the Sant’Anna Research Institute of Robotics Centre (CIBR), Pisa (Italy). One of their purposes is to study and adapt robotic technologies to the sea environment, for example pollution detectors, underwater robots and so on.

We interviewed one of the researchers.

We split our job into three parts, two of which are actually related to the CIBR. (VIDEO 1) But we also wanted to remember that water is also a means to amuse ourselves: that’s in part 3.

instead that from the vertical motion of a mechanical piece.

This project is being developed with a Portuguese partnership and comes from the PERCRO Lab (The Laboratory of Perceptual Robotics, part of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy).(VIDEO 2)

WAVES For FUTURE

Presentation from ITALY TEAM

16 |

2

Part 1: WAVES FOR ENERGY One of the projects of CIBR is PolyWEC which stands for Polymeric Wave Energy Converter that is, basically, a power generator that uses the kinetic energy of the waves to produce electricity. The innovation of this system lies in the fact that CIBR is using a lightweight and economic polymeric material which exploits the energy coming from the waves pressure

PART 2: ROBOTICS UNDERWAVES One of the most interesting projects of the centre is related to this study area and it’s called PoseiDRONE. The PoseiDrone is an underwater robotic octopus that can be used for many underwater applications, like checking some pipes status or in some cases fix them; this has sometime been hard to accomplish or even impossible with the traditional robots (only think about the problem to have a robot working in the sea environment, were water and salt affect any material..). The innovation of this robot is its soft structure that lets it adapt itself to most of the possible scenarios.

]

[

italy

click to see

3

4

5

robot, capace di andare sott’acqua,

Anche altri robots sono stati studiati

Guardando il mare, non possiamo

che trova molteplici applicazioni:

dal centro, come per es. il V-Fides

non pensare alle potenzialità che

per esempio può fare controlli sulle

e Hydronet, due tipi di robot che

queste acque offrono per lo sport

tubature subacquee e addirittura

hanno la capacità di muoversi

e il turismo. Già una importante

eseguire riparazioni. Queste azioni

autonomamente nel mare per ef-

scuola di surf è presente sul ter-

sono molto complesse e difficili da

fettuare rilevamenti riguardanti

ritorio, ed attira molte persone da

compiere con i normali robots (si

l’inquinamento. (VIDEO 4)

molte parti d’Italia. – noi speriamo

pensi solo al problema di lavora in

Parte 3: DIVERTIAMOCI con le

che con voi possa anche svilupparsi

ambiente marino, dove l’acqua e il

ONDE

un turismo europeo!

salino facilmente intaccano i mate-

La nostra città, Livorno, è situata

Ecco dunque un video in cui al-

riali). L’innovazione di questo robot

sul mare, e molta della nostra vita

cuni nostri amici praticano il surf

sta nella sua struttura morbida che

è legata a questo elemento: il mare

(VIDEO 5) . Non è facile controllare

gli permette di adattarsi alle più

è una grande fonte di divertimento

le onde…ma forse si può imparare a

disparate superfici.(VIDEO 3)

per noi, per esempio il surfing.

fare surf! Buon divertimento.

(VIDEO 3) Other robots have been developed in this lab, like the V-Fides and the Hydronet, two kinds of robots that can autonomously move around the sea checking the pollution status and report it.(VIDEO 4)

click to see

PART 3: WAVES FOR FUN Our city, Livorno, lies on the seaside, and most of our life is related to the sea, where we can usually have fun in many ways, like surfing, and that’s why in our future we can’t look at the water without thinking of our sea, and the possible exploitation of the waves for tourism and sea-waves fans. An important school for surfers already attracts a lot of people from many parts of Italy – we hope it can develop with European tourism!

Look at the video of our friends surfing! (video 5) You can’t stop the waves… but you can learn to surf.

Have fun! drop by drop | 17

[ românia

Portugalia… de vis!

]

Ultima mobilitate a proiectului multilateral Comenius 2012-2014 ”My river-my life” s-a desfășurat în perioada 5 - 10 mai 2014 în Alcanena, Portugalia. Ne-am fi dorit ca această săptămână să dureze o veșnicie!

Portugalia ne-a primit cu multă caldură și la propriu, și la figurat. Vremea ne-a surâs, iar activitățile organizate de gazdele noastre s-au desfășurat într-o atmosferă plină de armonie, veselie și entuziasm. Am fost întâmpinați cu inima deschisă de cei care urmau să ne fie gazde, iar prieteniile s-au legat încă de la început.

Un motiv de bucurie l-a constituit și revederea cu cei pe care îi cunoșteam deja, iar timpul petrecut împreună nu a făcut altceva decât să ne unească și mai mult. Încă de când am ajuns la școală, am fost impresionați de gradul sporit de implicare al tuturor elevilor portughezi în proiectul Comenius și de modul în care au reșit să popularizeze unul din obiectivele proiectului, și anume, 18 |

putut vedea la Muzeul apei din Lisadomeniul apei din țara gazdă. Astfel am importante obiective cu relevanță în de documentare la unele din cele mai nat doar activități în școală, ci și vizite Reuniunea din Portugalia nu a însemţară care pune mare preţ pe educaţie. desfăşoară procesul de învăţământ într-o au putut vizita școala și observa cum se echipă, elevii şi profesorii însoţitori, reuniunii, împreună cu ceilalţi colegi de participare la reuniune, cât şi în cadrul s-a depus multă muncă, atât înainte de langă aceste activi¬tăţi teoretice, în care ticipante în cadrul sesiunilor de lucru. Pe le-au prezentat colegilor din țările parși importanța resurselor de apă, pe care pregătit studii științifice despre viitorul Pentru aceasta, elevii liceului nostru au tema ,,Water:what future?’’ ere, reuniunii din Alcanena i s-a atribuit prestabilită câte o temă pentru dezbatreuniuni a parteneriatului a fost Salveaz-o!). Deoarece în cadrul fiecărei viata. “água e vida. poupa-me!” (Apa este tare, am văzut afișe cu mesaje precum: apă dulce. În apropierea grupurilor saniconștientizarea importanței resurselor de

bona rezervorul de apă Mae d’Agua das Amoreiras proiectat în 1746, (rezervor construit pentru a primi şi a distribui apa colectată de apeductul Aguas Livres). Programul de activități propuse de școala Agrumento de Escolas de Alcanena a continuat cu vizite la Statia de epurare a apelor uzate din Alcanena, la Ocenarium unde am participat la o adevarată lecție de biologie legată de supraviețuirea speciilor marine într-un spațiu inchis, dar expus vizitatorilor și la Parque das Nações din Lisbona, fără să uitam de minunata vale a raului Alviela cu Centrul de cercetare și valea raului Tagus.

Experienta din Portugalia ni s-a intiparit in suflet, va ramane acolo pentru mult timp, iar noi vom povesti mereu cu nostalgie despre tara care trasieste in ritmuri de fado.

Echipa carea a călătorit în însorita țară Portugalia: Elevii

Ștefania Țuclea Petrovici Bianca Boiangiu Cătălin

Profesorii Cristina Maican Viorica Raicu Constantin Coman

] romania [

Portugal… a dreamy week!

The last meeting of multilateral Comenius project 2012-2014 "My river-my life" took place during 5th -10th May 2014 in Alcanena, Portugal. We wish this week could have lasted forever! Portugal welcomed us warmly, literally and figuratively.

The weather was on our part, and the activities organized by our hosts were held in an atmosphere full of harmony, joy and enthusiasm.

We were received with open arms by the ones who were about to be our hosts, and friendships have been linked since the beginning.

Another reason of joy was the meeting with people we already knew and the time spent together has done nothing but bound us even more.

Since the time arrived at school, we were impressed by the heightened involvement of all Portuguese students in Comenius project and how they have managed to popularize one of the objectives of the project, namely, awareness

of the importance of freshwater resources. Near sanitary facilities, we saw posters with messages such as: "água e vida. poupa-me! " (Water is life. Save it!).

Because within each meeting of the partnership was a default theme for debate, for the meeting of Alcanena was attributed the theme, Water: what future? " To do this, our high school students have prepared scientific studies about the future and the importance of water resources, which they have tabled with colleagues from the participating countries during the working sessions.

In addition to these theoretical activities , it was a lot of work, both prior to the meeting, and during the meeting, along with members of project teams, students and teachers were able to visit the school and see how the educational process is carried out in a country that places great value on education.

Meeting of Portugal meant not only activities in school but also documentary visits to some of the most important objectives with relevance in the field of water from the host country. So we could see at the Water Museum

from Lisbon water tank Mae d'agua das Amoreiras , (tank built in 1746 to receive anddistribute the water collected from the Aguas Livres Aqueduct). The programme of the activities proposed by the Agrumento de Escolas de Alcanena continued with visits to the wastewater treatment plant in Alcanena, Ocenarium from Lisbon, where we attended a real lesson of biology related to the survival of marine species within an area closed, but exposed to the visitors, Parque das Nações in Lisbon, without to forget the wonderful Valley of the river Alviela with Research Centre and Tagus river valley.

This experience is imprinted in our soul and it is going to be kept there for a long time. We’ll always talk nostalgically about the country with Fado rythms.

Romanian team: Students

Ștefania Țuclea Petrovici Bianca Boiangiu Cătălin

Theachers

Cristina Maican Viorica Raicu

Constantin Coman

drop by drop | 19

[ românia

]

Proiectul ,, My River , My Life” la final Proiectul ,, My River , My Life” a reuşit să încununeze doi ani de muncă susţinută a echipelor din cele opt şcoli partenere, dar șapte ţări membre ale Uniunii Europene: Spania, Suedia, Portugalia, România, Letonia, Lituania şi Italia. Vizitele de studiu au contribuit la consolidarea cunoştinţelor elevilor şi profesorilor implicaţi în proiect privind utilizarea noilor tehnologii ecologice pentru purificarea apei.

Totodată, schimbul de cunoştinţe ştiinţifice a fost dublat de îmbunătăţirea competenţelor lingvistice, precum şi de schimburi culturale deosebit de utile şi interesante, care vor contribui în mod cert la o mult mai bună cunoaştere a tinerilor din ţările membre ale U.E. Prezentarea produselor ştiinţifice şi culturale ale fiecărei echipe realizate pe parcursul celor doi ani de mobilităţi a dovedit îndeplinirea obiectivelor proiectului şi necesitatea continuării altora asemenea. Elevii noştri s-au comportat exemplar, dovedindu-şi pe deplin solidele 20 |

competenţe ştiinţifice - în domeniul chimiei şi biologiei, de comunicare în limba engleză, abilităţile de muncă în echipă şi de socializare, precum şi atitudinile de ocrotire şi prezervare a mediului înconjurător, cu ţintă îndeosebi pe rezervele de apă ale lumii. Încercând părerea de rău că proiectul s-a sfârşit, după ce timp de doi ani s-au legat solide prietenii între profesorii şi elevii echipelor partenere, nu vom uita niciodată căldura şi ospitalitatea fiecarei gazde şi mai ales parfumul aerului îmbălsămat de metropolele pe care le-am vizitat prin intermediul proiectului multilateral Comenius.

