Yesterday was UN World Water Day.

Twitter went crazy with the hashtag #WorldWaterDay

We issued a press release, which you can read here. 

Our members also participated in World Water Day. Here are some of their actions.

Austria

ÖWAV co-hosted the Neptun awards, for projects on innovation in water. It was founded in 1999 to highlight waters importance and necessity. One of the winning projects (category ‘water creative’) was a swimming pool located in the Californian desert. Visitors have only 24 hours to visit the pool, pour one gallon of water into the pool and return the key to the pool. The idea of the project is to show the availability of water and the price consumers are willing to pay.

Homepage in German: http://www.wasserpreis.info/

You can see the winning projects here.

And more…

http://www.wasserpreis.info

http://www.wasserpreis.info/preisverleihung

https://www.facebook.com/neptun.wasserpreis/

And we launched a press release (topic: taking care of water) http://www.ovgw.at/aktuell/?uncollapse=325

Estonia

EVEL held a press conference.

Press release and news in local media with photo gallery.

Germany

DVGW issued a press release about nitrate excesses endangering drinking water.

Norway

Toril Hofshagen spoke at a seminar at the Oslo university where also the Norwegian Junior Water price finale was arranged.  

The link (in norwegian) is here.

They also published an article with different examples of “How to arrange WWD” for thier members with an inspiration-brochure.  

And they published a chronicle to all newspapers in Norway.

Portugal

APDA held an event, with the Minister and Secretary of State responsible for the environment.

Pictures and some information in Portuguese is already available in Facebook, including the live streaming/video of the Government Representatives speeches.

Spain

The Spanish held two events:

Seminar: ‘Past, present and future of wastewater’, organised by the public utility of Madrid region (Canal de Isabel II), in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation (AEAS). The event analysed the evolution of waste water management during last decades, as well as its main innovations and future challenges.

Open day in waste water treatment plants. AEAS launched an initiative to encourage the urban water sector to organise an open day at the waste water collection and treatment facilities to inform the citizens, in a practical way, on their functioning, as well as social and environmental importance. Finally 64 entities all over the country joined the initiative.

Sweden

Sweden held their national conference to coincide with the day. CEO of Svenskt Vatten, Anna Linusson, and Anders Finnson, Senior Environmental Adviser, were joined by the Swedish Minister of the environment.  

Svenskt Vatten launched a campaign where municipalities, institutions, businesses and others can promote that they only serve tap water, kind of like “branding” tap water. You can read more (in Swedish) here. So far, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, the Swedish Institute, the Swedish Energy Agency, the county administrative board in Stockholm and several municipalities have “branded” tap water.

A video clip will be available later today on Facebook.

WWD trended on Swedish Twitter - not bad!