Water scarcity in Europe has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, influenced by a combination of climatic, environmental, and socio-economic factors. Southern Europe, in particular, has seen an increase in the frequency and severity of droughts, facing recurrent water shortages affecting agriculture, industry, and domestic use. These lead also to significant stress on water resources and ecosystems with degradation of wetlands and other natural water retention systems reducing the capacity of landscapes to store and manage water, leading to increased vulnerability to water scarcity. Pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and untreated wastewater has compromised water quality, making less water available for use and requiring more extensive treatment processes.

As water scarcity becomes more acute, it will dictate the evolution of natural ecosystems and available resources, human consumption patterns, jobs and businesses and the need for fostering sustainable and efficient water management solutions becomes critical.

This Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) scenario on Water scarcity focuses on enhancing ecoinovative solutions for widespreading of efficient practices for water use, reuse and recycling, water resource management, reduction of pollution, sustainable ecosystem management for enhancing groundwater recharge and preserve water bodies, among others.

Linked to SDGs:
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 14: Life Below Water
SDG 15: Life on Land

General Information about the Project

Institutions Involved:

VET providers: Leading the project and providing academic support; cooperation intra and inter-school
Public entities: Presenting solutions that need to be solved
Local Businesses And Industries And Other
Economic Actors: As inspiring examples that have projects that were able to decrease water scarcity or presenting them the problems that need to be solved, as an input for starting a project.

⦁ Challenge Providers: Local Government/Public Entities and Local Economic actors.

⦁ Number of Learners: At least 20 per VET team.

⦁ Learners: VET students from various disciplines including engineering, environmental science, urban planning, agriculture, etc.

⦁ Duration: 4-5 months

Defined Task of the Project/Challenge

Develop and implement solutions to address water scarcity, ranging from scholarly contexts to local initiatives with scalable potential.

Objectives of the Project

The task of the project involves following objectives:

Enhance the ability to identify opportunities to mitigate water scarcity.
Promote insights about sustainability concepts with a focus on water conservation and management.
Develop innovative solutions that contribute to the valorization of the water management value chain, enabling the reuse, recycling, and efficient utilization of water resources.
Provide students with opportunities for professional development and interaction with various stakeholders, including public entities, companies, and other professionals involved in water management.
Foster a comprehensive understanding of water scarcity as a critical issue and the development of sustainable water management solutions.
Identification of solutions for water scarcity in food sector and agriculture, as well like other industries that are responsible for high levels of water consumption.
An understanding of climate changes and the influence in water management.

Challenge Description

Structure of the Challenging Case:

How can various sectors be more effectively integrated to address water scarcity?
What are the current challenges faced by different sectors in terms of implementing water conservation and management practices?
How can technology help to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of water usage?

Guiding Questions:

What are the main contributors to water scarcity and resource inefficiency in the current economic models?
What successful strategies from other cities or regions can be adopted to promote effective water conservation and management practices?

Connections between Challenge-Institution-Environment

Problems to be Solved:

Excessive use of water resources in the current economic framework (industries, tourism, agriculture, municipality infra-structures, etc)
Inefficiencies in water usage processes across various sectors.
Insufficient awareness and participation from the community in water efficient use and conservation initiatives.
Opportunity to improve efficiency and sustainability in water management.

Statement of Local Issues:

High levels of water wastage and water-resource inefficiency are major problems in southern regions, especially during summer. Addressing these challenges requires active participation from the industries, the community and local organizations to effectively manage water resources and reduce scarcity.

Strategies of Problem Solving

Problem-Solving Strategies:

Understand the specific problems related to water scarcity faced and determine which solutions are desired, needed, or can be integrated into their current practices.
Adapt existing ideas or develop new ones to address water scarcity, focusing on digital-eco-solutions. The main goal is to answer “HOW CAN I REDUCE WATER WASTAGE OR HELP TO DECREASE WATER SCARCITY ?” by creating innovative solutions for water management.
Think about and develop a broad strategy for various sectors and target audiences.

Data-Driven Analysis: Engage with the topic of water scarcity by researching existing solutions and identifying opportunities to change water consumption. This involves networking and broadening the perception of reality through local community engagement, identifying possible challenge providers, or engaging with existing ones. Participants should brainstorm actively with other learners and partners, using techniques like mind mapping, and role-playing to spark creativity.

Stakeholder Engagement: The challenge prioritizes the involvement of local public bodies, as they are responsible for solving societal problems at all levels. Companies are also essential, either because they need solutions or because some have already developed them. The local community’s involvement is essential for introducing changes, requiring input from people, students, and the wider community.

Innovative Solution Development: Creation of groundbreaking ideas to address water scarcity. Learners will engage in collaborative brainstorming and design-thinking workshops. These ideas will be brought to life through prototyping and pilot testing. Emphasizing technology, the project will explore advanced solutions for efficient water use, recycling, re-use, wastewater reduction, pollution, monitoring, conservation by natural systems. To bridge the gap between innovation and community use, learners will create user-friendly digital tools that encourage sustainable water practices or other behavior that conduces a change. Implementation of innovative technologies like smart irrigation systems, greywater recycling, and leak detection systems can optimize water usage.

Technology Integration and Eco-Digitalisation: Modern sustainable practices heavily rely on digital solutions. The students have the opportunity to develop some technologies to control water use. Students will develop cutting-edge digital platforms and applications to tackle water scarcity challenges. This also includes APPS to raise awareness of water wastage, both for the community and for companies. They will also explore technology’s role in water use and consumption.