Director Liceul Pedagogic ”Spriu Haret” Buzău –Romania Porfesor Coman Constantin

Comenius un ultim proiect de neuitat

De ce? Pentru că s-a terminat destul de repede, iar începând cu septembrie 2014 programul Comenius devine o reală amintire, fiind inlocuit pentru incă 7 ani cu noul program Erasmus+.

Pentru echipa noastră, proiectul multilateral Comenius 2012-2014 a reprezentat: • 2 ani de cooperare, de evoluție pro-

prie prin cunoastere, 2 ani de calatorii, de implicare, de comunicare, de colaborare, • 2 ani plini de zambete, emotii, prietenii si fericire, • 2 ani IMPREUNA! Dacă ar trebui să descriu proiectul Comenius în cât mai puține cuvinte, răspunsul meu ar fi: “de neuitat”. A început în urmă cu 2 ani, în octombrie 2012, odată cu prima întâlnire, care a avut loc la Buzău. De atunci, proiectul a devenit o parte din noi, atat prin munca depusă pentru a ne prezenta cât mai bine de fecare dată, cât și prin oamenii pe care i-am întâlnit și cu care am legat prietenii încă de la început. În decursul proiectului, noi toți am învățat despre culturile a 7 țări diferite, ne-am îmbunătătit abilitățile lingvistice, am realizat multe studii interesante pe tema apei, am zâmbit, am avut emoții, poate am mai și greșit dar, foarte important, am invatat sa fim o echipa.

•

În concluzie : COMENIUS ESTE O FUZIUNE DE LUCRURI MINUNATE – COMENIUS ESTE O POVESTE DESPRE NOI! Cordonator proiect, profesor Viorica Raicu

] romania [

The project „ My River - My Life "at the end The project ,,My River-My Life " succeeded to managed two years of work sustained by teams of the eight partners schools from seven European Union member countries: Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania and Italy. Study visits have contributed to strengthening the knowledge of pupils and teachers involved in the project on the use of new technologies for water purification.

At the same time, the exchange of scientific knowledge has been doubled to improv language skills, as well as cultural exchanges particularly useful and interesting, which will certainly contribute to a better knowledge of young people in EU member countries. The presentation of scientific and cultural products of each team made during two years of mobility has proven to achieve the objectives of the project and the need continue to others, too. Our students have been exemplary and fully scientific skills-solid in chemistry and biology, English commu-

nication skills, teamwork and socializing, as well as protection and preservation attitudes to the environment, in particular with the target on the world's water reserves.

Feeling sorry the project ended after two years of solid friendships tied between teachers and students of partner teams, we will never forget the warmth and hospitality of our hosts and especially the scented air of the metropolises that have been visited through this multilateral Comenius project.

Headmaster of Pedagogical High School " Spriu Haret "Buzau-Romania Prof. Coman Constantin

Comenius one last memorable project

Why? Because it was done too quickly and as from September 2014 Comenius programme becomes an actual memory, replaced for seven years with the new programme Erasmus +. For our team the Comenius Multilateral project 20122014 was: • 2 years of cooperation, its own development through knowledge, • 2 years of traveling, involvement, communication, collaboration,

•

2 full years of smiles, emotions, happiness, friends and 2 years TOGETHER! If I had to describe the Comenius project in a few words, my answer would be: "unforgettable". Started two years ago, in October 2012, with the first meeting, which was held in Buzău. Since then the project has become a part of us, both through our work to make this the best of each time, and through the people I've met and with whom I linked friedship from the beginning.

During the project time , all of us have learned about the cultures of seven different countries, we have improved our linguistic skills, we made many interesting studies on the theme of water, we smiled, we had emotions, maybe we were wrong sometimes, but the most important things was that we learned to be a team.

Conclusion: COMENIUS IS A FUSION OF GREAT THINGS COMENIUS IS A STORY ABOUT US! Project Coordinator- teacher Viorica Raicu

drop by drop | 21

[ românia

]

Apa in viitor Martin Luther King a spus: ”Am un vis.

Vă spun vouă astăzi, prieteni, că în ciuda tuturor dificultăților și frustrărilor de moment, eu înca am un vis.”

Visul nostru este ca oamenii să se implice în conservarea apei, pentru a putea salva planeta.

Ne confruntăm cu o criza a apei. Dar criza nu se referă la faptul că nu avem apa suficienta pentru a ne satisface nevoile. Ea se referă la faptul că apa este gestionată atât de rău, încat miliarde de oameni – și mediul - suferă .

Aproape peste tot, apa este risipită, iar cât timp oamenii nu se confruntă cu deficitul de apă, ei cred că accesul la apă este un lucru evident și firesc.

Cu urbanizarea și schimbările stilului de viață, consumul de apă este obligat să crească. Cu toate acestea, unele modificări în obiceiurile alimentare, de exemplu, pot reduce problema.

Pentru a cultiva 1 kg de cartofi sunt necesari doar 100 de litri de apă, 1 kg de orez necesită 5000 de litri și 1 kg de carne de vită necesită 13 000 de litri. În medie, un robinet de baie curge cu o rată de 2 galoane pe minut, și dacă închideți robinetul în timp ce vă spălați pe dinți dimineața și seara, veți economisi 8 galoane de apă pe zi. Asta înseamnă 240 galoane pe lună – ați prins ideea.

Problema migrațiilor: Disponibilitatea apei va continua să fie un factor care contribuie la migrații. Este de așteptat ca milioane de persoane din mediul rural să se mute în orașe, deoarece acestea sunt în imposibilitatea de a-și menține mijloacele de trai. Lipsa de apă va forța fermierii să migreze în căutare de zone umede sau să iși părăsească terenurile pentru a se muta in orașe. În prezent, jumătate din populația lumii 22 |

trăiește în orașe, iar până în 2030, această cifră va crește la 60%, mai ales în Africa și Asia, unde populația urbană este prognozată să se dubleze între anii 2000 și 2030. Populațiile din zonele sărace sunt, de asemenea, afectate mai mult de costurile și dificultatea de accesare a apei și sunt, în multe cazuri, domeniile în care nevoia de apă va crește.

Astăzi, locuitorii din mediul urban, în anumite orașe în curs de dezvoltare din Africa plătesc de 5-7 ori mai mult pentru apă decât prețul mediu plătit în Statele Unite sau Europa.

Rezervele de apă ale pământului totalizează 1,4 miliarde km3, din care 97,5% provine din oceane. Restul de 2,5% (35 de milioane de km3) este apă dulce, din care 70% (24 de milioane de km3) este înghețată, 30% (11 milioane km3) aparține apelor subterane, și doar 0,3% (105.000 km3) este apă de suprafață. Din totalitatea resurselor de apă dulce, un procent de aproximativ 54% este folosit de omenire pentru diverse utilizări - agricultură (70%), industrie (22%), și uz casnic (8%).

Chiar dacă Europa are suficiente provizii de apă, acest continent se confruntă cu probleme în ceea ce privește poluarea, depozitarea necorespunzătoare a deșeurilor și folosirea abuzivă a apei.

De exemplu, Dunărea este unul din fluviile cele mai afectate, care ar putea să dispară din cauza poluării. WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) a avertizat recent că fluviul este amenințat de canalizări, punând în pericol alimentarea cu apă a 20 de milioane de oameni.

Turismul este, de asemenea, un factor de risc pentru apa potabilă din Europa, în special în coasta mediteraneană. Un turist cazat la hotel, consumă, în medie, cu 30% mai multă apă decât un locuitor din aceeași regiune.

Criza diminuării resurselor de apă este la fel de severă ca orice altă criză cu care ne-am confruntat vreodată in timpul războaielor. Supraviețuirea noastră este

în joc, așa cum a fost la Pearl Harbor, Argonne, Gettysburg, sau Saratoga.

Dar vă propunem un exercițiu: Cum ar fi dacă intr-o zi o știre de ultimă oră ne-ar anunța că în următoarele câteva săptămâni nu va mai fi deloc apă? Sau dacă ne-ar spune că există atât de puțină apă, încât trebuie să se stabilească o rație zilnică?

Multe națiuni se confruntă cu lipsa apei, dar puține vin cu soluții.

Există un număr mare de moduri în care se poate economisi apă, și toate încep cu tine.

-Colectați apele pluviale pentru a le folosi în alte activități casnice (udatul plantelor)!

-Udați grădina și plantele de exterior dimineața sau seara, pentru a reduce evaporarea -Utilizați o mătură, nu un furtun, pentru a curăța drumurile de acces și trotuarele!

-Evitați instalarea de ornamente care necesită apă (cum ar fi fântânile), cu excepția cazului în care apa este reciclată!

-În timp ce așteptați pentru apa calda, colectați apa care curge și utilizați-o pentru plante!

-Gatiți alimentele în cât mai puțină apă.

Acest lucru le ajută, de asemenea, și să își păstreze proprietățile nutritive!

-Spălarea hainelor închise la culoare în apă rece, ajută la economisirea de apă și energie și, de asemenea, ajută hainele sa își păstreze culoarea. Încearcă să faci un singur lucru în fiecare zi și vei ajuta la economisirea apei. Nu îți face griji dacă economiile sunt mici. Fiecare picătură contează.

Tu poți face o diferență!

Echipa de lucru : Bianca Petrovici, Stefania Tuclea, Catalin Boiangiu, Viorica Raicu

] romania [

Water: what future?

Martin Luther King said: “I have a dream. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.”Our dream is people geting involved in water conservation regarding the world salvation.There is a water crisis today. But the crisis is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs.

It is a crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people - and the environment - suffer badly. Almost everywhere, water is wasted, and as long as people are not facing water scarcity, they believe access to water is an obvious and natural thing. With urbanization and changes in lifestyle, water consumption is bound to increase. However, changes in food habits, for example, may reduce the problem! Growing 1kg of potatoes requires only 100 litres of water, 1 kg of rice requires 5000 litres and 1 kg of beef requires 13 000 litres.

The average bathroom faucet flows up to a rate of 2 gallons a minute, and if you shut off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime you’ll save 8 gallons of water a day.

That’s 240 gallons a month – well you get the idea. Fresh water is not used efficiently, in accordance with demand and needs. We still do not have full information on this matter, and water management is disorganized. In this regard, the future seems increasingly uncertain, and the risks become more significant.

The migrations’ affair:

Water availability will continue to be a contributing factor to migration. Millions of vulnerable people in rural areas are expected to move to cities, because they are unable to maintain their livelihood or even subsist. A lack of strategic water

security will force farmers to migrate in search of wetland or resign their lot to an urban existence. Currently half of the world’s population lives in cities, and by 2030, this figure will grow to 60%, most notably in Africa and Asia where urban populations are predicted to double between the years 2000 and 2030 Populations in poverty stricken areas are also harder hit by the costs and difficulty of accessing water and are, in many cases, also the areas where the need for water will grow. Today, urban dwellers in certain developing cities in Africa pay 5 to 7 times more for water than the average price paid in the United States or Europe.

The earth’s water supply (both salt and freshwater) totals 1.4 billion km3, of which 97.5% is oceanic. The remaining 2.5% (35 million km3) is fresh water, of which 70% (24 million km3) is frozen, 30% (11 million km3) is groundwater, and only 0.3% (105.000 km3) is accessible as surface water. Of available renewable freshwater resources, about 54% is already appropriated by humanity for various uses—irrigated agriculture (70%), industry (22%), and domestic use (8%). Even though Europe has enough water supplies, this continent is facing problems regarding pollution, the improper storage of waste and the misuse of water. For example, the Danube is one of the most affected rivers that could dissapear due to pollution. WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) recently warned that the river is threatened by sewage, endangering the water supply of 20 millions of people. Tourism is also a risk factor for potable water in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean coast.

