The Blue Planet Project

Photo albums

2009-02-10T03:09:00.004+02:00

Carini, Italy 2003

Sweden 2004

Our official web site and a farewell

2008-07-24T00:09:00.008+03:00

All our material collected and published can be found in the address:
http://8lyk-ioann.ioa.sch.gr/bpp/ or
http://theblueplanetproject.50webs.com/ (mirror site)

Our project have been implemented successfully. This is the end of our project. But our friendship built all these years keeps on! We hope we 'll meet again in the future. Good luck to all!
Farewell

Stergios Nastopoulos, Angela Stoukidou, Maria Tsougla, Maria Andreadaki, Martha Pappa, Georgia Tamvakou, Eugenia Benekou, Eleni Roidi, Ekaterini Santamouri and Panos Giakis (School Headmaster) from the Greek team.

Anna Maria Bevacqua, Anna Taddeo, Giovanna Di Lemma, Maria Paola Ribaudo, Cuccio C., Ganci V., Demma G., Mulè E., Perricone B., Fogazza L., Spatafora T., Tulumello C., Guido Gambino and Antonino Ricobonno (School Headmasters) from the Italian team.

Ana Vorovenci (School Headmaster), Maria Vlaicu, Domnica Pestritu, Ion Radescu and Nicolae Popescu from the Romanian team of Rucar.

Marius Cocut and Gabriela Irimia from the Romanian School from Neamt.

Erik Ordell, Jeanina Karrstrom (School headmaster), Lars Sandgren, Jenny Hermansson, Margit Karlsson, Anette Schreiber, Christina Granqvist, Ulla Carin Dahl-Rolfö and Lars Kristensson from the Swedish team.

Video from the project meeting in Carini, Italy (2006)-Part 3

2008-07-24T00:07:00.005+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Carini, Italy (2006)-Part 2

2008-07-24T00:07:00.002+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Carini, Italy (2006)-Part 1

2008-07-24T00:05:00.002+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Ioannina, Greece (2006)-Part 3

2008-07-24T00:03:00.001+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Ioannina, Greece (2006)-Part 2

2008-07-24T00:00:00.001+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Ioannina, Greece (2006)-Part 1

2008-07-23T23:59:00.002+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Rucar, Romania (2005)-Part 3

2008-07-23T21:19:00.002+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Rucar, Romania (2005)-Part 2

2008-07-23T21:14:00.002+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Rucar, Romania (2005)-Part 1

2008-07-23T21:10:00.000+03:00

Video from the project meeting in Ioannina, Greece (2004)

2008-07-23T21:02:00.000+03:00

Project Activities Report

2006-06-16T14:07:00.000+03:00

The experience done in this three years of cooperation in the Comenius project “The Blue Planet” has been educational and formative, enriching both the teachers and the students of each participating school, at a cultural and social level, creating an occasion of integration and growth in a European perspective.

The European School Partners involved in the experience are:

Coordinating school:

“Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Ugo Mursia” Carini- Italia

European school partners:
“Grupul Scolar Forestier” Rucar - Romania
“8° Eniaio Lykeio Ioanninon” Ioannina, Epirus- Greece

Transnational mobility

Project meeting in Ioannina, Greece
Project meeting in Carini, Italy

The project meeting in Greece that occurred on 27th, 28th and 29th March 2006 can be considered a crucial moment in the reorganization of the activities, after the changes occurred, due to the reduction of the partnership, for the absence of the Swedish team. During the meeting the students presented the material elaborated, with an important section in which the questionnaire on the domestic use of water and its results were presented to the partners. The meeting developed an informative-theoretical and practical approach and a naturalistic section, with attention to the theme of the “Eutrophication” of the lake of Ioannina and the difficulties to solve it, including a practical section of experimentation in loco through the use of chemicals. There were also visits to natural sites, as the river bridge “Theogefyro” of the Kalamas River and the wetlands of Lefkada, with emphasis on the sea and the naval tradition of the place. Notable the visit to the Island of Scorpios. An Important objective of the project was to show the dances and the traditions of the Epirus, the Greek history and legends such as the legend of Ali-Pasha and Kira Frossini.
The meeting focalised the attention of the Municipal authority, of the local radio and press and of local institutions, with the participation of the administrators of Education and the Prefect of Ioannina. Moreover it has arisen the attention and the cooperation of the Municipality of Zitsa and the Monastic Committee of Prophet Elias’Monastery of Zitsa. The municipality of Lefkada helped to give the information on the wetlands of the island.
The participants acquired information about the aspects of local life, food and culture, thus creating a more personal link among teachers and students, who have always had a central role in the project meeting activities. Especially for the presence of some Italian students that participated to the meeting, hosted by Greek families.

