According to a press release by the EPA, “ENLACE has established and implemented a land use and comprehensive development plan that works to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions for 8 communities in the Cano Martin Pen Special Planning District.”

Poverty has been a threat to environmental sustainability in San Juan since the early twentieth century. Mass migrations of individuals and families to San Juan resulted in settlements being erected in the mangroves along the canal.

The Cano Martin Pena is a 3.5 mile long canal located in the San Juan Bay (SJB). The San Juan Bay is part of the National Estuary Program of the EPA. The Cano Martin Pena is so important because it connects the San Juan Bay and the San Jose Lagoon.

Toxins, pollution, and sedimentation in the Cano Martin Pena would have grave implications for the SJB and the San Jose Lagoon. Instituting policies and effective plans to mitigate the adverse affects of urbanization and lack of infrastructural development in the canal is key to controlling for damages in the region.

ENLACE is working toward water quality improvement in the Cano Martin Pena in several ways. Firstly, ENLACE partnered with the SJB National Estuary to test water quality in the canal. They are also working with the Ponce School of Medicine to study epidemiological data on the effects of residents’ repeated exposure to water polluted by sewage.

In terms of the Cano Martin Pena, private and public entities must cooperate on an immediate action plan for change in the canal. Protecting human health and ensuring economic development by conserving the environment is integral to seeing a more sustainable Puerto Rico in the twenty-first century.

Environmental justice is unique. It is difficult to enforce and almost impossible to incriminate. Yet, environmental injustice arguably puts more people at health, social, and economic risks than other crimes with more temporary affects.

Until effective systems are in place to  punish those who obstruct environmental justice, rewards for those who uphold it are crucial to protecting natural resources.

With the work of ENLACE, lives of local residents and inhabitants affected by poor quality water in the Cano Martin Pena will be changed for the better. And isn’t it by saving lives that we save the world?

The photo above is a picture of La Fortaleza in San Juan Bay

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According to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the delta project would also be supplemented by a restoration project to marsh and flood plains areas in the delta. The marsh and flood plains restoration initiatives aim to increase the population of endangered fish species to the West of the Sacramento River.

 Ostensibly, the delta plan seems relatively beneficial to the environment and water users in the Central Valley and the southern part of California. But why are farmers and cities bickering with environmentalists over the delta plan? What does either party stand to lose when the final decision is made at the Bay Delta Conservation Forum? Will a final decision handle the matter, or only make matters worse?

Water scarcity issues in the United States are just beginning to surface with the case of the delta project in California. California’s San Joaquin Valley, also known as “The Food Basket of the World”, yields 12.8 percent of U.S agricultural products, and $20 billion in crop industry.

Farming is a major industry in California that stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and small businesses for crop vendors. Food security and financial incentives are factors in water supply concerns for the San Joaquin Valley and other parts of California’s farming industry.

Debates like the delta project bring the water shortage issue to the political table as federal and state officials deliberate how water flow should be diverted in CA. Farmers are also lobbying for moderate regulations of water flow, when water is diverted to farmers instead of to endangered freshwater habitats in the San Francisco Bay.

According to the New York Times article, the delta is a “switching yard” where water flows either south to agribusiness and cities or West where endangered species are on the verge of extinction. Increased water supply to farmers in the south is economically beneficial to the states as more water ensures larger harvests, with more products to sell, and jobs for farm hands. However, irrigated farming is a water guzzler and programs to teach farmers best practices in water use efficiency must be implemented if water is diverted there.

On the other hand, freshwater to support the increase of endangered fish species is an environmental concern that protects the planets biodiversity and wildlife. In sum, the verdict of California’s delta project will set a precedent for water supply projects to come. Will officials opt to support a project that promotes economic development and agriculture? Or, will environmental conservation overshadow consequences of farmer unemployment and low agricultural production, with the latter implicated in food security concerns?

Evidently, the federal government and California’s Natural Resources Agency have their own ideas about the future of the water project that were submitted in separate reports. The former’s report was less specific and detailed than concern parties would have liked.

So far, environmentalist and farmers in the Westland Water District aren’t satisfied with the delta proposal either. Clearly, there’s just not enough water, or effective policy, to satisfy all individuals involved. The water world will have to wait out for the verdict that will set a precedent on U.S. policy in water diversion projects. Will economic projects to support a faltering economy prevail? Or will the environment, which has been compromised by humankind enough, be favored by Lady Justice? Only time will tell.

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Part I-Nautical Archaeology Threatened by Trawling

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In order to raise awareness in the Big Apple, UNICEF partnered with Casanova Pendrill, a Hispanic consumer expert and marketing agency, to target the Hispanic population in New York to bring the issue of dirty water to the busy streets of New York City.

UNICEF’s TAP Project began in 2007. By 2009, the initiative had yet to reach out to the Hispanic community specifically. In a telephone interview, CEO and President of Casanova Pendrill, Ingrid Otero-Smart told WaterWideWeb, “The need is so big and the awareness was so low ,especially with the Hispanic community”.

Research from Casanova Pendrill indicates that Hispanics give to charities that they are familiar with. They also give to charities that are close to home. “We had to shock people into action”, added Otero-Smart. So they came up with “The Dirty Water”, a non-traditional segment of UNICEF’s TAP water project.

Annually, UNICEF’s TAP water project takes place in  March, during World Water Week. In 2009 UNICEF set up a vending machine in New York City’s Union Square, the heart of the City. The vending machine didn’t sell bottles of the clean and clear water that New Yorker’s are accustomed to. Instead, the machine sold bottles of dirty water, clearly labeled as contaminated with diseases like typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and even dengue fever.