A tourist staying at the hotel consumes on average 30% more water than an inhabitant from the same region. The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our survival is just as much

at stake as it was at the time of Pearl Harbor, or the Argonne, or Gettysburg, or Saratoga.

But I propose an exercise:

What if one day we woke up and a breaking news would announce that in the next few weeks there’ll be no water left? Or if we were told at one point that there is so little water that it must be established a daily ration? Many nations are experiencing unprecedented strain on water supplies, but few are coming up with solutions.

There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you:

•Rainwater harvesting •Showers and Wash-hand Basins •Grey-water treatment •Water your yard and outdoor plants early or late in the day to reduce evaporation.

•Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and walkways.

•Stop leaks.

•Defrost sensibly.

•Avoid the installation of ornamental water features (such as fountains) unless the water is recycled.

•While you wait for hot water, collect the running water and use it to water plants.

•Cook food in as little water as possible.

This also helps it retain more nutrients.A •Washing dark clothes in cold water saves water and energy, and helps your clothes retain their color.

•Drop tissues in the trash instead of flushing them and save water every time.

Try to do one thing each day that will result in saving water.

Don't worry if the savings are minimal. Every drop counts.

You can make a difference!

Romanian Team: Patrovici Bianca, Tuclea Stefania, Boiangiu Catalin and Viorica Raicu

drop by drop | 23

[ latvija

]

Maija sākumā Alkanenā, Portugālē notika startptautiskā projekta „Comenius” sestā konference. Noslēdzot divus gadus pētīto tēmu „Mana upe, mana dzīve visu astoņu dalībvalstu skolēni demonstrēja filmas un prezentēja vīzijas par izvēlētās upes nākotnes perspektīvām Par braucienu un tālo zemi savos iespaidos dalās Stefānija Dubra… Šā gada 3. maijā Babītes vidusskolas direktore Ilze Rozenberga, projekta koordinatore Ruta Virbule un 10.klases skolēni Stefānija Dubra, Edvards Likovskis un Miks Pētersons devās uz Portugāli, lai pārstāvētu savu valsti un skolu Comenius projektā “My River My Life”.

Visu dienu pavadījām lidmašīnā, Stokholmas lidostā un tad beidzot – Lisabona, Portugāle. Pirmie iespaidi, iznākot no lidostas jau bija pasakaini - jauks vakars, palmas un sajūta kā būtu izkāpuši jūlijā, pašā vasaras vidū. Bija jau vēls, tāpēc devāmies uz viesnīcu.

Svētdien, agri cēlušies, paēdām brokastis un satikāmies ar Viju, mūsu skolas bijušo skolotāju, kura nu jau teju 20 gadus dzīvo Portugālē. Viņa mums izrādīja ievērojamākās un skaistākās Lisabonas vietas. Diena pagāja vienā skriešanā, jo bija jāpagūst visu apskatīt.

Nez kādēļ gadījās tā, ka bija jāpieskrien gan pie metro un tramvaja, gan autobusa, beigās jau vairs neprasījām, kādēļ – tikai skrējām. Neskatoties uz to, dienu pavadījām lieliski un paguvām iegūt pirmo iedegumu no spožās Lisabonas saules.

Pirmdien devāmies uz uz Alkanenu - pilsētu, kurā atrodas skola, kura pārstāvēja Portugāli šajā projektā. Jā, pirmā diena tāda mazliet neveikla, visi vēl nav iepazīti arī vide pasveša.

Jaukākais brīdis bija, kad satikām savu viesģimeņu pārstāvjus. Pirms tam bijām ar viņiem sazinājušies internetā.

Iepazināmies tuvāk, aizvedām mantas uz mājām un devāmies atpakaļ, kur notika projekta atklāšana, pusdienas un tad gājām uz vietējo teātri skatīties portugāļu skolēnu sagatavoto izrādi.

Otrdiena bija jauniem iespaidiem pilna diena. Pirmā ekskursija mums bija pa Alkanenas skolu. Šeit skolēni mācās dažādu novirzienu programmās, redzējām labi iekārtotas fizikas, ķīmijas un informātikas klases. Viņu skola sastāv no trim ēkām - ēdnīcas, sporta kompleksa, kur tikām pasportot arī mēs, un mācību telpas. Pēc pusdienām devāmies 24 |

uz ādas pārstrādes rūpnīcu, kur mums parādīja kā ražo ādu un pastāstīja par šo procesu to vairāk. Arī par to, cik daudz ūdens tiek patērēts, lai radītu ādas izstrādājumus.

Nākamais apskates punkts bija ūdens attīrīšanas iekārtas.

Visspilgāk atmiņā palika “smarža”, ko sajutām. Patiesībā bija viela pārdomām pēc šīs ekskursijas. Bijām nopelnījuši vakariņas, bet pēc tām nekas nebeidzās - devāmies uz Fatimu, vienu no ievērojamākajām svētvietām pasaulē.

Dzīvē tik iespaidīgu celtni vēl nebijām redzējuši.

Trešdien agri cēlāmies, saplucējāmies skolas pagalmā un kāpām autobusos, lai brauktu uz Lisabonu. Vispirms apmeklējām augsto ūdensrezervuāru, kas bija iespaidīga baroka laika celtne.

Visspilgtākais, kas palicis atmiņā no krāšņās un piedzīvojumiem pilnās ekskursijas bija okeonārija apmeklējums dienas vidū. Šeit mēs redzējām ne tikai to skaisto okeonārija daļu, ko redz apmeklētāji, bet gan gājām skatīties iekārtas un tehnoloģijas, kas apkalpo šo milzīgo ūdens pasauli. Kā jau mūsu projekta tēma paredz – viss, ko apmeklējam, ir saistīts ar ūdeni.

Ceturtdienas rīts bija vissvarīgākais šajā braucienā, jo katras skolas pārstāvji prezentēja savu veikumu par tēmu “My River My Life” jeb “Mana upe Mana Dzīve”. Satraukums pirms uzstāšanās bija jūtams katra dalībnieka sirsniņā, bet galu galā viss izvērtās labi.

Noskatījāmies astoņas visdažādākās filmas par dalībvalstu upēm un noklausījāmies prezentācijas par nākotnes problēmām un risinājumiem.

Bijām nopelnījuši pusdienas. Kārtīgi paēdām un jau atkal autobusā mērojām 30. minūšu garu ceļu pa klanainu apkārtni uz stalagmītu alām. Šeit guvām ļoti iespaidīgu informāciju stalagmīti pieaug par vienu centimetru tikai 100 gadu laikā. Vērojot apkārtni, šķita, ka esam iegājuši miljoniem gadu senā pagātnē. Tā kā piekdien jau dažiem dalībniekiem bija jādodas mājās, tad projekta officiālais noslēgums notika jau ceturtdienas vakarā, kur saņēmām

dalības apliecinājumus un izbaudījām dzīvo mūziku.

Piekdiena bija pēdējā pilnā diena Portugālē. Devāmies apskatīt upes krastus, par kuru mums stāsīja vietējais skolotājs. Var sacīt, ka tā bija jauka, izzinoša un relaksējoša pastaiga. Kad abraucām atpakaļ uz Alcanenu, tad tika dots ilgs brīvais laiks līdz pēdējām vakariņām. Pa šo laiku skolēni devās uz vietējo veikalu, lai sapirktu dāvanas saviem draugiem un ģimenei vai arī vienkārši spēlēja basketbolu skolas sporta kompleksā. Pēdējās vakariņas, kā jau visas ēdienreizes skolā, bjia ļoti garšīgas un sātīgas. Pēc tām skolotāji un skolēni katrs devās savās pēdās, lai kārtīgi izbaudītu pēdējās stundas kopā.

Laiku pavadijām tā, ka labāk nestāstīt, bet patīkami atcerēties.

Sestdienas agrā rītā visi jau pulcējāmies, lai dotos uz lidostu. Protams, bez skumjām atvadām neiztikt, bet pateikuši viens otram labus vārdus, iekāpām autobusā un braucām. Lidojums uz mājām bija garš, bet piedzīvojumiem pilns. 22:15 pēc Latvijas laika varējā’m jau teikt- “Mājas, mīļās mājas”.

Vēlamies teikt lielu paldies par iespēju piedalīties šajā projektā. Paldies sakām skolotājai Rutai Virbulei un skolas direktorei Ilzei Rozenbergai par rūpēm, pacietību un vissu pārējo :)

]

Latvia about Portugal Since Portugal is really far from Latvia, first day we mostly spent time in airports and during flights and since we had to fly with two planes…it took some time.

First impressions of Portugal, coming out of the Lisbon airport, was amazing - a nice, calm evening, palms and warm weather. Upon our arrival it was very late so we went to the hotel and spent our first night there.

On Sunday, we woke up early, ate quick breakfast in our hotel and met with Vija , a lifelong friend who also lived in Piņķi for some time. During the day she showed us the most popular and most beautiful places in Lisbon. That day we were active, because to follow the plan, everything had to be done fast and sometimes, we found ourselves running through the streets of Lisbon to catch a metro , tram ,a bus or any other form of public transport . Nevertheless, the first day was spent great and we already managed to get the first tan from sun shining Lisbon.

On Monday we went back to the airport to meet up with participants of the proj-

ect Comenius and drove to the city of Alcanena which is about an hour away from Lisbon. Coming to Alcanena, we went to the local school and met our hosts. The first day was a little clumsy for some of us, because it always takes time to get used to new places. After meeting our hosts, we had a dinner in school and that was the opening of the project Comenius. After lunch we went to the local theater to watch a play prepared by Portuguese students. This was the first day we slept in our host homes.

Tuesday was a full day of sightseeing. The first tour was in Alcanena school. They showed us their classrooms and they looked really similar to our schools. In Alcanena, the school consisted of 4 buildings - catering, sports complex, teachers lounge and library.

Later that day, we went to the leather factory in Alcanena where they showed us how they produce skin and answered our questions. After the leather factory we went to the water treatment plant.

The brightest memory remained "the smell" of the plant. We had eaten lunch earlier…good decision, but we weren’t there for long, because we went to Fatima to visit a Catholic church. It was magnificent, I had not seen a building that spectacular in my life. Then we went back to Alcanena school and our hosts took us to their homes to spend the night.

We Got up early on Wednesday, met in the school yard and then drove to Lisbon by bus. The most memorable thing in Wednesday was the tour of glorious and adventurous Okeanarium. In Okeanarium tour we got to see not only the normal visitor parts, but also how it looks from above and the machines running Okeanarium.

Thursday morning was the most important thing in this project, because each school represented their work on the project’s theme "My River, My Life" and other participants and their teachers watched us perform. The excitement and

latvia

[

fear at the same time was felt before speaking, but in the end everything turned out very well. After this we ate dinner in school. After dining, we went to stalagmite caves by bus. Caves were very impressive, because our guide told us 1cm of stalagmite takes 100 years to grow, I doubt it, but it was really ,really impressive nevertheless. Later that day we went to a Portuguese bar and enjoyed ourselves.

