UNEP blog web competition 2015 #WED2015 to EXPO Milan 2015

Today was open the WED2015 blog competition I'll will prepare my entry!!! Then be ready to click and vote for me!!!! thank you friends
Here the link to the competition!
http://unep.org/wed/2015

and here useful resources for understanding sustainable consumption and production

Collaboration Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production -- http://www.scpcentre.org/home.html 

Decoupling natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic growth -- http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/decoupling/files/pdf/Decoupling_Report_English.pdf 

Sustainable Consumption and Production and the SDGs --
http://www.unep.org/post2015/Portals/50240/Documents/UNEP%20Publications/UNEPBriefingNote2.pdf 

Sustainable Consumption and Production: Promoting Climate-Friendly Household Consumption Patterns --
http://www.greeningtheblue.org/sites/default/files/Sustainable%20consumption%20&%20Production.pdf

Three SPECIAL lessons

Many greets from the most important engineer and Technical  University in Italy and Europe.

Three SPECIAL lessons about treatment wetlands for more than 80 students! Thank you Ingegneria senza frontiere To contact me!

new special course at Milan University: Politecnico di Milano

hi, I'm really proud to be present here in the Politecnico of Milan for two seminars on treatment wetlands. Thanks to Ingegneria Senza Frontiere to contact me!

here the link: http://isf.polimi.it/

From singapore..

Great experience here in Singapore!
Another Big step for the Iraq project about treatmentwetlands ....
Not more time we have to wait to start to dig the vertical and orizonral basins....
Thank you to all for the support!

honored to be in NTU Singapore for a Lecture about Treatment Wetlands in the "Eden in Iraq Project"

More at http://www.adm.ntu.edu.sg/ official web site

This conference will bring together a lot of different views from Ecology Design Art and Culture!!!

NeXT March I Will be in Sinfaporte for this amazing conference! Stay tuned for more info!!!

the Young Architects Program on the Dirt.Asla

not much time to write a comment... but I copy here this great news about an innovative way to treat wastewaters that win the Young Architects Program in NYC. The project is COSMO and here a short part of the full article wrote by Jared Green and that you can read at the the following link:

http://dirt.asla.org/ about COSMO FULL ARTICLE

"The ingenious winner of this year's Young Architects Program (YAP) at the New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) PS1 is COSMO, a mobile, transparent, and artful system for purifying wastewater. Designed by Andrés Jaque's Office of Political Innovation, the machine aims to make visible the process of cleaning dirty water, exposing the value of this vital natural resources in the process.

Here's a description of Jaque's invention: "An assemblage of ecosystems, based on advanced environmental design, COSMO is engineered to filter and purify 3,000 gallons of water, eliminating suspended particles and nitrates, balancing the PH, and increasing the level of dissolved oxygen. It takes four days for the 3,000 gallons of water to become purified, then the cycle continues with the same body of water, becoming more purified with every cycle." The system uses no electricity, just sunlight and gravity to accomplish all of that."

UNEP and UN - HABITAT Calls for Wastewater Focus

Here two important documents about world water situation. As in the past decades we have still a lot to do..... and obviously there are great work's opportunities in the field of wastewater treatment. 

 LET'S DO SOMETHING WITH TREATMENT WETLANDS SOLUTIONS

In the Two links below I copy the UN document and web page about this worst world situation.... 

UN report calls for Post 2015 agenda: www.unep.org/ 

UN Report Calls for Wastewater Focus in Post-2015 Agenda, as 80% of Worlds Wastewater Discharged Untreated

UN .pdf on the central role of wastewater management http://www.unep.org/pdf

SICK WATER ? THE CENTRAL ROLE OF WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 

UN Report Calls for Wastewater Focus in Post-2015 Agenda, as 80% of Worlds Wastewater Discharged Untreated

- See more at: http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2818&ArticleID=11130&l=en#sthash.rZNIdo9W.dpuf

Ready to deliver...

Here My car ready to deliver mine floating elements for an italian nursery!

WETPOL 2015 in York - UK

Here the first post of 2015 with the announcement of my favourite conference... the Wetpol. I was in Ghent in the first edition and like it very much!

International Symposium on

Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control

join the conference site here: www.wetpol.org/

and on facebook here: www.facebook.com/wetpol

the LEGO Wetland in LEGO CENTER IN BERLIN - GERMANY

What a wonderful construction found in the LEGO center in Berlin..... congratulation to the author!!!

