Related EU Projects

Water consumption and water conservation are significant issues in Australia. In contrast with many schools across Australia that are already engaged in water education and water conservation programs, the early childhood education sector has been slow to respond to this challenge.

The study comprised two parts; the first part was a statistical analysis to investigate reductions in water usage in the seventeen centres engaged in the program and the second was a qualitative analysis exploring the ‘quadruple bottom line’ benefits (social, environmental, educational and economic) that stemmed from engagement in Rous Water’s Water Aware Centre Program.

Statistical analysis results were inconclusive. From the data available it was not possible to show measurable reductions in water consumption across all centres, as there were too many variables that prevented a valid calculation of reductions. The qualitative findings were compelling in determining the impact of the program, which provide the primary focus for this report.

The qualitative results showed important ‘quadruple bottom line’ benefits that arose from participation in the program. These included but were not limited to:

- Child leadership and advocacy for water conservation (social benefits);

- Uptake by teaching staff of sustainability education pedagogies (educational benefits);

- Improved water conservation and other resource management practices (environmental benefits);

- More efficient use of water resources (economic benefits).

Correlations between awareness and action, and action and consequence were noteworthy in these results, with positive changes to practices, intentions and ideals at centre level transferring to home and community contexts. Numerous centres made physical changes to their water infrastructure such as large scale redevelopments of centre grounds, while others made substantive efforts to purchase and install water-saving devices. One surprising element of the results was the extent to which children influenced the adults around them in relation to water conservation practices. Both teachers and parents were compelled to make changes to their own water use habits because of the children’s advocacy for water-conserving alternatives, a direct consequence of what they had learned in the Water Aware Centre Program.

The results reveal that even a relatively small-scale sustainability education program can provide considerable social, environmental, educational and economic benefits. To date, the early childhood education sector has been an ‘untapped’ resource in addressing sustainability issues of water use and water conservation. This study demonstrates clearly the potential of sustainability education investments in early years’ education.

ROUS Water (2008). The Impact and Potential of Water Education in Early Childhood Care and Education Settings.

SOLUTIONS will deliver a conceptual framework for the evidence-based development of environmental and water policies. This will integrate innovative chemical and effect-based monitoring tools with a full set of exposure, effect and risk models and assessment options. Uniquely, SOLUTIONS taps (i) expertise of leading European scientists of major FP6/FP7 projects on chemicals in the water cycle, (ii) access to the infrastructure necessary to investigate the large basins of Danube and Rhine as well as relevant Mediterranean basins as case studies, and (iii) innovative approaches for stakeholder dialogue and support. In particular, International River Commissions, EC working groups and water works associations will be directly supported with consistent guidance for the early detection, identification, prioritization, and abatement of chemicals in the water cycle. A user-friendly tool providing access to a set of predictive models will support stakeholders to improve management decisions, benefiting from the wealth of data generated from monitoring and chemical registration. SOLUTIONS will give a specific focus on concepts and tools for the impact and risk assessment of complex mixtures of emerging pollutants, their metabolites and transformation products. Analytical and effect-based screening tools will be applied together with ecological assessment tools for the identification of toxicants and their impacts. Beyond state-of-the-art monitoring and management tools will be elaborated allowing risk identification for aquatic ecosystems and human health. The SOLUTIONS approach will provide transparent and evidence-based lists of River Basin Specific Pollutants for the case study basins and support the review of the list of WFD priority pollutants.

Report Summaries –

http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/171679_en.html

http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/197191_en.html

Open access publications –

http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5571148

http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5136570

http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4732001