*by Gerhard Lair & Cristina López Mayher members of @BIDagua team Suma Qamara is the expression of life of the Aymara people in the Altiplano. The translation literally means to live in peace with oneself, in peace with other people, and in peace with the environment. The protection of the environment was at the cornerstone of the indigenous people of Latin America. … [Read more...] about THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER & SANITATION APPLIED BY THE IDB AND THE AQUAFUND
The same old drill ain’t working no more!
A set of circumstances that included a persistent high pressure system and limited water re-circulating abilities (not to mention deforestation) have resulted in a painful extension of the worst drought in Brazil in at least 80 years. At the same time, California is facing one of the most severe droughts in 1200 years, leading the state to adopt controversial measures such as … [Read more...] about The same old drill ain’t working no more!
KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT WISDOM IS LIKE WATER IN THE SAND
Ipsa scientia potestas est. Knowledge itself is Power, claimed Francis Bacon in 1597. Power to grow, to move, to hurt, to surprise, to change. Also, water itself is power. Power to quench, to refresh, to yield. To create energy, to provoke conflicts, to create life. Put together the two: Knowledge in the Water sector. It is indeed a powerful thing. … [Read more...] about KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT WISDOM IS LIKE WATER IN THE SAND
CHANGING THE MISCONCEPTION ABOUT HUMAN WASTE: IT IS VALUABLE NOT VILE
*by Natalie Bethel, working at @the_IDB Country Office in The Bahamas This summer, I travelled to Detroit, Michigan for a Global Shapers forum: ‘Shape North America’. It brought young ‘Global Shapers’ in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean together, with a goal of ‘inspiring and convening innovative systems thinkers who believe in sustainable, socially just, creative, and … [Read more...] about CHANGING THE MISCONCEPTION ABOUT HUMAN WASTE: IT IS VALUABLE NOT VILE
WATER: A “VOLUPTUOUS” RESOURCE
Are we missing the point? Few summers ago my wife and I went to California, to the Napa valley, where inevitably we met a lot of wine enthusiastic. Between glasses, we were amused in learning fascinating jargon related to wine tasting. “Wine descriptors”, they call it. We learned that a wine can be velvety, laser-like or angular (an angular wine is like putting a triangle in … [Read more...] about WATER: A “VOLUPTUOUS” RESOURCE