THE LEGO WETLAND

I think I will start to build the first treatment wetlands.....ah ah ah !!!

my floating wetland in aquaponic system

Hi to all my dear readers.... just a fast post to show you what happen in 6 months of growing Iris in a floating system that I 've set up in the aquaponic AQUA-VET project here in North of Italy.
From 80 to 105 cm of root's system lenght.

I love this!!!

bacteria and wastewater treatment - reblogged from The Water Network

I copy here a useful news from THE WATER NETWORK. This is a web portal with a lot of useful news about the water world. Join it on facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/thewaternetwork.

 

Team Researching Seawater off the Primorsky Territory and Australia Has Found a New Strain of Bacteria that May Help Clean Wastewater

Workers of the Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and researchers from Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and Japan studied seawater in Chazhma Bay in the Sea of Japan in the Primorsky territory and Port Phillip Bay in the Tasman Sea, Australia, the institute said in a report. The new bacterial stain was called Marinobacter salarius and Marinobacter similis.

The scientists said the bacteria were capable of destroying chemical substances contained in synthetic detergents and certain types of medicines.

"Detergent molecules are difficult to destroy, and their dumping into water reservoirs regularly causes water bloom, which is damaging for water use and human health," the report said.

Unilever Supports Sanitation and pledges to help 25 million people gain improved access to toilets

Yes, the international company Unilever will supports Sanitation and pledges to help 25 million people gain improved access to toilets... let's read how!

This commitment is part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan – Unilever’s blueprint for sustainable growth. It will contribute to our goal of helping one billion people improve their health and well being by 2020, and sit alongside existing goals on providing access to safe and affordable drinking water, and education on the importance of handwashing with soap.
An estimated 2.5 billion people – over one third of the world’s population – live without access to adequate sanitation. Of these, over one billion continue to defecate in the open. This has a serious impact on people’s health, nutrition, education, on gender equality and sustainable economic development. It is a global tragedy that a child dies of diseases related to poor sanitation every two minutes and it could be prevented.
“Business can and must be part of the solution in addressing global challenges that affect us all,” said Unilever CEO, Paul Polman. “That’s why we introduced the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to positively contribute to the societies where we operate. With our portfolio of health and hygiene brands, our understanding of consumers’ needs and our global reach, we are uniquely placed to help improve people’s lives.”


this text is copied form the Unilever web page at www.unilever.com 

I have an idea to submit at the Unilever CEO... let's write the e-mail to him!!!

Brown is the new green - Let's save a wetland in Maryland

few days ago I received an e-mail from a member of the Kunzang Palyul Chöling center. Let's read their needs, the story and their experience about treatment wetlands.

Groundbreaking Earth-friendly Wastewater Processing Project at Risk

“Brown is the New Green” is a campaign to support and maintain the first man-made wetlands in Maryland to process residential wastewater. In 1988, this new alternative, called a constructed wetlands, was just being pioneered to treat residential sewage to protect lakes and groundwater. This project, designed and installed at a Buddhist monastery and temple, has successfully treated wastewater with earth-friendly methods, and without any chemicals or untreated releases.

After 26 years of continuous and successful operation, this landmark environmental experiment is now at risk, requiring rehabilitation and maintenance. Gravel beds need to be removed and replaced, as well as clearing invasive plants and installing new aquatic plants. There is urgency to this project requiring planting before the first frost so aquatic plants have the opportunity to establish roots.

An Indiegogo campaign with a goal of $33,000 has been launched to support this short-term project. Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) is a Buddhist temple in Poolesville, MD and home to monks and nuns, with a prayer and meditation room open 24 hours to the public and a 65-acre wildlife sanctuary with hiking trails and meditation gardens.

President of KPC, Claire Waggoner says “We’re proud of sustaining this green project for 26 years, yet as a small non-profit we need support to preserve it for the future”.  

The use of constructed wetlands has the potential to change how rural and developing locations treat their wastewater. Many parts of the US and the world have no water treatment facilities. Constructed wetlands require few resources and none of the chemicals than industrial water treatment facilities use.

KPC Temple is located at 18400 River Road, Poolesville, MD 20837. More information is available at www.tara.org. 

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our story, Shelley Sims at shelleynsims@aol.com is the press contact.

friend's project

... and a friend call me... "Hi Dave, please tell me which are the best flowering plants that I can plant in this treatment wetland? But please tell me species that bees can pollinate".
Well, in my opinion, all the flowering wetland species can be used and in particular for the local climate: Caltha palustris, Iris pseudacorus, Iris ensata, Canna, Calla, Lythrum salicaria, Nymphaea alba, Nuphar lutea, Pomtederia cordata, Thalia dealbata... no reeds this time!

electrons and wastewater treatment!

