Water

Making water matter in Ireland

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:38:19 +0000

Making water matter in Ireland

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Water is a fundamental element in our lives, just as crucial as air, land, and other natural resources. We are interconnected and reliant on water in numerous ways, and our lives are bound to it, yet it is easy to overlook its importance.

Elaine Moynihan and Katie McShane, Co-Founders of Irish not-for-profit WiseWater, were at the forefront of this year`s UN World Water Day, celebrated on March 22nd every year.

They organised a local beach clean-up and formed a giant peace symbol made up of the collected trash and people participating to “make a stand together to preserve, protect and care for our water environment.”

Elaine Moynihan (left) and Katie McShane (right), Co-Founders of WiseWater

Elaine reveals that in just one hour, about forty participants had filled over twenty big bags with rubbish from the beach.

This eye-opening experience about plastic pollution inspired many of them to pledge to change their purchasing habits, realising the significant role their individual actions can play in avoiding plastic.

Beyond pollution, a report published in 2022 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland found that the water quality of rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal areas in the country continues to decline, with only just over half of the surface waters in satisfactory condition and able to sustain healthy ecosystems for fish, insects, and plants.

Explaining their approach to connecting people with water, Elaine shares that they believe that to make people want to care for and protect our environment, they first need to have a relationship with it.

“In Ireland, we often take water for granted, but we would like to raise awareness about the importance of behaviour change in terms of water usage and preserving our water environment”

The mission of Wise Water is to combine the vital connection between personal well-being and preserving our water environment through educational activities provided to schools, community groups and workplaces.

Elaine and Katie built on their passion for all things water as they both live by the west coast of Ireland and love to plunge in the refreshing Atlantic throughout all seasons, besides surfing and rowing from time to time.

They emphasise that water teaches invaluable lessons such as receptivity and reflecting our thoughts and actions, adding that water`s adaptability and resilience underscore the importance of social connections, and just like humanity and the planet, water is vulnerable and requires care in times of rapid change.

Young people getting involved in citizen science with WiseWater at Ballinaspittle river. Image: WiseWater

Each WiseWater workshop intertwines the crucial link between human well-being and the conservation of our water ecosystems,” Elaine explains.

One of their flagship programmes is a six-week water and wellness course designed for 5th and 6th class students where young participants engage in fun activities, experiments, and system-thinking discussions while learning about various facets of well-being.

“First, they gain insights into the many reasons why some wells are bubbling with fresh water and others are stagnant. By learning this, we then explore how we keep our own water bodies well.”

Activities include water in a sound bowl, which shows how water responds to sound and the introduction of Dr Wallace J. Nicolas' blue-mind concept, supported by extensive research showcasing water's calming effect on the mind.

By understanding the blue-mind and red-mind concept, where blue indicates feeling calm and red is feeling stress, students gain a practical tool for maintaining overall well-being as well.

Another exercise includes the `one well` approach, which helps children better conceptualise global water usage through a simple visualisation.

As part of this activity, students also work in groups, creating fictional households to calculate water usage and how they could manage it if they had to walk to bring water to cover their needs, such as showering, flushing toilets or cooking.

Elaine shares how they design these programmes to get children more involved: “Participants engage in citizen science by utilising the `kick sampling` technique to explore macroinvertebrates – small aquatic animals like insect larvae, snails, and beetles – that serve as reliable indicators of water quality.

The session begins with a biodiversity game to illustrate the interconnectedness of all life forms.

Then, we divide them into different groups and explain the sampling and how the different creatures will indicate the health of the river.

According to Elaine, the real added benefit of taking classes outside is the high level of engagement as they experience the science and the joy of the investigative process, leading them to new discoveries with this hands-on learning.

Besides working with school groups, Katie and Elaine also host `Source to Sea` programmes to connect cultural heritage with water and people.

These trips aim to support relationships and stewardship within a community for their local river, giving them an opportunity to explore the natural environment while learning about their own feelings and connections.

“Often described as the arteries of the land due to their life-giving properties, rivers are a living connection to past generations,” Elaine says.

The `Source to Sea` programmes organised by WiseWater aim to connect cultural heritage with water and people. Image: WiseWater

“Every river has a rich story that can be interpreted through different lenses, so even though we travel as a group, visiting a river source is a unique experience for everyone.”