Friday morning, some participants went back because of their Airline schedule, even though the official closing of the project took place on Thursday evening ,in a typical Portuguese bar, where we were awarded for participating in Comenius project ‘’My River, My Life’’ and enjoyed live music that was performed by their Physical education teacher. We had a good time.

Friday: The last full day in Portugal. We went to look at the river banks. We can say that it was a nice, relaxing walk and a way to lose yourself in nature. When we came back to Alcanena , we were given a long free time to do the things we still hadn’t done. Most students went to local stores to buy gifts for your friends and family or just have last fun with Comenius people playing basketball in school gym complex. Last dinner was delicious and heartwarming. According to the teachers and students, each went their way to throughoutly enjoy the last hours together, and in the evening we had a huge party and let me just say … those are great stories that cannot be told.

Saturday: Early in the morning everyone had already gathered their belongings and we were ready to go to the airport, of course, we said farewell to our hosts and their families - exchanged good words for future and thanked them for their hospitality. The flight home was long and full of adventures. In 22:15 Latvian time we could finally say – we are back home.

We would like to say a big thanks for the opportunity to participate in this project to our amazing teacher - Ruta Virbule and school director Ilze Rozenberga for taking care of us for this time,your patience and for letting us know you more than just teacher and school director.

drop by drop | 25

[ românia

]

Proiectul Comenius ajuns la final Coordonator de proiect, Prof. Adriana Gherghe Proiectul ‘’Water;My river.. my life’’ a fost o noua experienta Comenius atat pentru mine cat si pentru echipa de profesori si elevi ai scolii.

Apa, esenta vietii a fost abordata in proiectul nostru sub foarte multe aspecte, iar concluzia finala este ca trebuie sa respectam si sa protejam apa conectata direct la viata noastra de zi cu zi.

Copiii implicati in proiect a fost foarte incantati de rezultatele proiectului,de faptul ca au studiat raul nostru Jiu, dar in acelasi timp au cunoscut si preocuparile celorlalte tari pentru studiul raului lor si au apreciat rezultatele obtinute. Activitatile propuse si desfasurate au dus la transmiterea de informatii cu caracter interdisciplinar,cu privire la elemente de geografie locala si europeana,biologie,chimie,mediu inconjurator,studiul florei si aunei,biodiversitatea specifica zonelor in care se afla scolile tarilor implicate in proiect.Toate acestea au ajutat elevii sa isi formeze deprinderi si un comportament ecologic responsabil,fiind un bun exemplu pentru colegii si prietenii lor,dar 26 |

si pentru comunitate. Profesori si elevii implicati in proiect au avut ocazia sa cunoasca oameni noi,tari si civilizatii europene, noi sisteme de invatamant europene,sa-si exerseze cunostintele de limba engleza, sa comunice si sa-si impartaseasca experienta profesionala.

Toate aceste bucurii si impliniri nu ar fi fost posibile fara implicarea in proiectul Comenius.Eu sper ca elevii vor fi capabili sa isi valorifice experienta de viata acumulata in calitate de participanti la acest proiect. Multumim Comisiei Europene, Agentiei Nationale, echipei Comenius pentru sansa extraordinara de a deveni cetateni activi ai Uniunii europene si felicitari intregii echipe internationale Comenius.

Dumitru Maria – Profesor de biologie In cadrul Proiectului Multilateral Comenius ,,WATER: THE LIFE OF MY RIVER …MY LIFE”, am participat la doua mobilitati: una în Spania, la Palamós si cealalta in Lituania, la Kaunas. Acest proiect mi-a dat ocazia sa cunosc oameni si locuri noi, traditii si obiceiuri specifice tarilor participante la proiect.

Ma bucur nespus ca am participat la mobilitatea din Spania, pe de o parte pentru ca este o tara foarte frumoasa, plina de istorie, iar pe de alta parte dato-

rita faptului ca am avut ocazia sa cunosc echipa care a initiat acest proiect, coordonata de domnul Josep Blasco.

Elevii si profesorii au lucrat intr-o echipa pe parcursul derularii proiectului. In toate institutiile implicate, activitatile proiectului s-au realizat prin activitati extracurriculare, stiintifice si culturale. Au fost organizate conferinte, work-shopuri, excursii, vizite culturale legate de tema proiectului, elevii si profesorii participand la aceste evenimente cu deosebit interes. Ziua Europei si Ziua Mondiala a Apei, au fost sarbatorite in toate scolile implicate in proiect, in felul acesta fiind promovata importanţa diversităţii biologice, culturale şi lingvistice în cadrul Europei.

Pe langa obiectivele principale ale acestui proiect de a contribui la educarea tinerilor în scopul dezvoltării responsabilităţii pentru menţinerea sănătăţii mediului in general, si de a constientiza necesitatea de a pastra nepoluate resursele de apa pentru generatiile viitoare, in mod special, proiectul a avut o contributie deosebita la dezvoltarea creativitatii, a spiritului de initiativa si de investigare ale elevilor.

Acest proiect mi-a dat ocazia sa cunosc sistemul educaţional din fiecare ţară parteneră si sa-l compar cu sistemul nostru de invatamant. Participarea la acest proiect a fost o experienta deosebita si cu siguranta voi aplica la clasa ceea ce am dobandit in urma pariciparii la acest proiect.

] romania [

Comenius project comes to an end Project coordinator Adriana GHERGHE The project ‘’Water; My river… my life’’ was a new Comenius experience for me and for the team of pupils and teachers in the school. Water, the essence of life was approached in our project on many aspects and the final conclusion is that we have to respect and protect the water connected to our daily life. The children involved in the project were very excited by the results of the project, by the fact that they studied our river Jiu, but in the same time they met the concerning of the other countries for the study of their river and they appreciated the results obtained. The activities lead to a packet of information with an interdisciplinary character, regarding the local and European geography aspects, Biology, Chemistry, environment, the study of the animals and plants, the biodiversity of the zones where the schools involved are. All these helped the pupils form a responsible environmental behavior and skills, being a good example for their colleagues and for the community. The pupils and the teachers involved in the project had the chance to meet new people, European countries and civilization, to practice their level of English, to communicate and share the professional

experience. All these happiness and accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible without the involvement in the Comenius project. I hope that the pupils will be able to put into value the life experience accumulated as participants in this project. Multumim Comisiei Europene, Agentiei Nationale, echipei Comenius pentru sansa extraordinara de a deveni cetateni activi ai Uniunii europene si felicitari intregii echipe internationale

Maria Dumitru –Biology teacher Within the Multilateral Comenius project ,,WATER: THE LIFE OF MY RIVER …

MY LIFE”, I took part at two visits: one in Spain ,at Palamos and the other one in Lituania, at Kaunas. This project offered me the opportunity to know new people and places, traditions and customs specific to the countries in the project. I am very happy that I was in Spain because on one side, it is a very beautiful country, full of history, and on te other side, because I had the occasion to meet the team that started this project, coordinated by mister Josep Blasco. The pupils and the teachers worked in a team along the project. In all the involved institutions, the activities

were done through scientific, cultural and extracurricular activities. There were conferences, work-shops, trips, cultural visits related to the theme of the project, the kids and the teachers taking part to these events with a great interest. The Day of Europe and the World Day of the Water were celebrated in all the schools involved in the project, the importance of the biological, cultural and linguistic diversity in Europe being promoted. Besides the main objectives of this project to contribute to the youth education for a responsibility regarding a clean environment generally speaking, and to be aware of the necessity of keeping the resources of water unpolluted for the next generations, in particular, the project had a very big importance to the development of the creativity, the spirit of initiative and investigation of the pupils. This project gave me the opportunity to meet the educational system in every partner country and to compare it with our teaching system. Being a part of this project was an extraordinary experience and I will certainly apply in the classroom what I achieved from this project.

drop by drop | 27

[ rom창nia

Amintiri din Portugalia

28 |

]

Proiectul Comenius a insemnat pentru mine deschiderea catre o lume noua, o lume necunoscuta pe care am avut noroc sa o descopar datorita acestui proiect.

Moblitatea din Portugalia pentru mine a fost a treia mobilitate la care am participat ,pe langa cele din Lituania si Itaia, dar a fost o noua experienta de viata. Am gasit aici oameni foarte primitor si deschisi la comunicare, oameni care mi-au deveit prieteni si care m-au ajutat sa ma intorc la Craiova cu multe amintiri frumoase pe care le-am povestit prietenilor mei.

Gazda mea, Joana,este o fata foarte amabila,draguta si mi-a fost ca o sora ,pe intreg parcursul mobilitatii. Imi este dor de ea,de colegii si prietenii din proiect dar si de motanul care a impartit camera cu noi.Mobilitatea din Alcanena a avut multe activitati in scoala si in afara scolii,am vizitat Fatima si Lisabona cu multe obiective turistice,dar Oceanari-

umul a fost ceva cu totul deosebit.

Proiectul m-a ajutat sa vad noi orizonturi, sa imi vad limitele, sa imi dezvolt cunostintele si sa imi dezvolt comunicarea in limba engleza. Proiectul m-a invatat o gramada de lucruri despre apa, am avut ocazia sa vad o statie de epurare, am vazut pesti din toate oceanele lumii,am vazut tari europene pe care poate nu as fi avut ocazia sa le vizitez vreodata si mi-am facut prieteni pe care nu ii voi uita niciodata.

Imi este dor de tot ce a insemnat Portugalia, imi este dor sa radem, sa facem glume, sa vizitam locuri noi, imi este dor chiar si sa prezint proiectul (desi eram mereu emotionata cand eram in fata tuturor si stiam ca toti ma asculta), imi este dor de familia Comenius pe care nu o sa uit niciodata.

Alexandra Tacu LPS Petrache Triscu Craiova Romania

] romania [

Memories of Portugal

Comenius project ment alot for me it was the opening to a new world, an unknown world which i had the luck to discover through this project.

For me the Portugal mobility was the third mobility that i participated ,alongside Lithuania an Italy, but it was a new experience . I found here very kind and open to comunication people, people who became my friends and helped me to return to Craiovo with very beautifull memories which i told to my friends My host, Joana is a verry kind girl who was like a sister to me throught the mobility. I mis her, her colegs and friends from the project but also the cat with whos we shared our room.

The Alcanena mobility had many activities in the school but also outside the school , we visited Fatima and Lisbon with many turistic objectives but the oceanarium was the best The project helped me to see new

horizon`s , to see my limits , to develop new knowledge and also my english .

