This documentary project is a sharp criticism of the “French model” of privatisation of water which is gaining increasing ground worldwide: the so-called public-private partership which rewards the “efficiency” of private sector management and distribution with the right to determine the cost of the service as an economic good.
Made by a [...]
Archive for the ‘water’ Category
“Water Makes Money” shines spotlight on French water monopoly model
Posted in water on June 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
France launches Grenelle on Oceans
Posted in Grenelle, biodiversity, climate change, food, water on March 6, 2009 | 1 Comment »
France’s Environment Minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, announced last month the launch of a “Grenelle de la Mer”, modelled on the Grenelle on the Environment and focused exclusively on problems related to fishing and the oceans. The idea is to bring together experts, stakeholders and representatives of the government and business to hammer out a long-term strategic [...]
European parliament passes pesticide ban
Posted in agriculture, food, health, water on January 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Members of the European Parliament passed an important law on pesticides last week which seeks to reduce their use over the next decade by promoting the use of non-chemical products and less harmful substitutes. The text, voted in by an overwhelming majority, stipulates a ban on 22 substances found in pesticides which have been linked [...]
Thoughts on the R-word
Posted in climate change, renewable energy, water on June 19, 2008 | 3 Comments »
R is for rationing – a dirty word that everyone is avoiding, but which looms nonetheless as the unspoken sub-text of all public discourse on the current scarcity of resources – food, fossil fuels and water. It’s also referred to as demand management, if you like institutional gobbledygook.
Growing up in Hong Kong, I remember water [...]
Dreaming about a house in the vineyards? Think again…
Posted in agriculture, air quality, water on May 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A recent European study put the spotlight on pesticide content in wine. This study failed to generate any public debate in France. According to Dominique Techer, owner of Chateau Gombaude-Guillot in Pomerol and member of an assocation of wine-growers who want to see a kinder form of grape growing for the environment, the subject is [...]
Evils of laundry detergent
Posted in water on April 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
from www.planete-terra.fr posted with vodpod
Marseilles to supply drought-stricken Barcelona with water
Posted in climate change, water on March 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Marseilles has agreed in principle to provide water relief to Barcelona, which is suffering from severe drought. Under an agreement between la Société des eaux de Marseille (SEM) and Aquas de Barcelona, starting from May a fleet of seven tankers with a capacity of more than 28,000 cubic metres each will transport water to the [...]
How safe are mid-winter strawberries from Spain?
Posted in agriculture, food, health, waste disposal, water on February 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Most of those strawberries that you can buy at any French supermarket at this time of the year come from Huelva in southern Spain, Europe’s biggest strawberry production hub. They look more or less edible and are priced to sell – at 2.20 euros for a 250 g packet, it is [...]
Artificial snow at the Eiffel Tower prompts outcry
Posted in climate change, water on January 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If you’ve been to the Eiffel Tower lately you will have noticed that the first level of the number one tourist attraction in Paris has acquired a layer of snow on the first floor and visitors are being offered free snow shoes as they arrive. This novelty is part of a photo exhibition called “Rendez-vous [...]
World’s highest dry toilet in French Alps
Posted in waste disposal, water on October 29, 2007 | 1 Comment »
The world’s highest dry toilet was recently installed at Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains in the French Alps at an altitude of 4630 meters. The manufacturer, Ecosphere Technologies, specializes in waterless, chemical-free dry toilets for locations that are rural or far from sewage systems. Their toilets use a worm-composting system. If you’d like to understand exactly how they work, [...]