This early morning I have listen a radio program here in Italy. The topic was "wastewater treatment with bacteria and electrons". Great!!! I thought, one more idea on wastewater treatment different than the traditional systems.
Here the link to the podcast:
radio link ( just in Italian) to RADIO 24 ILSOLE24ORE

I was also interviewed in the same radio few years ago. 


Well, I promptly contacted the prof. that following this project, which has kindly responded.I have also know that he is a wetland's friend!!!

"Aquaelectra is a project funded through the programme  INNPACTO from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
This collaborative project has three objectives: to develop a natural system of sewage treatment using wetlands, to establish a bioelectric anaerobic treatment system for wastewater and to build a bioelectrogenic removal system of nutrients (nitrogen).
Bioelectrogenesis is a novel process by which certain bacteria can oxidize organic matter and transfer electrons generated directly to a solid surface conductive, for example, graphite so we can obtain and store clean energy.
Members  of Aquaelectra are IMDEA-Water Institute (Bioelectrogenesis group),  CENTA Foundation (Centre for New Water Technologies) and wastewater and water treatment companies JOCA, DAM  and Euroestudios, responsible for coordinating the projec."
From the web at http://www.aquaelectra.es

TED Sidney, Nigel Marsh. a Great speech.

Nigel Marsh:

How to make work-life balance work

"Work-life balance, says Nigel Marsh, is too important to be left in the hands of your employer. Marsh lays out an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time and productivity — and offers some stirring encouragement to make it happen." copied from the following TED web page.

I want to share with you, my dear blog readers, this great talk of the TED in Sidney
http://www.ted.com/talks/nigel_marsh

and his  fb at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nigel-Marsh


TED  is a platform for ideas worth spreading. Started in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design converged, TED today shares ideas from a broad spectrum — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independent TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.   from http://www.ted.com/

Ecuador, a consulting for a friend!

"Hi prof, Luca here. I'm in Ecuador and need your experience to design a treatment wetlands for the discharge of  400 pigs. Actually they send pig slurry and wastewater into the river".

These are the first words wrote by Luca, a student of mine few years ago, which is actually in Ecuador for his university training.

The situation is common as in a lot of other places in the world. There is a discharge that is used to be sent into the nearest river. This is done because is the easiest way to be done. But not the right.
But thanks to some enlightened minds a good choice is done: treat it before the discharge.

I copy here few pictures of the situation sent by Luca:

He have had also the great idea to make a sketch.... but in situation like this it have to be consider the executive design:

Great job! thanks to share with me this experience!
Keep in touch to see the construction!

Scottish Water invests in £8.7m aerated wetland scheme

Great news from Scotland!!!

Scottish Water has invested £8.7 million in an aerated wetland scheme at Cowdenbeath to improve its combined sewer network.

The water company has been working with reed bed specialists ARM Limited and Barhale Construction since September 2013 to design and construct a wetland scheme which will treat the spill flows from two Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) for attenuation and treatment before being discharged into the Lochgelly Burn.
 Located to the south of Cowdenbeath Golf Course, the £8.7million project involved the construction of two units; the first a flow balancing shaft settlement system for sedimentation of solids and the second a 4,000m2, two metre deep saturated, vertical flow aerated wetland fitted with Forced Bed AerationTM (FBATM).

text copied from http://waterbriefing.org/

new project ahead. ready to start!

you can image what we are plan to do in the next months... a new collaboration is ready to rise up new environment, strenght env. conciousness, create beautiful landscape.
Noah Manarang from Vetiver Farm Incorporated in Philippines and me are planning to do something great in one of the most beautiful city in the world. Follow she and her projects also on facebook and on my profile .facebook.com/davide.tocchetto