The project thought me alot of thing about water , we had the oportunity to see a water treatment facility, and see fishes from all the countries , i have seen european countries wich i could never had the oportunities to see and made friends wich i would never forget I miss all that portugal ment , i miss laughing , making jokes , visiting new places , i even miss presentig the project (although i was always emotionated when i was in front of everebody) i miss my comenius family that i will never forget Alexandra Tacu LPS Petrache Triscu Craiova Romania

drop by drop | 29

[ românia

]

Mihaela BerindeieProfesor Matematica Derularea proiectului Comenius mi-a dat şansa de a cunoaşte cultura, tradiţiile şi modul de viaţă al partenerilor din Italia, Spania, Letonia, Lituania, Portugalia, Suedia şi, totodată, şansa de a vizita două dintre ţările menţionate. Ma bucur foarte mult ca am facut parte din echipa de proiect, și pot să spun cu adevărat că am lucrat ca o echipă. Pentru mine acesta este cel mai important lucru. Activitățile desfasurate legate de tema proiectului si mobilitățile transnationale au fost ocazii de colaborare și de cunoaștere reciprocă pentru elevi, dar și pentru profesori.Pe parcursul acestui proiect am realizat cât de talentaţi si creativi sunt elevii din şcoala noastră şi câte lucruri pozitive pot să facă dacă sunt motivaţi. De asemenea am realizat importanţa muncii în echipă şi cât de bine este să ai lângă tine colegi care să te susţină în tot ceea ce faci. Din punctul meu de vedere Proiectul Comenius este o şansă extraordinară pentru toţi cei implicaţi de a avea parte de experienţe noi şi utile, experienţe pe care altfel nu le-am fi trăit.

Pentru mine personal, proiectul 30 |

reprezintă ocazia de a mă autoevalua, de a face comparaţii între diferitele sisteme de învăţare şi de gândire din alte ţări. De asemenea este o oportunitate deosebită de a cunoaşte persoane care provin din medii culturale total diferite şi de a crea noi legături cu acestea.

In final ,Proiectul Comenius mi-a oferit foarte multe oportunitati si m-a ajutat sa descopar oameni noi,valori noi si sa vad lucruri si locuri extraordinare .

Imi este dor de Portugalia si de prieteni mei de acolo si sper ca m-a voi reintalii cu ei candva .

Radu Mihai Stinga

Impresii din Portugalia…. experienta mea Am fost foarte incantat cand am aflat ca voi face parte din Proiectul Comenius pentru a doua oara si ca vom calatori in Portugalia.Mobilitatea din Portugalia a fost o experienta extraordinara si cea de a doua mobilitate la care am luat parte, prima fiind in Lituania. Portugalia s-a doviedit a fii o aventura extraordinara in care am avut ocazia sa intalnesc niste oameni grozavi sa imi face niste prieteni si mai grozavi. Acolo am fost gazduit de Edi, un baiat foarte amabil ca si parintii lui, de altfel.In Alcanena, orasul in care mobilitate s-a desfasurat, am participat la multe activitati atat in oras cat si in afara acestuia.Am vizitat Lisbona si zonele turistice ale acesteia , Biserici, Catedrale, Oceanariu si multe altele.

LPS Petrache Triscu Craiova Romania

] romania [

Mihaela Berindeie Math Teacher The involvement in the Comenius project gave me the chance to know the culture, traditions and the life of the partners from Italy, Spain, Letonia, Lituania, Portugal, Sweden as well as the chance to visit two of the country above mentioned. I am very happy that I was a part of this project and I can really say that we worked as a team. For me this is the most important thing. The activities done related to the theme of the project and the transnational visits were opportunities for the teachers and pupils to know each other.

Along this project I could see how gifted and creative the pupils in our school are and how many positive things they can do if they are motivated. In the same time, I realized the importance of the team work and what a good thing is as well as how well is to have colleagues around you ready to support you.

From my point of view Comenius project is an extraordinary chance for everybody involved to have new and useful experiences, never lived in another way. For me ,the project represents the opportunity for a self evaluation, for a comparison between different teaching

and thinking systems from different countries. It is also a special opportunities to meet people coming from totally different cultural backgrounds and to create new relations with them

traordinary things I miss Portugal and my friends there and I hope I will meet the again sometime Radu Mihai Stinga LPS “Petrache Triscu” Craiova Romania

Impressions from Portugal……My experience I was very excited when I found out that I will be part if the Comenius project for the second time and that I will travel to Portugal. The Portugal mobility was an extraordinary experience and my second one the first being Lithuania Portugal turned out to be an extraordinary adventure in which I had the opportunity to meet great people and make even greater friends. There I was hosted by Edi a very nice guy, as his parents by the way. In Alcanena the town in which the mobility took place we participated at many activities in the tow and also outside it.We visited Lisbon and the tourist zones , churches , cathedrals , aqua parks and much more In the end the Comenius project offered many opportunities and helped me to discover people and see extraordinary places and exdrop by drop | 31

[ românia

]

Viitorul apei potabile Apa este lichidul vital.

• Nu ne putem concepe existența fară apă.

• Dintre nevoile de consum uman, apa este pe locul doi, după aer, cu care luăm contact din prima secundă a vieții.Pentru a trăi normal, un om are nevoie de mai multe resurse, nu numai de aer și de apă, dar acestea sunt primordiale • La nivel mondial, apa utilizată pentru consum personal nu este distribuită egal.

• Există state defavorizate, unde se impune importul de apă, iar unele zone sunt atât de sărace, încât populaţia suferă de malnutriţie şi de sete.

• Europa stă bine la capitolul “resurse de apă” şi tocmai de aceea populaţia nu-şi face probleme.

• Dar este momentul să fim mai atenţi şi mai economicoşi când utilizăm resurse epuizabile.

Distribuţia rezervelor de apă ale Pământului Apă dulce=3%, Apă sărată=97% Peste 30% din resursele mondiale de apă sunt localizate în Asia.

• Pe locurile următoare se află America de Sud cu 27% • America de Nord -18%.

• Cele mai vitregite de lipsa apei sunt Orientul Mijlociu şi Africa de Nord care deţin, împreună, doar 0.32 % din totalul apei de pe glob • 1,2 miliarde din cei 7 miliarde de 32 |

•

•

•

•

•

oameni de pe Pământ nu au apă curată, 2,4 miliarde nu au acces la canalizare. Cei mai vulnerabili, fie din China, India sau Africa sunt copiii care trebuie să supravie-ţuiască cu resurse extrem de limitate de apă potabilă, în timp ce, în ţările dezolvate, cum ar fi SUA, resursele de apă sunt risipite.

Statisticile arată că cel puţin una din trei persoane nu are o toaletă.

Mai multi oameni mor din cauza faptului că nu au apă potabilă şi o toaletă curată, decât de HIV/ SIDA, malarie şi turberculoză la un loc.

Aproximativ trei sferturi din toate bolile din India sunt cauzate de apa contaminată.

"Unul din cele mai importante motive pentru mortalitatea infantilă este lipsa apei curate”.

În secolul al XX-lea, consumul de apă potabilă s-a triplat, iar populaţia planetei creşte în continuare • În acest moment, 1.1 miliarde de oameni de pe planetă nu au acces la apă potabilă sigură.

• 2,6 miliarde nu au o igiena personală completă din lipsa de apă, potrivit World Water Council.

• Circa 3.900 de copii mor zilnic din cauza bolilor şi a apei contaminate, • Societatea "civilizată" iroseşte între 50% şi 80% din apa menajeră, când aceasta ar putea fi refolosită.

UNA DINTRE CELE MAI MARI PROVOCĂRI ALE

SECOLULUI 21 •

Apa este una dintre cele mai mari provocări globale actuale şi viitoare.

• Până în 2050, populaţia lumii va fi crescut de la 7 la 9 miliarde.

• Această creştere enormă înseamnă că nevoia de apă va creşte cu peste • 50 % dacă vom continua să consumăm la rata actuală.

• Organizaţia pentru Cooperare Economică şi Dezvoltare - estimează că aproximativ 1,5 miliarde de oameni trăiesc astăzi în zonele grav afectate de deficitul de apă.

N e poate salva marea?

Cu aproape 1,8 miliarde de oameni care vor trăi în 2025 în zone cu lipsa acută de apă, desalinizarea devine rapid una dintre cele mai propuse soluţii, scrie National Geographic. Cercetatorii estimează că în 2016 cantitatea de apă dulce produsă prin desalinizare va trece de 38 de milioane de metri cubi pe an.

• Tehnicile moderne de de¬sa¬li¬ni¬zare folosesc o tehnologie numită osmoza inversată.

Ce este osmoza inversa? Filtre de apa prin osmoza inversa Totul a început acum 40 de ani, în laboratoarele NASA. Cercetătorii americani, cu scopul tratării apei, au creat aparate de filtrare a apei dotate cu o membrană foarte asemănătoare cu membrana celulară.

Această membrană este semipermeabilă şi blochează impurităţile, lăsând să treacă doar apa pură.

Acest proces se numeşte osmoză inversă.

La început, aparatele au fost folosite

] romania [

în tratarea apei pentru zborurile în spaţiu, în submarine şi în industria farmaceutică.

Acum se foloseste pentru desalinizarea apei.

Deşi populaţia lumii a crescut în ultimele secole, resursele de apă au rămas aceleasi.

• Noi avem acum la dispoziţie aceeaşi cantitate de apă pe care o aveau şi primii homo sapiens sapiens: 1.460 petatone.Important este să nu consumăm atâta apă.La duş, trebuie să închidem apa atunci când nu o folosim, la fel şi atunci cănd te speli pe dinţi.În loc de baie încearcă să faci un duş scurt.Dacă nu economisim acum apa, oamenii din viitor destul de apropiat vor trăi mai puţin şi vor arata întotdeauna deshidrataţi.

Apa va fi mai preţioasă decât orice altă resursă, oamenii se vor bate pentru apă.

CRIZA APEI VIITORUL DEZASTRU CARE VA LOVI PLANETA

Ne apropriem din ce în ce mai mult de o criză a apei potabile:Rezervoarele de apă de pe întreaga planetă sunt exploatate peste capacitatea de regenerare şi cererea este în continuă creştere datorită creşterii populaţiei • Raportul UNESCO despre dezvoltarea apei arată că, în următorii 20 de ani, cantitatea de apă potabilă disponibilă va scădea cu 30%, iar 40% dintre locuitorii lumii nu au apă curată suficientă pentru o igienă minimală.

• Peste 2,2 milioane de oameni au

murit în 2000 de boli legate de consumul de apă contaminată sau din cauza secetei.În 2004, o organizație engleză, WaterAid, a raportat că un copil moare la fiecare 15 secunde din cauza bolilor legate de apă, boli care ar putea fi ușor prevenite.

Experții prevăd mai multe conflicte viitoare din cauza creșterii populației mondiale și creșterii contaminării prin poluare și încălzire globală.

Poluarea Cea mai mare responsabilitate pentru poluarea mediului o poartă omul, poluarea fiind consecinţa activităţii social – economice a acestuia.

Cauzele poluării apei: scurgeri accidentale de reziduri de la diverse fabrici sau deversari deliberate sisteme de canalizare, pesticide si ierbicide, deseurile si rezidurile menajere.

Masuri de protetie impotriva poluarii Pentru a proteja apele de poluare se pot lua urmatoarele masuri: • epurarea apelor reziduale; • reutilizarea apei în circuit închis după epurări parţiale sau totale; • renunţarea la fabricarea unor produse toxice • majorarea suprafeţelor irigate cu apă uzată; • mărirea capacităţii de autoepurare a cursurilor naturale prin: • construirea de baraje; • construirea de bazine speciale de colectare a deşeurilor, pentru a împiedica vărsarea directă a acestora în apele de suprafaţă; • construcţia de zone de protecţie a apelor; • reducerea cantităţii şi concentraţiei poluanţilor prin folosirea unor tehnologii de fabricaţie care să

reducă cantitatea de apă implicată; Consumul de apă la nivelul UE - pe sectoare Apa este o resursă vitală.

