The news of Project FreeBird

While Brazil wants to be one of the new economic superpowers, the observation of its water management on a daily basis shows that this country of nearly 200 million people still has a ways to go.
At first sight, from what we saw, the cities are relatively clean (with the possible exception of El Salvador, real trash), the campaign not too much plastic waste and water from rivers often ready to swim. In homes, people are aware that tap water is not quite so clean and install carbon filters type taps directly or to large canisters so that they can drink ... well, few people who drink water and it is also easier to find to buy a soda bottle with a bottle of water!
The country with huge reserves of water and having a very rainy climate, access to water is generally good and even in the favelas, those difficult areas deemed extremely dangerous but that have nothing to do with images we can see the slums of large cities in Africa. When you go to remote villages, we find that most homes seem to have a well or even a pump so to get water directly from the tap.

So what's wrong? Firstly, having water in abundance does not give people the feeling that water is a precious resource which we must be careful. Therefore the showers are long, the children play with water, people water the soil to lay the dust, etc.. Secondly, education of environmental issues and specifically water is virtually non-existent, only a few tentative signs trying in vain to encourage people not to throw papers on the highway or not to pollute rivers . Finally, in approaching the coast (though national pride and purpose of tourism) that we discover behind the scenes and the scale of the disaster: their tracks are too often dumps open sea like a sewage plant and it becomes clear that something in the equation does not work correctly. The problem is that this country is being transformed into an enormous consumer society where people seem more concerned with their plasma display with the problems of water management, where the government is mainly concerned with the problems of violence Urban and minimum wage and in all this there remains little room for education in water management and protection of this resource.

We had the opportunity to make several speeches in classes of students (an average of 20-25 years) to Punta Arenas, a city of extreme southern Chile. Both facilities are where we intervened Universidad del Sur and INACAP (Professional Institute, Technical Training Center). We have explained to the students concerned the aim of the Project FreeBird and motivations. The exchange was very interesting and so we addressed the problems of water pollution, access to water in Chile, the potability of water. In Chile they are indeed all agree that tap water is drinkable throughout the country (although in Santiago she has a horrible taste) but yet some of them prefer to buy bottled water.

Contrary to the views of Iranians (see Post "Environmental Education in Iran," The water section in Iran), Chileans think it's quite normal to have drinking water on tap and are surprised that in other countries this is not the case.
Chile with significant water resources, people do not really care about their water consumption. They are indeed not many pay attention to their water consumption and to be vigilant with their garbage and plastic bags. It is true that there are places in Punta Arenas polluted by waste and plastic bags, and the vacant lots / dwellings or even on the banks of a canal.

These interventions are very different from those carried out in primary schools are a boon for one hand we share on these environmental issues and educate some people and secondly our understanding of water management in their countries.

Since the beginning of the expedition FreeBird, New Zealand is undoubtedly the country's most environmentally friendly and puts in place as of measures on environmental protection.

There are signs everywhere of awareness: how not to pollute the water, how to save water, it must not waste, sorting waste (a container for glass, one for plastic, one for cans metal, one for food and sometimes even for garbage garden!). It is very effective and people, aware from an early age, follow these steps so that it is common in parts of New Zealand, there is a reduction of water according to certain days of the weekdays and certain times of the year.

On the one hand, being environmentally friendly and also the population density is very low (particularly in the South Island), it only amplifies the fact that natural resources are extremely well preserved ( Water Quality / lakes / rivers, little or no waste in the green / fields / forests and cities very clean, safe drinking water).

New Zealanders (Kiwis) also put in place measures to limit water consumption: recycling of water by water harvesting rainwater is a very common action and practice (including in dwellings in the countryside and conservation areas: camping DOC - Department of Conservation - for example).

We should do the same in France ...