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Community Action on Water Issues
Alcoa Foundation's local grantmaking has addressed a variety of water management and quality issues through innovative projects and programs.
In addition to the partnerships and larger grants presented in the April 2008 issue of Advancing Sustainability, the Foundation also provides funding for local grant opportunities that are identified and pursued by Alcoa staff and leadership. In 2007, about half of Alcoa Foundation's funds were used for local grantmaking in 36 countries.
"Water issues may be discussed globally, but action takes place in communities," said Meg McDonald, president of Alcoa Foundation. "Action can take many forms, such as water quality measurement programs for schoolchildren, enhanced research capabilities to formulate policy and monitor compliance, and projects to safeguard watersheds."
In Guinea, for example, Guinee Ecologie received a US$191,000 Alcoa Foundation grant in 2006 to work with local groups to develop local water resources. Through training, communities learned how to construct shallow wells, collect rainwater, and safeguard stored and harvested water supplies from communicable diseases.
In China, the Chaochang Village Committee was awarded a US$20,000 grant in 2007 for its work with the village of Quinhuangdao to construct water tanks for safe storage of water in a mountainous area.
Two 2006 projects in Australia focused on ways to recycle potable water supplies. The Barwon Region Water Authority used its US$55,000 grant to develop a "fit for purpose" program for the community of Torquay, with different recycling practices depending on the intended end use of the water, such as using "gray" water for gardening.
With a US$55,000 grant, the Wannon Region Water Authority undertook a larger information and education campaign for southwest Victoria that was designed to promote practices to save and recycle water among urban and rural stakeholders. A similar program to highlight the importance of recycling as tied to larger environmental issues was completed in the Italian community of Sant'anna Arresi in 2006 with a US$58,000 grant.
In 2007, Spanish Fork City in Utah used a US$40,000 grant to research different ways to manage stormwater runoff as part of a larger initiative to preserve its wetlands. The James River Association in Richmond, Virginia, received a US$20,000 grant to promote practices to control stormwater runoff with national and local partners as part of a larger effort to preserve the watershed.
Practices for sustainable and renewable water management were highlighted in school-based programs for kindergarten to high school students. In 2006 in western Pennsylvania, juniors and seniors from Allegheny College used a US$15,000 grant for a one-on-one program with science teachers on the importance of watersheds and how to conserve these resources.
The Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation organized sustainable water resource management training for science teachers, who used the materials and sessions to enhance their curriculums and instructional methods. In Chile, the International Food Policy Research Institute created an educational program for elementary and middle-school children that paired water quality measurement with their math lessons.
Between 2002 and 2006, Alcoa-Europe and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River partnered to develop the research and monitoring capacities of water authorities in Hungary and Romania. This partnership led to measurable results in the quality of the water in the Danube and its major tributaries in these two countries, as well as in the promotion of community-based practices. Corporate, community, and governmental stakeholders took part in workshops focused on these practices, and their experiences were captured in a handbook that was circulated to stakeholders in other countries where the Danube River flows.
"Climate change, growing populations, urbanization, and emerging industries, such as biofuel production, are placing new demands on regional water resources," said McDonald. "Alcoa locations, with support from Alcoa Foundation, are working with the communities in which they operate to define key water management and conservation issues and take action through projects and programs to safeguard these resources."
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