Water should not be wasted nor polluted
If we want to talk about sustainable tourism, water should not be wasted or polluted.
Water is a precious source of nourishment and care for humans, but it is also a natural element of rare beauty (I know this well, living in Como). It is a precious resource for the body and the mind. It is the world of aquatic animals and a useful tool for obtaining energy, cooling, and cooking.
It is such an essential element for life on our planet that we cannot even think of wasting a drop of it.
On this site, we discuss sustainable tourism, which is why I do not want to dwell on what lies outside, even though it is all connected. I prefer to devote my energies to what directly affects the tourism and hospitality sector.
Specifically, the activities in the sector that I want to consider today are: visiting a destination, sleeping and eating in a place.
Water is a primary natural element in many destinations, including seaside areas, oceanic islands, mountain or lowland lake areas, rivers, and wetlands.
Water is the attraction but also the main obstacle when visiting such a place. Transport will not be the same as in other places without this element, and certain precautions must also be taken. We have to pollute less. I am sorry to have to mention this basic part in an article like this, but the rudeness circulating obliges me to do so.
If we throw paper, cigarette butts, plastics or anything else on the road, it is as if we are throwing it into the water. In this way, we pollute the soil and water, and the living beings in the two habitats suffer the same pollution (inhaled and ingested).
We started by considering the destination. Once we have reached our destination, we have to choose how to move around within it. Lake Como is now famous for its boats and private boat tours, but what is unknown is the status of the public service boats, which are among the most polluting in Europe, as they are very old. Although less attractive, buses should be chosen because they are less polluted.
In the summertime, visitors often consider the Lake Como area as the sea is for us residents: a place to holiday on the beach. More emphasis should be placed on the pollution produced by creams and cosmetics in general by people entering the water. Alternative products should be researched and promoted, better both for skin protection and for the impact on the water. I have visited several seaside areas, from Australia to the United States, and more ocean-friendly products are on the market.
In general, if we think just a little before visiting a destination, we can take small steps to have as little impact as possible.
- Keeping a re-sealable fabric bag allows in case of need to carry wastepaper, empty plastic bottles, and unlit cigarette butts (in the fantastic portable ashtrays) to the first trash can.
- Choosing newer means of transport (believe me, it is easy to notice them) allows us to pollute less..
- Buy ocean and reef-friendly sun creams.
What should public bodies do to protect water?
- Increase the territory’s cleaning (an area such as mine or Liguria with mountains, plains, and sea must take care of each habitat).
- Involve more associations and residents in clean-up events to educate and raise awareness among various population segments.
- Reintroduce civic education at school. Or as a compulsory after-school activity.
- Control and fine polluters.
- Provide newer means of transport and assess how many years it takes for them to be changed to ensure decent service, better technology, and less pollution.
- Regulate water use for companies and individuals, especially during the summer, according to the available amount for residents.
A few lines ago, we mentioned the importance of not polluting soil and water. One more reason not to do so is that the food we put on our tables often comes from these areas. In our beautiful Italy, we have productive soils that are home to agricultural fields. We have fishermen who fish in lakes, seas, rivers, and other lake areas. We have farmers and hunters who provide food from other animals that eat what they find in the soil.
It is really silly not to take all this into account. In addition to not polluting, we as individuals should demand that industries and companies do not pollute groundwater, soil and mountains.
We eat what we produce, and we produce pollution. Great, we eat pollution!
Only then will there be all the solutions that restaurants can implement to avoid wasting water when washing dishes, pots, and utensils.
Only then can we consider offering tap water instead of bottled water to help reduce the production of plastic, glass, or other container materials.
Only then should we consider using less air conditioning, refrigerators of higher efficiency standards, or other cooling systems that need water to lower hotel temperature.
We can check and fix the plumbing systems in both hotels and restaurants to decrease or even eliminate leaks.
Everything is done because doing better is good and because making systems more efficient means saving money. However, it is necessary to realise that the system cannot work if only individual activities take the initiative.
Regulations
The bathing ban indicates a problem of excessive pollution, and therefore, bathing is not allowed in the designated areas.
Legambiente’s Green schooner monitoring can be a helpful ally in Italy https://golettaverde.legambiente.it/mappa-monitoraggi/
The ban on single-use plastic on the beach (for lidos) has existed since 2021, but the transposition of the European SUP standard is taking a biblical amount of time. While the choices of individual municipalities seem separate, they are part of the process that follows the European standard.
According to the new version of Article 255, paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree 152/2006, amended by Article 6-ter of Law Decree 105/2023 introduced by Conversion Law no. 137 of 9 October 2023, whoever commits waste abandonment is punished with a fine ranging from one thousand to ten thousand euros (previously, the rule provided for an administrative fine ranging from 300 to three thousand euros). The penalty is increased up to double if the abandonment concerns hazardous waste.
https://www.reteambiente.it/news/52639/abbandono-rifiuti-dal-10102023-sanzioni-penali-per-tutti/
A widespread purification system prevents water pollution in European countries, including Italy. However, malfunctioning plants or accidental burst pipes can cause significant contamination problems with wastewater discharge.
Industrial waste is only sometimes correctly purified and can release toxic substances such as mercury, chromium and lead into the water.
Agriculture is a significant source of water pollution. Fertilisers and pesticides end up in groundwater, streams, and the sea.
Unfortunately, the fines are too low to be sufficient to stop the spills.
Sara
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