• Pentru conservarea acesteia şi pentru un viitor sigur trebuie să se contribuie în mod individual, încercând să se evite pe cât posibil risipirea acesteia.Trebuie să constientizăm care sunt principalii consumatori de apă potabilă din propria locuinţă : Orientarea actuală trebuie să se bazeze pe folosirea mai raţională a apei: Să facem duş în loc de baie, Să oprim apa în timpul periajului dinţilor,Să verificăm robinetele şi ţevile de eventuale scurgeri, Să verificam dacă sunt scurgeri la toaletă, Să folosim contoarele de apă , Să izolam conductele de apă Să nu lasam robinetul deschis când spălăm legumele.

Economisirea apei în curte şi grădină: • Plantează plante şi arbuşti rezistenţi la secetă • Nu uda trotuarul,Udă gazonul doar • atunci când este necesar • Udă plantele şi terenul în prima parte a zilei, foloseste sisteme de udare eficiente Prin micul nostru efort, să prelungim durata de viaţă a resurselor de apă.

• Noi zicem că se poate. Nu e deloc un mare efort să consumăm apa mai raţional pentru viitor şi mai economicos pentru buzunar.

APA ESTE VIAŢA SĂ AVEM GRIJE DE VIAŢA NOASTRĂ Echipa de proiect a LPS Petrache Triscu Craiova Romania

drop by drop | 33

[ românia

]

“Water: What future?”

Water is the vital liquid.

We cannot conceive our existence without water. Among the needs of human consumption, water is ranked second after air from the moment we begin life.

To live a normal life, a person needs more resources, not only air and water, but these are of major importance.

Worldwide, water used for personal consumption is not evenly distributed There are disadvantaged states, where the import of water is required and some areas are so poor that people suffer from malnutrition and thirst. Europe is doing well in the "water resources“ department and that is why people do not worry. But the time has come to be more careful and economical when we use exhaustible resources Over 30% of global water resources are located in Asia,South America with 27% and North America 18%.

The most severe water shortages are in the Middle East and North Africa which hold together, just 0.32% of the total 34 |

water on Earth.

• 1,2 billion from the 7 billion people on Earth don`t have clean water, • 2.4 billion have no access to sewage.

• The most vulnerable, whether in China, India or Africaare surviving children must live with very limited resources of drinking water, while in countries well developed, such as USA, resources water are scattered.

Statistics show that at least one in three people do not have a toilet.

More people die because they lack clean drinking water and a toilet, than HIV / AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis together.

About three quarters of all diseases in India are caused by contaminated water. One of the most important reasons for infant mortality is lack of clean water.

In the twentieth century, consumption of drinking water tripled, and the world population increases more.

At this time, 1.1 billion people on the planet do not have access to safe drinking water.

2.6 billion have no personal hygiene because of complete lack of water, according to the WorldWater Council.

Around 3.900 children die every day due to diseases and contaminated water.

Civilized society wastes between 50% and 80% of sewage water when it may be reused.

Water is one of the biggest current and future global challenges. By 2050, world population will increase from 7 to 9 billion. This enormous growth means the need for water will increase by over 50% if we continue to consume at the current rate current.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - estimates that about 1.5 billion people today live in areas affected by water deficit.

Can the sea save us ?

With nearly 1.8 billion people set to live in areas by 2025 acute shortage of water is becoming a problem and so desalination is fast becoming one of the proposed solutions, says National Geographic. The researchers estimated that in 2016 the amount of fresh water produced by desalination will increase to 38 million cubic meters per year. Modern techniques of desalination use a technology called reverse osmosis.

What is Reverse Osmosis ?

It all started 40 years ago in NASA laboratories.

] romania [

•

Researchers with the aim of water treatment, have created a water filtration apparatus equipped with a membrane very similar to a cell membrane.

• This membrane is semi-permeable and blocks impurities, leaving only pure water to pass. This process is called reverse osmosis.

At first, the apparatus was used for water treatment on flights and space operations.

Now it is used for desalination water While world population has increased in recent centuries, water resources remained the same.We now have at our disposal the same amount of water the first homo sapiens had .

It is important not to consume so much water. In the shower, we should close the water when ,we are not using it, also when we wash our teeth . Instead of taking a bath try taking a shower WATER CRISIS FUTURE DISASTER THAT WILL STRIKE OUR PLANET We are approaching a water crisis more and more.Water tanks all over the planet are exploited over the regenerative capacity and the demand is growing due to population growth UNESCO report on development water shows that in the next 20 years, amount

of available drinking water will decrease by 30% .

Over 2.2 million people died in the 2000`s from diseases related to the consumption of contaminated water or drought.

In 2004, an English organization, ''WaterAid'' reported that a child dies every 15 seconds from water-related diseases, diseases that could easily be prevented.

Experts predict more future conflicts due to world population growth and increasing contamination by pollution and global warming.

Causes of Water Pollution : accidental sewage spills , residue`s from various factories , sewer systems ,pesticides and herbicides,waste and household waste .

Safeguards against pollution To protect the waters from pollution the following measures can be taken : • waste water treatment; • closed loop water reuse after treatment; • giving up the the manufacture of in toxic products , increase of irrigated fields with wastewater , increasing self-purification capacity of natural courses by: • construction of dams; • construction of special waste collection tanks to prevent their direct

• • • •

•

shedding into surface waters; building water protection areas; Water consumption at the EU level by sectors Water is a vital resource.

For its conservation and for a secure future we must contribute individually, trying to avoid as much as possible wasting it.

We must be aware who are the main consumers of water from our own home

Current guidelines should be based on more rational use of water : Let's take a shower instead of a bath • To stop the water while brushing our teeth • Let's check the taps and the pipes for leaks • Let's use water meters • To isolate water lines • Do not let the tap open when you wash your vegetables.

Saving water in your yard and garden : lant resistant plants to drought,water the lawn only if necessary, water the plants and the land in the first part of the day,use efficient watering systems.

Romanian Team from Craiova Coordinator, Adriana GHERGHE

drop by drop | 35

[

lietuva

]

NUMYLĖTA PORTUGALIJA

Mergelės pasirodymo vieta. Maistas, kurį

Mykolas

o mano nuomone tai buvo svarbiausia.

Pagaliau lėktuvas nutūpė Portugalijoje.

Bet tai nebuvo mūsų galutinė atvykimo vieta. Dar laukė 120 kilometrų kelionė mikroautobusu. Kelionė ant ratų truko neilgai. Atvykus į Alkaneną mus pasitiko naktiniai miestelio žiburiai ir maloni

36 |

gaudavome mokykloje neitin skyrėsi nuo lietuviško, tad man jis patiko. Labai buvo smagu, kad visi buvo draugiški, Filipo šeimoje manimi labai rūpinosi, tad pasijaučiau, kaip šeimos narys. Galėjo ši kelionė trukti ilgiau.

Gotė Kai pakilome lėktuvu iškart pamilome vaizdą, kurį buvo galima matyti pro lėktuvo langą. Vaizdas buvo fantastiškas!

Nusileidus Portugalijoje pirmiausia mums į akis krito neįtikėtina jos gamta.

Mes niekad nematėme tokių skirtingų augalų rušių, didelių palmių. Bet kas

Vilija Gegužės 4-9 dienomis, lankiau

ramybė, kurios taip norėjosi po ilgos

Portugaliją su "Comenius" projektu. Tai

kelionės. Mūsų laukė dvi portugalės:

projektas skirtas saugoti mūsų upes

Patricija ir Beatričė. Vėliau prisijungė

ir vandenį, įgyti žiniu, pritaikyti savo

ir Filipas. Visi kiti mokiniai ir moky-

anglų kalbos žinias. Keliavome lėktuvais

tojos stebėjo miuziklą. Ilgai netrukus

iš Kauno į Londoną ir iš Londono į

jis pasibaigė. Visi susirinko lauke ir

Portugaliją. Kelione buvo varginanti, bet

šnekučiavosi. Buvo malonu sutikti senus

kai pamačiau Portugalijos grožį labai

draugus iš svetur, bei susipažinti su nau-

džiaugiausi ir tas nuovargis nublanko.

jais žmonėmis. Dauguma mokinių buvo

Gyvenau Portugalų šeimoje kurie yra

pavargę, tad visi pradėjo keliauti namo.

labai draugiški, moka šnekėti angliškai,

Su neramumu laukiau pirmo susiti-

tai buvo labai gerai. Turėjome labai

kimo su Filipo tėvais, tačiau jis nebuvo

puikiai suplanuotą savaitę, galima sakyti

jau toks baisus, kaip maniau. Kitomis

net neturėjome laisvo laiko. Labiausiai

dienomis daug keliavome po Alkanenos

įsimintiniausios vietos kurias aplankėme

apylinkės ir tolėliau. Man begalo patiko

buvo Fatima ir Okenariumas bei Lisab-

Fatimos miestas. Nesu jau labai religin-

ona. Dar labiau džiaugiausi portugalais,

gas, bet vieta kurioje lankėmės paliko

nes jie labai draugiški ir mus visus pri-

didelį įspūdį. Ta vieta buvo Šventosios

ima kaip senus gerus draugus.

mums labiausiai patiko - tai draugiški vietiniai žmonės. Ypač buvo draugiškos šeimos, kuriose mes gyvenam. Jos mumis rūpinosi 100 %. Kiekvieną dieną mus veždavo į mokyklą, rūpindavosi, kad būtume pavalge ir gerai išsimiegoja.

Buvo daugybė įdomių užsiėmimų, tokių kaip: važiavimas į sostinę Lisaboną, religine vieta pavadinta Fatimą ar prie vietinės upės. Kiekvieną dieną mes vis veikdavome kažką skirtingo ir todėl nebuvo laiko nuobodžiauti ir tinginiauti.

Smagiausia iš kelionės, tai buvo mūsų vakaras bare. Turėjome nuostabų laiką ir susipažinome su dar daugiau žmonių. Ši kelionė padėjo mums patobulinti savo anglų kalbos įgūdžius, susirasti naujų draugų ir aplankyti neįtikėtino grožio vietas.

]lithuania[

BELOVED PORTUGAL Mykolas

Finally our plane landed on Portugal earth. But that was not our final arrival place. There still was 120 kilometers trip by the bus waiting for us. Trip on wheels was not so long as I believed. When we arrived to Alcanena, the night lights of Alcanena and amazing silence and peace met us. It was so good after long traveling. Two portuguese girls were waiting for us. Later, Filipo joined us. All the other students and teachers were watching musical. After the musical everybody went outside. It was so nice to see old friends from other countries again and to meet new people. Many students were tired after flights, so they started to go home. With anxiety I was waiting for first meet with Filip's parents. During the other days we were traveling around Alcanena's surroundings. The food in school was not so different from lithuanian food, so I liked it very much. Also all students were very friendly, I think that was the most important! Filipe's parents was very good for me. I felt like I was member of that family.Since we got on a plane we immediatly felt inlove with a view from the window. The

land was just fantastic! When we landed in Portugal, the first thing that cought our eyes was the incredible nature. We have never seen such various species of plants and huge palm trees. But what we liked the most was the friendly local people. Especially the hosting families took care of us 100%. They drived us to school everyday and made sure that we ate and slept well. This was a very nice behaviour. There were lots of fun activities that we enjoyed, such as going to capital city Lisbon, to a religious place called Fatima or to their local river.