Testing and Refining Through Action: The project will always have a theoretical part and an implementation part. These projects will allow students to test the practicality, usability and impact of the project they have developed in real environments. At this stage they will be available to collect ideas and feedback from the target audience – such as community members, companies and partner organizations. This is essentially to allow them to make adjustments to their projects and improve their ideas and solutions.

With this approach, students will devise innovative solutions to water scarcity and develop their active role in global problems. At the same time, community involvement and educational initiatives will raise awareness, encourage behavior change and promote an environment conducive to sustainable water management.

Phases of Problem Solving

Timeframes of Activities by months:

Month 1: Problems identification and understanding, initial research and stakeholder engagement, refining of problem statement, identify user needs and requirements
Month 2-3: Ideation and Conceptualization, Development of sketches and storyboards of solutions and low-fidelity prototypes, gather early feedback from peers and stakeholders.
Month 3-4: Design and high-fidelity prototyping of selected concept, testing and refinement of solutions., Prepare documentation of the design and prototyping process,
Month 4-5: Develop a pilot testing, scalability assessment and implementation plan. Prepare presentation and communication.

Outcomes

Immediate Outcomes:

Knowledge of the typology of solutions and insights into new solutions
Development of ideas and pilot projects for innovative solutions to water efficient use, reduced wastage, retaining by ecosystems and to decrease water scarcity.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Deliver a well-researched, tested, and feasible project version that demonstrates a practical solution for water scarcity
The valorization of resources through the solutions proposed and developed.
Introducing communities of practice to solve global problems

Innovative aspects:

Reusing water and rainwater, thus reducing the use of potable water from the public network.
Alerting all sectors to the scarcity of water, and the need to reduce consumption and waste, thus providing more innovative solutions in specific areas for these users.
Support to conservation initiatives and sustainable land management practices promoting water retaining, capture and efficient management

Impact of the Project

Owners of the Result:

Industry Partners
Local Communities
VET providers
Policy makers and Government Bodies

Related Outcomes:

Enable the involvement of various entities to solve global problems.
Efficient water use and conservation technologies that can also could be cost savings for households, businesses, and municipalities, freeing up resources for other sustainability initiatives.

Environmental Changes:

Reduced water consumption to reduce water scarcity and guarantee water quality
Prototypes aimed at water purification and wastewater treatment as well natural filtration

The project’s success will be measured by its contribution from water management solutions applicable in several areas. By fostering innovation, collaboration, and community engagement, the project goal is to show the reality of water scarcity and create an impact both in the community and at company level on reducing water consumption and guaranteeing water quality.

Competences Gained Through the Project

This CBL project is designed to equip students with a valuable set of competencies that will benefit them in their academic and professional careers. Here’s a breakdown of the key competencies students can expect to develop:

Technical Skills:

Context Analysis and Communication: Students will improve their skills in analyzing and understanding the problem of water scarcity and the behaviors in their community that can be changed. They will essentially develop general analytical skills and the ability to communicate with the target audience.
Digital Literacy: Project activities will involve the use of different digital tools and platforms, including social media, educational software, and potentially mobile app development in order to sensitize the population in general. But, the project could include more technical solutions for managing water use, such as adapting instruments to control and reduce consumption.
Project Implementation: Integrated participation in a project that can be replicable, provides general skills in project implementation and in the various phases of a project. Project management stages are common, and therefore we will be able to manage projects.

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking:

Systems Thinking: The project requires an understanding of the water management system as a whole including a global understanding, considering all possibilities to improve sustainable solutions. This raises systems thinking and the ability to identify the root causes of water scarcity problems, influenced by climate changes.
Creative Problem-Solving: Students will be challenged to develop innovative solutions to complex water scarcity challenges. Brainstorming techniques, design thinking methodologies, and user-centered approaches will be employed to encourage creative thinking and the generation of effective solutions.
Critical Evaluation: Throughout the project, students will be required to critically evaluate proposed solutions, consider their feasibility, and assess their potential impact on sustainability and the community.

Communication and Collaboration:

Effective Communication: Students will need to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including peers, stakeholders (local government, companies), and the general public. They will hone their written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
Teamwork and Collaboration: The project emphasizes collaborative learning, requiring students to work effectively within a team. They will learn to share ideas, manage conflict, and contribute to achieving common goals.
Stakeholder Engagement: The success of the project hinges on productive relationships with stakeholders. Students will develop skills in stakeholder identification, communication, and collaboration, understanding the importance of involving various players in the solution development process.

This comprehensive set of competencies will empower students to become future leaders in addressing water scarcity. They will be equipped to tackle complex problems, innovate solutions, collaborate effectively, and contribute to a more sustainable future in water resource management.

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

References

United Nations. Water Scarcity. Available at: https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-scarcity.
European Commission. Water scarcity and droughts. Available at: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/water-scarcity-and-droughts_en.
Blue Deal for Europe to combat water scarcity, droughts, floods and pollution. Available at: https://cor.europa.eu/en/news/Pages/blue-deal-for-europe-water-management.aspx.
The European Union and the Challenge of Water Scarcity. Available at: https://www.robert-schuman.eu/en/european-issues/126-the-european-union-and-the-challenge-of-water-scarcity.

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