She adds that by exploring the past through a river source, landmarks, geology, archaeological sites, folklore, songs, and much more emerge, telling unique aspects of the river's story and how it shapes not just the catchment it flows through but also the people and nature that live alongside it.

Elaine believes that in our time, rivers also reveal a story of sustainability, human influence, and a call to action to mind them for nature and future generations.

“While many view water as a commodity, at WiseWater, we advocate for a deeper connection, recognising its intrinsic value beyond mere utility.”

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Irish beach clean-up to amplify ‘Water for Peace` message as part of global UN movement

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:48:16 +0000

Irish beach clean-up to amplify ‘Water for Peace` message as part of global UN movement

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As part of the United Nations World Water Day, celebrated on March 22nd every year, Irish not-for-profit WiseWater will host a special beach clean-up event on Saturday, March 23rd, at Garrylucas Beach in County Cork.

The central theme for this year`s global event is `Water for Peace`, and the organisers of this local gathering aim to join the movement by collecting rubbish at the beach and forming a large peace symbol made up of the trash and people participating.

Elaine Moynihan, Co-Founder of WiseWater, says:

“We want to make a stand together to preserve, protect and care for our water environment.

Our event is about sending the message that ‘every drop counts’, and together, we can create waves of positive change.”

Elaine Moynihan and Katie McShane, Co-Founders of WiseWater

This year, the UN has chosen this specific theme to highlight that water can create peace or spark conflict and that water scarcity, pollution, or unequal access can cause disputes between communities and countries.

They highlight that as the climate crisis escalates and global populations grow, we must conserve and protect water resources as we depend on them to ensure public health, operate food and energy systems, and create economic productivity with environmental integrity.

According to the 2022 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, roughly half of the world’s population was already experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of that year.

With this special event, creating a giant symbol of peace, Elaine hopes to bring heightened awareness to water and ripple out to make waves of changing our relationship with water.

Young people getting involved in citizen science with WiseWater at Ballinaspittle river. Image: WiseWater

She emphasises that “the sea relentlessly regurgitates plastics and debris, remnants of our human consumption” and that we need to better look after our most precious resource, water.

Elaine adds:

“In Ireland, we often take water for granted, but we would like to raise awareness about the importance of behaviour change when it comes to water usage and the importance of preserving our water environment.”

Explaining their approach, she says they believe that to make people want to care for and protect our environment, they first need to have a relationship with it.

Therefore, they invite people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in this community event, enjoy a day out, and help with the beach clean-up while becoming part of the movement.

Anyone interested in joining, only need to show up at 11.00 on Saturday, March 23rd at the Garrylucas Beach in County Cork.

WiseWater also offers educational workshops for schools, community groups, and workplaces to raise awareness and inspire change by making a connection between our personal well-being and the preservation of water habitats.

Some of their activities include investigating the water quality of local rivers or streams, organising `source to sea` expeditions and connecting communities to local wells through cleanups and discoveries.

Their team has hosted many beach clean-ups in the past and arranged for the rubbish to be collected with Cork County Council, just as will be the case on this occasion.

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World Water Week calls for massive transformation to address pressing global water issues

Business Spirit News reporting — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 11:40:11 +0000

World Water Week calls for massive transformation to address pressing global water issues

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‘Building Resilience Faster’ is the central theme of the leading annual conference on global water issues.

The leading annual conference on global water issues, World Water Week, is held 23-27 August as a free, online event focusing on the theme Building Resilience Faster.

Top experts, politicians, business leaders, intergovernmental organizations, and grassroots groups from more than 150 countries will come together to discuss and co-create solutions that can help solve water-related challenges.

Participants will get the chance to choose from over 300 digital sessions to explore how water can help us tackle the most significant global challenges, such as the climate crisis, poverty, and the loss of biodiversity.

“We want World Water Week to be an action platform engaging all,”

said Henrika Thomasson, Director of World Water Week at Stockholm International Water Institute, organizer of this global gathering.

For the past 30 years, World Water Week has been a powerful movement for change, and it is also an important stepping stone leading up to global climate events such as the COP 26, the UN Climate Change Conference in November this year.

According to experts, freshwater is one of the nine planetary boundaries that should not be crossed. Image: Pexels

In his keynote, Professor Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research described how humans are dangerously altering Earth’s life support systems.