something about... just few thoughts

"< Hi, my specialty is to spread the use of natural systems for water purification, clarify and resolve your doubts on them, and also design systems worldwide. Thank you for join me on this blog! >" These are the opening words of presentation of my blog www.treatmentwetlands.blogspot.com. All that words are right and real: speciality, spread, natural system, worldwide, thank you. I did all of these words.
I started my business with the slogan "I want to learn," and I learned. I chased several trains to try to get the best for me to explore the themes of my interest. I've never had difficulty learning and perhaps this has led me to lose sight of one important aspect: money. The greens are important, you have to have so many, so why have mental freedom to devote your time to the things that really matter. It is certainly important work, eight, ten hours a day does not bring happiness, but are the actions you do during those hours that you can lead somewhere. During these hours and I've always thought about the good of others and did not earn. I falsely developed certain activities only for secondary interests that I drew from them. I have traveled, and all of these travels have taken me to a very internal growth, but not money. And now I declare that I want money, to do something, I have plans. If anyone is looking for me you need to know. I'm good in the initial stages of contact, send me to Iraq, Senegal, Gaza, Brazil, Algeria, Slovakia and where the hell you want, I go, I leave, I take information, I understand the things you need, share knowledge, I value strategies, I find the contacts that you serve. I do not want to write long documents, only simple report on the feasibility or otherwise of what you want to develop. But please remember that I do it with enthusiasm and just for the money. "You do not work for money?", Well, me too.
I have a large degree of autonomy even if I try a shoulder to share the steps. Sometimes I try a parallel track, to grow, to manage the process with enthusiasm and growth of business. I found this shoulder, one shoulder very strong, but the roads have not crossed over yet.
For almost fifteen years I dedicate myself to something that got me to where I am now. I tell you that I'm not fully satisfied, I am missing something. I have three wonderful children that bind me here where I am now, but my mind takes me elsewhere, always looking to develop some ideas. They are happy of my movements. Wacky ideas, ideas that are great. Only one, however, I have patented. Having it patented in a great way, in seven months from the idea to the patent, makes me believe that it is possible. It is possible to do things in a linear way, directly. I have built and tested the prototype and then we did it. And it works. This flywheel of enthusiasm, however, has not been used as I had to. My mind has always been conditioned by judgments, even positive ones I could see them as critical, and this made me go back. Downgrade from somewhere. Then up but without concluding anything great. I have to do it alone? maybe it's better? Is there anyone out there who can hear me? who listens to me? I need a new mindset, a straight channel.
Perhaps it is the context that is not for me. Maybe if I was somewhere else I would have done differently, that's for sure. I'm not here to pity myself, just to analyze the situation, I am here ready to accept a new way of doing, bring me the money.
Today I received an email from linkedin, and gave me this opportunity, "Be known for what you know - Strengthen your reputation by sharing your perspectives with your network.". I could sit here and write how good I am or how many plants I have designed, or how many languages I speak. But not, I shared my analysis and my thoughts. The next chapter I will write also because of you that you have understood these words of mine.

create new wetlands for flood reduction, Greenwood in Delaware.

Yes, constructed new wetlands is a good way to improve flood control.

In Greenwood, Delaware, a series of tax ditches drained the land, but in some cases heavy water flow during storms caused the ditch banks to erode.
Pictures, video and more text at the original web page:

web at delawareonline.com

web at water.tallyfox.com

are you in New York? Join the NY sun Works GreenHouse project and the People's Climate March.

Will you be in NY next 21 September?  Join the Peolple's climate march around Manhattan!!!

web at peoplesclimate.org

fb ... facebook.com/peoplesclimatemarch?fref=nf


The Greenhouse Project is a program of New York Sun Works dedicated to improving environmental science education in NYC public schools through a hands-on integrated curriculum and professional development.
They manage a science barge in NY pier, where is installed a treatment wetlands system!

the route of the march

the treatment wetland in the Barge:

amazing floating wetland with fabulous vetiver made by Hana Cosmetic

well, I have a patent of a floating structure for create artificial floating wetlands... but in 8 years onf works I have never done a great structure like this. My best Congratulations to the authors!

Take a look at this spectacular project in these links to articles and information:

picture cutted from the video linked below.

spectacular full video

instagram.com/

popupcity.net

www.sustainablebrands.com

VetiverFarmsPhilippines on facebook

more on treatment wetland in Alpine climate

as you know and as I have discussed with many readers of this blog I'm managing a wetland system in a Dolomiti's Hut: the Rifugio Bosconero. Dolomiti is UNESCO from 2005 site and is so important to keep the environment clean.
The Bosconero treatment wetland plant was installed in 2004/2005 and after more or less ten years of operation still show a good aspect. Yes, I transplant a lot of plants during the time but the management is an important part of the excellence of this kind of system.
are you able to find the difference beetween the following pictures?

This show the TWs in Bosconero Hut at 1500 m above sea leve in Alpine climate:

This show the TWs in a continental North Italy Plain at 80 m above sea level.