Please watch the video of the Dirty Water Campaign here

UNICEF representatives stood in Union Square and offered bottles of contaminated water to by-passers. The bottles of contaminated water certainly caused a reaction from onlookers. People could purchase a bottle of dirty water for just $1.00. The dollar donation would go to the TAP water project and provide 40 children with fresh water for a day. People who wanted to donate but didn’t have spare change could donate via  text message from their cell phone.

The goal of the Dirty Water was to raise $1 million. To achieve this objective, Casanova Pendrill launched a comprehensive bi-lingual media campaign that included television, radio, print digital and billboards.

The media push was successful,  exceeding the $1 million . “We’re already on our second year and we’re just getting briefed for year three”, confirmed Otero – Smart.

Please watch the following media presentations by Casanova Pendrill:

Tap Project Journey

Tap Project Coin

The Dirty Water represents a new approach in raising awareness about global issues. Conventional methods to inform people about international public health problems, disparity, and preventable deaths are not effectively reaching all segments of the population.

Partnering with advertising and expert marketing companies proves to be an effective method to cause even distracted New Yorkers  to stop and take a second look. Tapping into the public conscious requires direct endeavors that are visual and informative.

Providing useful information and an opportunity to make a difference is a tricky game, one mastered by the Dirty Water.

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Greenpeace members Anais Schneider from Germany and Victor Rask from Sweden had recently returned from a trip to the Arctic where they took part of a protest group with the scope of stopping the deep water drilling executed by Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy. This experience didn’t frighten the two activists as decided to take direct action against Chevron. They literally climbed up the giant anchor chain and suspended themselves in a tent to it with signs that could read “Go beyond oil”. There courageous action is impeding the anchor from being pulled and there it is preventing the ship from going to the drilling site. The actions of the two young activists are not simply a spur of the moment impulsive move, as they are calling upon the North Sea competent authorities in order to take action against the drilling and hopefully ban it. Activist Victor Rask, and occupant of the tent declared:

“UK Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would be the greenest every, but he wont even support a plan to protect our seas from a BP-style disaster. Instead on drilling for the last drops in places like this, the oil companies should be developing the clean energy technologies need to fight climate change and reduce our dependence on oil. In order to shift the oil companies and governments need to ban deepwater drilling. In the longer term we need a permanent shift awat from fossil fuels towards clean energy solutions” (Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/chevron-shetland-stopped210910/).

While the activist’s comments are strongly valid, authentic and in sync with the values defended and represented by Greenpeace, there is no doubt that various other stakeholders and lobby associations are putting a considerable amount of pressure on the Prime Minister in order to force him to consider the economic interests in this situation.  It appears that concealing both opposing points of view is a much harder task than what it seems. BP, the oil company responsible for the greatest catastrophe, is already operating in the area with three oil and gas field they also have further plan to start drilling deeper. The young and courageous Anais Schneider described with frenzy her experience as something incredible:

“It was incredible to climb up the anchor chain, the rungs were nearly as big as I am and Chevron’s drilling ship is one of the biggest things I’ve ever seen at sea. It’s time to go beyond oil. Our addiction is harming the climate, the natural world and our chances of building a clean energy future” (Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/chevron-shetland-stopped210910/).

The infamous duo is also supporting a new initiative called “Go Beyond Oil” (find out more at http://www.gobeyondoil.org/) a call to action brought to you by Greenpeace as a response to the BP oil accident. This call to action is also a way to force people to reflect upon their dependency on oil and the risks it could present for the future of our planet. According to the official website, governments shouldn’t subsidize oil companies, instead they should put money towards the development of a sustainable long-term clean form of energy. Yet, things are not always so crystal clean when it comes to doing the right thing. Indeed Chevron went to court and demanded for measures to be taken against the two environmentalists that now risk to get arrested for their environmentalist act of bravura. Chevron declared that such action is “foolhardy and demonstrates that Greenpeace is willing to put its volunteers at risk to carry out such reckless publicity stunts” (Source: http://www.u.tv/Business/Chevron-wins-court-order-in-bid-to-end-Greenpeace-oil-protest/8295de1d-b600-413f-8a93-e40e0b2a8b39). While this stunt is indeed dangerous, the activists  partly got what they wanted; managing to raise public awareness and getting the media involve on the case.

Greenpeace is a world-respected organization that fights for the conservation of our planet and its wildlife. While the actions of the activists can be somewhat debated, the reflection they propose is a very valid one. Has our dependence on oil gone overboard? What will happen once the planet runs out of oil? Perhaps it is indeed time to focus on cleaner forms of energy.

Founded in 1919 the American Beverage Association (ABA) was initially called the American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages, to later be renamed the National Soft Drink Association. This organization represents a variety of beverage producers and distributers. ABA is key insofar it “provides a neutral forum in which members convene to discuss common issues while maintaining their tradition of spirited competition in the American marketplace” (Source: http://www.ameribev.org/about-aba/history/).

The schedule for this event includes various educational session that aim to provide companies and professionals of the sectors with a set of comprehensive guidelines when it comes to trends, operations management, sustainability and technical regulatory. The Interbev event informs producers about the latest’s innovation in the field of beverages, enabling companies to remain up to date with the latest trends.

The exhibitions include installations for beer, bulk packing machines, water treatment equipment, class washing machines, disinfection equipment, cooling systems and many other demonstrations.

Check out the video to see how cutting-edge live presentations, happening right on the trade show floor, will add a whole new level of energy to InterBev 2010 – for exhibitors and attendees alike. (Source: http://www.interbev.com/about/multimedia-gallery/details/47/)

This event is not only useful for an economic standpoint, companies get to exchanges ideas while also having a good look at the competition, but it is also an important event to discuss sustainability when it comes to beverage production.