One example is how human activity is linked to climate change and loss of biodiversity that also impacts freshwater.

Rockström and his team have identified freshwater as one of the nine planetary boundaries that should not be crossed.

“Freshwater must be integrated within the climate agenda,” Rockström said.

“We must first meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, but then transform towards a safer future within planetary boundaries.”

Highlights of the Week include the royal award ceremonies for the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize and Stockholm Junior Water Prize, which is honouring individuals and organizations for extraordinary water-related achievements.

Sandra Postel received the Stockholm Water Prize 2021 for her long and outstanding work to make sense of complex water-related issues.

Postel was one of the firsts to warn of a global water crisis in the early ’90s and to call for the conservation of water-based ecosystems.

She keeps inspiring decision-makers to find new solutions to water scarcity, climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Water is the basis of life – and it is finite.

Figuring out how to meet humanity’s needs for water while enabling freshwater ecosystems to thrive is now an existential challenge because those ecosystems support the web of life to which humanity belongs.

We can all play a part in rising to this challenge,” said Postel on being awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2021.

Sandra Postel received the Stockholm Water Prize 2021

The World Water Week is hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) that aims to strengthen water governance for a just, prosperous, and sustainable future.

The Institute focuses on a range of research and development topics within and around water that supports decision-makers worldwide.

Headline image: Abigail Keenan, Unsplash

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Movement to unite and support beach and river clean-up projects all over the world

Business Spirit News reporting — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:49:34 +0000

Movement to unite and support beach and river clean-up projects all over the world

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The Moving Water Alliance was launched to offer funding, educational materials and various supports to help non-profit projects addressing water pollution issues.

The Planet Calls non-profit organisation launched the Moving Water Alliance in August 2021 to unite and support beach and river clean-up projects worldwide.

This new movement offers access to funding, educational collateral and support to help organisers develop and grow their teams to address water pollution issues locally.

The idea of creating this Alliance sparked from witnessing the amount of waste that has been skyrocketing since the Covid-19 pandemic started.

Single-use plastic, like sanitiser bottles, aprons, masks, and gloves, is now making its way to not just landfills but natural habitats like oceans.

Tarryn Johnston, Chairperson, Moving Water Alliance

The increasing amount of pollution is putting more strain on already exhausted marine life and other ecosystems.

“I decided to become a Chairperson for Moving Water Alliance because I have an already well-established river clean-up non-profit-organisation based in Gauteng, South Africa.

I have created a model that anyone can replicate with enough drive, passion, and commitment to saving our rivers and oceans.

We want to assist more people and non-profits in doing the same all over the world,” says Tarryn Johnston about how she started this movement.

Johnston is no newcomer to river pollution clean-ups since she formed a non-profit in 2019 called Hennops Revival in South Africa.

Since its inception, she has removed almost 1.3 million kilograms of pollution from the Hennops River in Gauteng province together with her team of volunteers.

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses who sponsor some clean-ups, she could offer employment to the homeless and people in need from the local communities.

Her tried-and-tested business model will now be shared with members of Moving Water Alliance to help them solve a massive environmental problem while uplifting communities through the employment that these projects can provide.

Membership is free, and members can expect to receive various supports in growing their beach and river clean up teams.

Organisers of the Moving Water Alliance envision this initiative to become a home for existing river or beach clean-up projects and a welcoming space for those who would like to start such movements.

Members will be able to reach out when they need advice, encouragement or just a conversation with someone on the same page and find guides and friends with one common goal: saving our planets precious water bodies and marine and aquatic life.

The Moving Water Alliance encourages grassroots organisations and projects from this field to share their project, so the Alliance can amplify their reach and support them in their journey to make a positive impact!

Johnston adds:

“We are looking to guide and assist people who are in it for the long haul, as we understand that it didn't get this way overnight and neither will it be fixed overnight.”

The Planet Calls launched this initiative, hoping that having a global movement will certainly come with a weight and help create awareness of the rising number of people willing to stand up and do the work.

“At the moment, we are working on member welcome packs, which will include "how-to" guides and informative, encouraging material as well as the launch of our digital magazine scheduled for October,” says Tarryn Johnston about the next steps.

The Planet Calls is a non-profit foundation focused on sustainability and circular economy advocacy, educating people about how to treat the Earth with respect and care to accelerate change.

Headline image: by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

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