Everyday we did someathing interesting and that five days was not boring at all. The funniest part of the journey was when we went to the bar. We had awesome time and made more friends there.

All in all, this journey has helped us to gain english skills, helped to find new friends and discover unbelievable places.

Vilija

I was in Portugal within the programme of Comenius project. The trip was quite good,however, it was a little bit tiring.

We came there on Monday evening, had a little walk and then we came to host families. The family where I stayed was very friendly, I was very glad that I met them. On the whole, Portuguese people are very friendly and I felt there like I had known them for a long time. The

week of our visit was very well-planned , which was amazing. Regarding the places we were shown, I most enjoyed Fatima, Oceanarium and Lisbon, of course. I am thankful that Comenius project gave me an opportunity to broaden my mind, to meet new people and to see the beauty of Portugal.

GotÄ—

Since we got on a plane we immediatly felt inlove with a view from the window.

The land was just fantastic! When we landed in Portugal, the first thing that cought our eyes was the incredible nature. We have never seen such various species of plants and huge palm trees.

But what we liked the most was the friendly local people. Especially the hosting families took care of us 100%. They drived us to school everyday and made sure that we ate and slept well. This was a very nice behaviour. There were lots of fun activities that we enjoyed, such as going to capital city Lisbon, to a religious place called Fatima or to their local river. Everyday we did someathing interesting and that five days was not boring at all. The funniest part of the journey was when we went to the bar.

We had awesome time and made more friends there. All in all, this journey has helped us to gain english skills, helped to find new friends and discover unbelievable places. drop by drop | 37

[

lietuva

]

Portugal

MOKYTOJŲ ATŽVALGOS: PROJEKTO PATIRTIS IR IŠVADOS Lina Uzdilienė – biologijos mokytoja Audronė Juozaitytė- anglų kalbos mokytoja Mūsų vizitas Švedijoje buvo viena iš geriausių patirčių. COMENIUS projekto tikslas - skleisti informaciją apie vandens išteklius ir mokyti deramo elgesio tausojant aplinką. Šis Europos Sąjungos projektas skirtas skatinti dalyvaujančių šalių bendradarbiavimą per savo upių pristatymas. Sužinojome daug įdomių dalykų apie skirtingas šalis, jų upes, tradicijas bei žmones. Labai džiaugiamės turėjusios galimybę aplankyti tokią nuostabią šalį bei pažinti inteligentiškus ir svetingus Švedijos žmones. Šis Europos Sąjungos finansuojamas projektas yra labai laukiamas kiekvienoje Europos mokykloje. Ši patirtis padėjo mums tobulinti anglų kalbą bei suprasti anglų kalbos svarbą bendraujant.

Rūta Tukanienė, profesijos mokytoja Lankydamiesi Palamos (Ispanija) Lietu38 |

vos mokytojai susipažino su Palamos institutu ir jame įgyjamomis profesijomis. Mums buvo labai naudinga pamatyti praktinio mokymo bazę, ypač slaugos įgūdžių įgijimo mokymo klasę (mūsų mokykla rengia socialinio darbuotojo padėjėjus ir slaugytojų padėjėjus).

Mums kilo naujų minčių apie panašių praktinio mokymo klasių įrengimą mūsų centre. Konferencijų metu buvo labai naudinga pasidalinti patirtimi apie mokytojų iš skirtingų šalių darbo sąlygas (darbo valandas, atlyginimą, pensinį amžių ir kt.). Tiek formalaus, tiek ir neformalaus bendravimo vizitų įsimintinose vietose metu, galėjome pasidalinti įvairia patirtimi su mokytojais iš kitų šalių apie darbo metodus, bendravimo subtilybes su mokiniais ir jų tėvais. Taip pat, tarptautiniai projektai, tokie kaip „Mano upė mano gyvenimas“ padeda gerinti anglų ir kitų užsienio kalbų įgūdžius.

Projekto koordinatorė Sandra Venckuvienė: Projekto tema „Vanduo: mano upėmano gyvenimas“ yra pakankamai integruojanti įvairias gyvenimo sritis ir yra aktuali šiandienai, todėl nebuvo sunku įtraukti ne tik gamtos mokslų, bet ir kitokius dalykus dėstančius kolegas, netgi dėstančius profesinio mokymo dalykus. Mobilumo vizituose dalyvavo 17 mokytojų ( iš viso 20 mobilumo vizitų)

ir 13 mokinių , o į patį projektą buvo įtraukta visa bendrojo lavinimo skyriaus mokytojų ir mokinių bendruomenė.

Parengtą upės švarumo nustatymo pagal vandens bestuburius metodiką vandens terminų žodyną nuspręsta panaudoti mokyklinių projektų metu ir dėstant integruotą ekologijos modulį.

Susipažinta su socialinių partnerių (VDU) mokymo baze, užmegzti dalykiniai bendradarbiavimo ryšiai tolimesnei veiklai.

Pagilintos dalyvių žinios ir gebėjimai IKT srityje rengiant užduotis vizitams ir produktą (Glossary). Išbandyta ir pritaikyta šie IKT įrankiai: Prezi ( pranešimams rengti), Windows Live Movie Maker (dokumentinio filmo kūrimui); Keepvid (video medžiagos įrašytuvas), Google Drive (dalyvių apklausoms), AutoCollage (nuotraukų eksponavimui), Dropbox (duomenų saugojimo ir sinchronizavimo) , o taip pat ir labai specifinių programų , tokių kaip ir elektroninių nuotraukų mikroskopijoje parengimas naudojant specialią programą.

Asmeniškai man , kaip projekto koordinatorei, atsirado galimybė išbandyti save įvairioje vadybinėje veikloje, psichologo rolėje, o ne tik kaip biologijos mokytoja. Ir žmonės.... tokių šiltų širdžių atsidavusių savo darbui aš niekad nepamiršiu. Dabar kiekvienoje iš 7 užsienio šalių aš turiu gerų draugų.

]lithuania[

Portugal

Portugal

Spain

TEACHERS REFLECTIONS: PROJECT EXPIERENCE AND CONCLUSIONS Lina Uzdilienė – teacher of biology Audronė Juozaitytė- English teacher Our visit in Sweden has been one of the best experiences. The purpose of this Comenius project is to promote information of water as a resource and to teach the appropriate behaviors to preserve the environment. This is a project of the European Community that serves to promote the interaction between the participating countries through the presentation of its rivers. We have learned many interesting things about the different countries, their rivers, traditions and about the people. We are very grateful for the opportunity to visit such beautiful country and know intelligent and hospitable Swedish people. Such project financed from European Union is more than welcome in every school in Europe.

This experience helped us to improve our English and understand how important is knowing English to communicate.

Rūta Tukanienė, profession teacher During the visit in Palamos Lithuanian teachers got acquainted to Institute de Palamos and professions taught there. It was useful to see practical training basis, especially classes for teaching nursery skills (our school teaches assistants of social workers and social nurses). We generated some new ideas about introducing similar practical training classes in our school. During the conferences it was very useful to share information of work system and conditions (working hours, salary, pension age, etc) of teaches in different countries. Both - formal and informal communication during visits to significant and famous places helped teachers to share their methods of work, ways of communicating with students and their parents. Also international projects, such as “My river my life”, help to improve skills of English and other foreign languages.

Project coordinator Sandra about teachers participation and experience: Project topic- „Water: the life of my river...my life“ integrates a lot of human life‘s spheres and is actual nowadays.

It wasn‘t so hard to involve natural sciencies and teachers of other disciplines even vocational trainers. We had 17

teachers participated in project mobilities (20 mobilities at all) and 13 students and all the comunity of General education department teachers and students was involved in activities in school.

We decided to use the metodology of river research- Macroinvertebrate Identification Field Guide and Glossary in our future school projects and new ecology modulus.

Theachers of natural sciencies got acquainted with depot and equipment of Vytautas Magnus university. Started colloboration and co-operation with personnel for future activities.

Theachers and students improved their IT skills by preparing tasks and products (presentations and glossary). These tools are tested and adapted: Prezi (for presentations) , Windows Live Movie Maker (for documentary), Keeepvid ( for recording), Google Drive (participats surveys), AutoCollage ( photos), Dropbox(data storage and synchronization), and very specific programs such as microscoping photography.

Personally for me as a coordinator it was a good opportunity to know myself in role of psychologist and manager not only as teacher of biology. And people… such a lovely gentle understanding hearts I ‘ll never forget. They stay in my heart. Now I have good friends in 7 countries. drop by drop | 39

[ sverige

]

Resan började en tidig morgon på Landvetter, Göteborg.

Alla var trötta och sovtimmarna var få, vi hade ingen aning om vad vi skulle få uppleva på denna fantastiska resa.

Vi anlände till den vackra staden Lissabon som vi fick tillfälle att njuta av under ett par timmar innan vi skulle fortsätta mot vårt slutgiltiga mål, Al-canena. Väl där bemöttes vi av ett således varmt väder som ett varmt välkomnande. Vi fick träffa de värdar som vi var menade att bo hos under den tiden vi skulle spendera i Portugal. Den första aktiviteten var att besöka stadshuset i den hemtrevliga byn där vi blev bemötta av både skolans rektorer och byns överhuvud. Vi fick uppleva ett auditorium från Alcanenas viceborgmästare där byns vatten- och hälsoproblem framfördes. Sedan fick vi uppleva samhällets matkultur som bestod av lokalproducerad vin som skulle uppmana till mingel och bekantskap i solnedgången.

Efter det var det dags för den stora middagen som bjöd på alla möjliga sorters maträtter som man aldrig hade hört talas om innan, men ack som smakade så gott. Det fanns bland annat olika sorters kötträtter och salader, men också efterätter, så som sött ris.

När middagen led mot sitt ände begav vi oss mot stadens teater där en musikal väntade. Musikalens framträdare bestod av således klasskamrater och värdar, det var en häftig upplevelse. Det var mycket underhållande och man fick ett helt annat perspektiv på den portugisiska kulturen. Efter detta gick vi hem till våra värdar där den nya familjen väntade. Väl bemött visade familjen oss runt i huset och vi fick

40 |

reda på vart vi skulle få tillbringa natten.

Den 6:e maj tog vi oss upp ganska tidigt för att ta oss till skolan för att få oss en guidad tur runt skolan.

Lokalerna var fräscha och utgjorde

verk som var både en skräckslagen men intressant upplevelse. Här fick vi uppleva således stanker som genomborrade näsan men även intressant fakta över stadens vattenproblem. Efter utflykten till re-

en bra studiemiljö. Efter turen var det koordinatorsmöte och då fick vi chansen att utforska mer utförligt.

Vi upptäckte en idrottshall med tillhörande planer att kunna aktivisiera på.

Vissa valde att spela fotboll och andra basket.

Det var en fin hall med god kvalité. Vi fick undertiden även höra om deras berömda volleybollag som mot alla odds hade nått toppen av ligan.

Sedan åt vi lunch i skolan vilket smakade utsökt.