 May be is only the management the key of the success?

more on floating wetlands

Many of you know that I really like floating treatment wetlands. Take a look to this good article about ... again... SPRUCE STREET HARBOUR PARK in Philadelphia (US). I like it very much.. congrats friends!!!!

originally copied from:

http://www.uwishunu.com - spruce street harbor park 

(Photo by M. Edlow for Visit Philadelphia) 

 the project was set up by my friend Rob and the floatingislandsolutions

classic questions about treatment wetlands: work in cold climates?

If you work in treatment wetlands technology or if you are searching information about this green solution, you probably dealt with the question "work in cold climates?".

I know many treatment plants in cold regions all over the world but the following is one of the biggest, the newest, the well built: the Orhei treatment wetland plant in Moldova

Shortly copied from the globalwettech.com web site I summarize here few informations.

Visit the web site for more pictures and info.

• In operation since: 2013
• Type of wastewater treated: Domestic
• Type of wastewater (other): + food processing
• Hydraulic load: 4600 m³/day
• Organic load (PE): 21.666 PE
• Organic design load (kg BOD/day): 1300
• Location: Orhei
• Client: PIU Moldovia - WorldBank
• Stage 1 type: French system
• Stage 1 surface area (m²): 18.000
• Stage 2 type: Vertical flow, unsaturated
• Stage 2 surface area (m²): 17.000

a new and interesting book, written by a dear friend: Mark Nelson

After seven years I worked with him by e-mail, I finally met at the airport in Istanbul in March 2013, where we were both leaving for Iraq. He is a person truly exquisite and very knowledgeable. His past experiences have given him a lot and all of its current activities are admirable and very appreciable.

Here I show his last book on wastewater treatement within the technology that he has developed and registered: the WasteWaterGarden (TM).
Now available on amazon   and other book web site !!!

Thank you Mark to involve me in your projects

the front cover of the book

The project in Iraq is going on....

Hello to All of our friends in Iraq,

We are with you always and very worried for your safety. We are still working for your beautiful country to keep it green and the water healthy.  We continue to design the Eden in Iraq Wastewater Garden at Al Manar. This will be a 20,000 sq meter public site -on the way to the Mesopotamia Marshes National Park- where you can rest and enjoy your time.  Here are our first drawings for the wastewater garden at the Al Manar water treatment plant. We will have more realistic drawings soon.

But we wanted you to have something NOW to dream about for the future. So imagine a large area with plants, flowers,  trees, tiles, and reed  structures  that is actually cleaning the water before it goes into the Euphrates,
It will be a place to help recover from all of the strife.  
                                              
 In the face of war, environmental work has to continue for the health of all .               
In the midst of conflict, nature and beauty will help to heal.

Insha'allah,
The Eden in Iraq WWG Design Team abroad:Meridel, Mark, Davide
and Pee

r, Clarence, and Yangheng

Philadelphia with a new Public Spaces on the Waterfront...It is floating!!!

reblogged from the Philadelphia  www.phillymag.com web site and I want to share with you this beautiful project:

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC), which is giving a shot of adrenaline to Philadelphia’s underused waterfront, is planning several new public spaces to draw people to the water and spur investment. You may have already heard about Spruce Street Harbor Park, a pop-up opening Friday, that’ll have floating barges and gardens, fountains, a boardwalk, a “mist garden,” lots of neat lighting, and a floating restaurant by Jose Garces. A large team of the region’s top designers and architects worked together on the project, including Groundswell Design Group, Interface Studios, and Digsau, as well as The Heads of State (for branding).

The park's centerpiece will be the “oasis,” three 80’ x 30’ barges with trees and plantings, repurposed cargo containers with the restaurant, and a cantilevered net lounge where visitors can hang 3-4 feet above the water in hammocks. There’ll be colorful bistro tables and chairs, picnic tables, and Amish-made Adirondack chairs. The trees will be illuminated with colored lighting synced with that of the rest of the park. Nearby, seven “floating islands” surrounded by lily pads will house a water garden.

and rebloggged from www.myphillyalive.com/ another overview of the project. 

An Outdoor Paradise In Philly:

This project was with the help of an ArtPlace American grant and developed in conjunction with David Fierabend of Groundswell Design Group and Interface Studios and Digsau. Through landscaping, programming, and art installations influenced by the maritime history of the area, the park will showcase the River’s industrial past and the bright future ahead for Philadelphia’s waterfront.

(PS the pictures are copied from the linked web sites)