ESW won an EPA P3 Phase 1 grant (October
2008- April 2009): Water
Awareness, Research and Education in East Tampa (WARE East
Tampa): A pilot collaboration involving USF, Young Magnet
Middle School and the East Tampa Community.
Stormwater retention ponds
play a vital role in flood and pollution control in communities
throughout Florida and volunteer community programs have
been successful at reducing local pollutant loads and maintaining
pond health. This P3 award will establish a collaborative
mechanism involving the University of South Florida, Young
Middle Magnet School and East Tampa community members that
effectively raises environmental awareness in East Tampa
using stormwater ponds as an initial focal point.
Outputs from this project are:
- a) curriculum developed for students at Young Middle
Magnet
- b) stormwater retention pond demonstration modules and
tour
- c) baseline water quality data collection for three retention
ponds in East Tampa and establishment of a sustainable
water monitoring program
- d) preliminary assessment of sediment heavy metal concentrations;
- e) a report with proposed activities needed to advance
this project. Participant surveys will be conducted at
various times over the course of the project to evaluate
its effectiveness.
For pictures click
here. For more information on WARE click
here.
Other topics of interest are:
- Assessing and increasing awareness of issues
connected to community and national livelihoods.
the problem: there is a general
lack of awareness regarding technical issues that are intricately
connected to community livelihoods. These issues involve
natural disasters and how they occur; watersheds and
water resources/water quality and their connectivity
to development; improper solid waste disposal its effect
on water quality, flood control, etc. The whole point is
that the things that affect people's livelihood and play
such an important role in a city or country are often poorly
understood by the masses.
the hypothesis: if we can increase
people's awareness of what is intricately connected to their
livelihoods we can empower them to become part of the
decision making process while rallying and lobbying becomes
much easier. They will be in a better position to contribute
to overall sustainable development.
 the approach: cogeneration
of knowledge - working with communities to produce information
together.
examples: Production of educational
material for communities/schools in Guyana to improve understanding
of how water is managed in the low lying coastal plain is
managed where the majority of the population resides. Guyana
suffers immense losses from floods each year. A project like
this could initiate a ESW chapter at the Univesity of Guyana.
There are many opportunities for this type of project in
the Tampa bay with underserved communities.
- Holistic approaches to sustainable solutions in small
communities outside of the U.S.
the problem: many small communities
in remote areas are challenged with multiple issues that
contribute to environmental sustainability. These issues
include access to clean water and health care and opportunities
for economic viability.
VP in charge of projects: Douglas Oti |