Sedan begav vi oss mot CTIC-fabriken där man framställde skinnprodukter. Där fick vi även höra om deras tillverkning och framställningsprocesser som var väldigt intressant att få mer kunskap om. Sedan fortsatte vi mot stadens renings-

ningsverket var det dags för en mer kulturell resa, vi skulle till fatima, en helgonförsklarad plats av påven som hade stor betydelse för det mer katolska samhället. Det var intressant att få se predikan i kyrkan, hängiv-

] sweden [

na religiösa människor som kröp på

väldigt vackert i och med vädret

ptäckta av ett gäng portugiser.

sina knän för att få försoning med

och platsen. Efter detta åkte vi buss

Grottorna var över 10 meter djupa

Gud men också att få uppleva den

till ett monument för den portugi-

och väldigt breda. Därefter var det

underbara arkitekturen. Sedan åt vi

siska marinkåren och därefter ett

dags för kafferast vid deras flod,

ännu en utsökt middag i skolan.

känt slott som låg vid kusten. Här

som i sig var väldigt vacker. Efter

Den 7:e maj begav vi oss tidigt mot

bjöds det på fika och soligt väder.

denna intressanta upplevelse begav

huvudstaden, Lissabon. Först fick vi

Efter detta var det dags att bege

vi oss mot ett vattencenter, science

åka och se “mother of water” alltså hur de renade vattnet i Lissabon förr i tiden, hela komplexet bestod av tempelliknande hus och akvedukter i marmor. Sedan satte vi oss och fikade på ett mysigt café som var

oss mot bussen igen

interpretation center, där vi fick en

då vi skulle fara mot

rundtur och fick se hur deras vat-

ocenariot där ett rikt

tengångar i marken fungerade och

vattenliv väntade.

vad som skulle hända om farliga

Men vi svenska killar

utsläpp skulle ske i området. Sedan

hade problem med

fick vi gå in i en fladdermusgrotta

att hitta till bussen,

där vi lärde oss mer om deras be-

eftersom vi inte kän-

teende och vanor, vilket var väldigt

de till trakterna, som

lärorikt. Sen fick vi sitta i en simula-

resulterade till en

tor som visade diverse viktig fakta

taxifärd istället. Väl

om Portugals vatten- och djurlivsh-

där fick vi uppleva en

istoria. Efter alla roliga aktiviteter

guidad tur runt det

var det dags att säga ett officiellt

hela komplexet. Här

farväl under en formell middag.

fanns ett rikt djurliv

Middagen visade sig hålla plats i

som sköttes med

Afonso, en värds hemby, och bestod

precisa mått, salthalt

av en middagsbar. Här åts det och

och temperatur pri-

dracks flitigt och alla, inklusive

oriterades högt. Efter

lärarne, hade det trevligt. Det bjöds

detta gick vi till den

på livemusik och glada humör.

kända köpcentrumet,

Sista dagen, 9:e maj, åkte vi buss

Vasco da Gama, som

till vad som förut hade varit gränsen

kan jämföras med

mellan de kristna och de islamiska

Stockholms NK. Här

rikerna. Här fick vi se slott som

åt vi middag och

hade byggts i försvarssyfte för

utforskade de olika

att hejda den arabiska invasionen

affärerna. Sedan var

under 1100-talet. Slottet låg väl

det dags att bege oss

strategiskt till och uppmanade till

hem igen för att vila

ett historiskt reflekterande. Därefter

upp oss inför presen-

åkte vi med buss vidare till andra

tationerna och en ny

byar och småstäder där vi bland

fartfylld dag.

annat besökte en enorm park som

Den 8:e maj var det

var finansierad av EU. Här kunde

dags att representera

man koppla av för en stund, strolla

Sverige och framföra

runt och reflektera över de senaste

den information vi

dagarna. Därefter begav vi oss till-

hade samlat kring

baka till Alcanena för att förbereda

viskan. Vi hade även

oss för ännu en kväll av det portu-

sammanställt en film

gisiska utelivet. Klimatet var skönt

som skulle ses som

även på kvällen och man kunde till

en reklamfilm för

och med sitta utomhus och sam-

Comeniusprojektet,

språka med en dricka i handen.

My River, My Life, som blev väldigt

Kvällens utmarsch fortsatte ända

uppskattad. När alla presentationer

in på småtimmarna och man visste

var klara var planen att bege oss

att med endast två timmars sömn i

mot Limestonegrottorna, grottor

ryggsäcken så skulle man definitivt

som av en slump hade blivit up-

somna på planet hem till Sverige drop by drop | 41

[ sverige

42 |

]

The trip started early one morning at Landvetter , Gothenburg.

Everyone was tired and the sleeping hours were few, we had no idea what we would experience on this amazing journey .

that offered all sorts of dishes that we had never heard of before, but it tasted very good. There were many different kinds of meat and salads , but also desserts such as sweet rice.

When dinner was drawing to an end , we headed towards the city's theater where a musical awaited.

The musical performers consisted of classmates and the hosts, it was a cool experience . It was very enter-taining and we got a different perspective of what the Portuguese

all odds had reached the top of the league. Then we ate lunch at school and it tasted delicious. Then we went to the CTIC factory which produced leather products. There we also hear about their manufacturing and production processes that were very interesting to get more knowledge about . Then we went to the city's sewage treatment plants that were both terrifying but an interesting experience. Here we experienced a bad smell which pierced our

We arrived in the beautiful city of Lisbon as we were able to enjoy for a couple of hours before we were to continue toward our ultimate goal , Alcanena . Once there, we were met by a thus warm weather as a warm welcome. We got to meet the hosts that we were meant to live with during our spell in Portugal. The first activity was to visit the town hall in the homely village where we were met by both the school principals and the village head . We experienced an auditorium from Alcanenas Vice - Mayor where the village's water and health concerns were raised . Then we got to experience the food culture of the society which consisted of locally produced wine that would encourage mingling and acquaintance at sunset . After that it was time for the big dinner

cul-ture was like. After this we went home to our hosts where the new family waited. Well treated, the family would show us around the house and we found out where we were going to spend the night.

On the 6th of May, we took ourselves up pretty early to get to school to get us a guided tour around the school. The premises was fresh and provided a good learning environment. After the tour was the coordina-tor meeting and then we got the chance to explore more fully . We dis-covered a sports hall with associated plans to aktivisiera on . Some chose to play football and basketball. It was a nice hall with good quality. We were meanwhile also hear about their famous volleyball team who against

nosestrills but also interesting facts of the city's water problems. After our trip to the sewage treatment plant , it was time for a more cultural trip , we were going to Fatima , a saintdeclared place by the pope who had great significance for the more Catholic community. It was interesting to see the sermon in church, devout religious people who crawled on his knees to make reconciliation with God but also to experience the wonderful architecture . Then we ate yet another delicious dinner at school .

On May 7th , we went early to the capital , Lisbon. First we got to go and see the " mother of water" that is how they treated water in Lisbon back in the day , the entire complex consisted of temple-like houses and

] sweden [ aqueducts in marble. Then we sat and had coffee in a cafe which was very beautiful in the weather and the location . After that we drove the bus for a monument to the Portuguese Marines and then a famous castle which lay on the coast. Here we were treated to refreshments and sunny weather. After this it was time to head towards the bus again then we would go against ocenariot where a rich aquatic waited. But we Swedish guys had trouble finding the bus , because we did not know

My Riv-er, My Life , which was very appreciated. After all the presentations were completed , the plan was to head against Limestone caves , cav-erns who by chance had been discovered by a group of Portuguese people . The caves were over 10 feet deep and very wide. Then it was time for a coffee break at their river, which in itself was very beautiful. After this experience interesting , we went to a water park , science in-terpretation center, where we got a tour and got to see how

the bus what had formerly been the border between the Christian and Islamic rikerna . Here we see the castle that had been built for defensive purposes to halt the Arab invasion in the 1100s . The castle was well strategically and called for a historical reflection . Then we went by bus to other villages and towns where we visited a huge park that was funded by the EU. Here you could relax for a while, strolla around and reflect on the past few days . Then we went back to Al-

the regions , which resulted to a taxi ride instead. Once there, we got to experience a guided tour of the entire complex. There was an abundance of wildlife that were managed with precise measurements, salinity and temperature high priority . After this we went to the famous shopping center , Vasco da Gama, which can be compared with the Stockholm NK . Here we had dinner and explored the various stores. Then it was time to head back home to rest ourselves before the presentations and a new action-packed day.

their water assets in the ground worked and what would happen if hazardous emis-sions would occur in the area. Then we had to go into a bat cave where we learned more about their behavior and habits , which was very edu-cational. Then we had to sit in a simulator that showed various important facts about the Portuguese water and animal life story. After all the fun activities it was time to say an official farewell during a formal dinner.

Dinner , proved place in Afonso , a host's hometown , and consisted of a middagsbar . Here it was eaten and drank hard, and everyone, including the teachers , had a good time. There were treated to live music and happy mood .

canena to prepare us for another evening of Portuguese nightlife .

The climate was good even in the evening and you could even sit outside and converse with a drink in his hand. Tonight utmarsch continued until the wee hours and we knew that with only two hours sleep in the backpack so one would definitely fall asleep on the plane back to Sweden that went the following morning.

The 8th of May was the time to represent Sweden and convey the information we had gathered around viskan . We had also compiled a film that would be seen as a commercial for the Comenius project ,

Last day , 9 th May, we went to drop by drop | 43

[ sverige

]

Viskans moderna historia börjar under industrialiseringen då textilindustrin växte fram. Ån användes både som energikälla och som avlopp för stora mängder giftigt avfall från fabrikerna. Nyligen tagna prover visar att sedimenten i Viskan är kraftigt förorenade. Särskilt i de sjöar där vattnet flödar långsammare har gifterna sjunkit ner till bottnen, och i dessa sediment finns höga halter av både tungmetaller och organiska gifter.

Efter att textilindustrin lades ner föll Viskan i glömska och det är först på senare år som man valt att framhäva ån i Borås stadsbild genom att anlägga parker, allmänna platser och kaféer i anslutning till ån.

En flod har många olika kvalitéer i en stad, by och grannområde. Det kan ha en enorm effekt på lokalinvånarna och turister. Vi tror att en flods kvalitéer kan ses utifrån olika kategorier. De här kategorierna är, vad du ser, bemöts med när du först kommer till floden, vilka funktioner floden har för människor och naturen och vad floden har för mening för människorna runt den.

The current history of the Viskan began with the industrial revolution, when the textile industry along the river boomed.

The river was used both as a source of energy and as a sewer for large amounts of toxic waste from the factories. Recent studies of the riverbed sediments have revealed that large amounts of both heavy metals and organic toxins are present in the sediments, in particular the sediments of the lakes that the Viskan flows through where the slower flow of the water has allowed the toxins to fall to the bottom and form sediments.

After the shut down of the factories, the Viskan fell into oblivion and it is only recently that the city of Borås has chosen to put the river into the front room and build parks, public places and cafés in connection to the river.

A river has many qualities in a city, village, neighborhood. It can have an enormous effect on the inhabitants and tourists around it. We believe that a river’s qualities can be divided up, in to different subcategories. These three categories are, what you see, the beauty aspect of it, what functions the river have available for its users and what meaning it creates for people interacting with the river.

44 |