World Water Day: Why business needs to worry - BBC News

World Water Day 2010 started for me just like any other Monday and by 08:30 Finnish time I was ready to check ou the headlines from around the world on the BBC news website. One of my personal favourites is to check out what the sites "Top 10 most read" are, and this is the list that greeted me:

The headline at number two, was a particular surprise. Now bare in mind, it was 06:30GMT and 07:30CET so a lot of Europe hadn't had much time to check it's news on the BBC yet, so it was being read by people from places like India, China and Australia. I already had the page open on another tab and immediately clicked through to it.



And was greeted by Peter Brabeck-Letmanthe, the Chairman of none other than Nestle! Well that was a shock for a start. A quick scan of the first few lines confirmed that yes this was indeed a World Water Day story, and that yes a World Water day story was trending second on the BBC news website, well immediately my interest was increased even further. For while we do indeed have some Nestle branded products on our shop shelves here in Finland, we don't get there chocolate products. And those, along with some of Nestle's recent actions in the field of Social Media related to their production of such have given Nestle's enemies in the environmental NGO's a field day and a mass of extra publicty! Most of which has passed by the mainstream media here in Finland. Those stories are the subject of another blog post so for now we will only say that Nestle are on the back foot in the press.


With the publication of this article however I think that Nestle, despite what you think or what people accuse them of, are not that blind to the problems around the world and that face us all with relation to water in the 21st century. After all they were not forced into joining the 2030 Water Resources Group back in 2008, but they saw themselves that it is in everyone's best interests that water scarcity be given some serious thought and discussion. The report that has been produced by the group and the scientists involved runs to a 198 pages and is called "Charting Our Water Future, Economic frameworks to inform decision making" and should be a must read for all of us!


So pile in and over the coming days let me know what you think. You can find the report here. The full report is a 5.3MB pdf format file.


Before I finish a personal message to all of those first year Environmental Engineering students of TAMK who are reading this. I hope that your first World Water Day in TAMK was a glowing success, I am sure it was!

Corky the Kinetic Mouse - no batteries required

Corky the Kinetic Mouse - no batteries required

Now the last product that I blogged about could actually be brought there and then. But this you can't. Not right now anyway.

But I really, really hope I can get one soon! Over the years that I have had a personal computer that has needed a mouse I must of brought, used and disposed of (not always in a green way) about a dozen or so computer mouse. And until I read about this mouse I had not really heard of any that were designed and marketed on their green credentials. With both it's outer and it's plastic parts made from, locally, recycled parts and with its, hoped for, ability to generate enough energy internally to never need a new battery this could be the first in a long line of green mice.

As soon as more details are available I will update you.

Water Day at TAMK 23.3.2010

The first year Environmental Engineering students are arranging the Water Day happening at TAMK on 23.3.2010.

The day includes lectures, info and contests.

The Opening Ceremony is at 12.00 in the Teiskontie main lobby - Program ends at 16.00.

The event is open for all interested!

Further information
Olga Garmash
olga.garmash (AT) env.tamk.fi

For more detailed information about the event, see TAMK's English blog

Luontoliiton leiriohjaajakurssi Tampereella - course to be a leader for environmental camps and env. education

In case any enves are interested, there is Finnish Nature League's course for leaders for environmental camps and courses and of environmental education in Tampere. Its in Finnish, but those interested and can manage with Finnish, read more below.

Learn more about The Finnish Nature League


17.-18.4. Leiriohjaaja- ja johtajakurssi Tampereella, HLP:n toimistolla, Varastokatu 3.

Kurssi tarjoaa tietoa ja käytännön vinkkejä luontoleirin suunnittelusta, järjestämisestä ja vetämisestä. Kurssi on tarkoitettu uusille luontoleirien ohjaajille ja johtajille. Kurssin käymisestä on etua, jos haluaa leirityöntekijäksi Luonto-Liiton leireille.

Kurssin ohjelmassa:
- Luontoleirien tavoitteet ja erityispiirteet
- Ympäristökasvatus teoriassa ja käytännössä
- Leirin tekijät
- Lasten kohtaaminen
- Leirin turvallisuus ja ongelmatilanteet
- Ohjelman suunnittelu teoriassa ja käytännössä

Kurssihinta: Luonto-Liiton jäsenet 20 e, muut 40 e. Hintaan sisältyy ohjelma, materiaalit ja kahvitarjoilua. Tukea kurssiin ja matkoihin voit kysyä omasta piiristäsi.
Lisätietoja ja ilmoittautumiset: reetta.salminen (AT) gmail.com

Water Pebble watches you (and your water usage) in the shower

Water Pebble watches you (and your water usage) in the shower

Now I try to refrain from using this blog as a place to punt services and advertise products but something about this little gadget and the really rather cool thinking behind it has made me decide to make an exception in this case.

I except that I may well be preaching to the converted on this front but how many of us know a family member or friend that always seems to be taking excessively long showers. I like this so much, and as a more "fun" way to teach my girls about taking care of how much water they use I shall be buying three! One for our house, one for my for brother and one my parents!

A brilliant device that I hope can help a lot of people save a lot of water!

EARTH HOUR Tampere on March 27

Earht Hour is here again! Switch off your lights to save energy on Saturday March 27, the time in Finland is 20.30-21.30. There is also programme organised by the city for the evening, such as music and a fire performance in the central square.

More info about the happening (in Finnish) can be found through the links in the Earth Hour website:
http://earthhourtampere.wordpress.com/

as well as in Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Earth-Hour-Tampere/300123893996?ref=ts


-kaisa

Talk about Climate change (... in Finnish)

Surely an interesting discussion on next week's Friday, unfortunately only in Finnish:

Sampolan juhlasalissa perjantaina 12.3. klo 18.00 alkaen.

* Pentti Linkola, Suomen kuuluisin kalastaja ja toisinajattelija, jolla on omakohtaisia luontohavaintoja 50-luvulta lähtien puhuu Elämänsuojelusta.
* Oras Tynkkynen,valtioneuvoston ilmastopoliittinen asiantuntija kertoo Miksi ilmastonmuutoksesta pitäisi olla huolissaan – ja mitä sille voidaan tehdä
* Jukka Leskelä, Energiateollisuus ry:n johtaja visioi Hiilineutraalia sähköä ja kaukolämpöä
* Tilaisuuden alussa Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto Oy:n toimitusjohtaja Pentti Rantala palkitsee parhaat Kelaa Vähän elokuvat
* Klo 17.00 alkaen samassa salissa nuorten ilmastonmuutosaiheisia lyhytelokuvia

Vapaa pääsy. Kaikki tervetulleita!

 

 

 

-Kaisa

Water and sanitation to all - Join the queue! - World Water Day 22.3.2010

World Water Day - 22 March 2010

is approaching...


Taken from here, read the following:

"World Water Day, 22 March 2010, is a crucial moment in the fight against the global sanitation and water crisis that’s killing 4000 children every single day.

Just one month later, politicians from across the globe will gather in Washington DC. to discuss what they need to do to fulfil some of the most basic rights of the world’s citizens – access to a safe toilet and clean water.

They must act, and so must we.

The World’s Longest Toilet Queue is a mass mobilisation event and Guinness World Record attempt bringing together thousands of campaigners from across the world to demand real change at the meeting.

We need your action too!

Join in on World Water Day by organising or joining a Queue of people to demand action from the world’s governments! You’ll find everything you need to get involved – ideas, resources and advice – in this site. So go ahead and make a stand for sanitation and water!"

Dont forget to Join the queue here