The project meeting in Italy occurred from 8th to 10th May and can be considered the final act of three fruitful years of cooperation and activities, an occasion to summarize the work done and to be done to conclude the project.
The meeting has included moments of presentation of the material prepared by the Italian students, with the guide of the teachers and moments of reflection on the project’s follow up. Moreover there were visits to places of naturalistic importance, such as the visit to the Reserve of Isola delle Femmine and of Capo Gallo organized by the Capitaneria di Porto of Palermo and visitf to Segesta, Erice and Palermo with its marvellous markets and fountains.
It’s worth to underline the relevant role that the students have assumed both during the presentation of the material at school and also in the moment of recreation with the performance of a show, including music and dances. Moreover the students of our Hotel and Management school prepared delicious dishes of the Sicilian cooking tradition for our guests. The meeting has focalized the participation of the students’parents and the local community, in general with the interview done by the local tv, that put a further emphasis on the importance of the thematic concerning water and the water resources, and the intervention of the Capitaneria di Porto, as an official authority.
In conclusion the partners agreed on the positive development and implementation of the project, suggesting the possibility of a CDROM and a DVD as the final products of the cooperation among our schools.

LOCAL ACTIVITIES

o Didactic development of the project theme in the different school subjects and integration in the curriculum in each participating school ;
o Researches on the scientific and literary aspects concerning the theme, with text analysis of literary passages and study of socio-cultural aspects of the water;
o Implementation of the TIC and of communication on line thanks to the Web Magazine, the Web sites, promoted by the Greek Partners;
o Socialization of the material produced during the meetings at school and through the internet, publication of the photografic dossier in the school websites;
o Visits to places of particular naturalistic relevance relating to the project theme, with the students’ involvement ;
o Questionnaire on the domestic use of the water and statistics of the results;
o Partecipation to the XVI Week of the scientific and technological Culture and socializzation of the material of the Comenius Project The Blue Planet at the Liceo Scientifico Cannizzaro of Palermo

Material produced both jointly and separately

A collection of CDs, prepared by the students in each school on the theme and shared during the meetings among the partners;
A video presenting the most relevant activities of the meeting, produced by the Greek partner;
Panels with pictures and drawings related to the project theme

Impact of the project

On methodology
Motivation to work in group and to cooperate
- Motivation to use the English language as a real means of communication
- Intercultural vision of a theme of mutual interest
- Desire to meet and know new school experiences and European partners
- Consolidation of the use of tic
- Interdisciplinary approach to the school subjects
On the Local community
- Interest for the school activities
- Integration of the school to the territory
- Motivation to understand the necessity to preserve and respect the environment
- Social engagement of the local community

Dissemination of the material

The dissemination of the material has been done at a local and a wider level:
At a local level through the socialization of the material produced inside the school and local community, also through the local information channels.
At a wider level the material concerning the project has been disseminated in the internet, through the Gold system and the EST (European shared treasure) in Italy and the communication links on line run by the Greek partner, namely, through the web magazine: www.webzinemaker/blueplanet, and the site theblueplanetproject.blogspot.com, that are registering many visitors per day by teachers and people interested in material on water. Moreover we can visit the schools’websites in Italy and Greece, that are http:8lyk-ioann.ioa.sch.gr/bpp and www.iismursia.it

Collaboration among the partners

As distribution of work and a mutual cooperation are two essential elements in the partnership, each partner has contributed as much as possible to reach the final objectives, helping according to one’s abilities and capabilities. The activities have given the opportunity to exchange material and methodological suggestions, indispensable in our educational role. We have succeeded in involving the students and motivating them to be more cooperative, to widen the subject, to use the TIC and the English language to communicate, encouraging a reciprocal exchange among students of different schools; so that during this last year the mobility of the students has increased also to give them the opportunity to know different social and cultural contexts and to feel a deeper European spirit .

Final Product

As for the final products we agreed on the presentation of two different work: a CDROM of the material produced by the schools in this three year of cooperation by the Italian School and a DVD including the best moments of the Meetings by the Greek school.

Evaluation of the results
Evaluative Techniques

Round table with discussions and debates on the project management in each school with students and teachers;
Tests to check the students’ awareness, motivation, knowledge…..on the theme;
Involvement of as many students, teachers and local exponents as possible;
A constant interaction between the theme of the project and the school curriculum and activities, in a multidisciplinary perspective;
A periodical account of the activities by the partners;

CONCLUSION
The results of the activities carried out in the course of this three years of cooperation are quite satisfying, both at a didactic level and as concerns the cooperation among the partners. An interesting bulk of material has been produced and disseminated, moreover there has been a fair distribution of the role among the schools and the main obstacles concerning communication have been overcome.
As all the partners insisted importance has been given to the involvement of the students for more practical activities: drawings and researches, collection of material in the foreign language and so on. Moreover the project has become a local event with the involvement of the local community and the official authorities.
We are firmly convinced that the project has had an impact not only at a school level, on methodology and cultural aspects, but also in the local community life: administrators, politicians, the students’ families have been involved in the project meetings, thus creating a moment of aggregation and socialization among different school realities and different countries.
It’s worth to underline the active role that the students have played during the meetings, as the project is a moment in the students’ growth.
In conclusion, the experience has been productive and fruitful as a life and teaching experience. Therefore, we intend to strengthen and intensify our friendship and school and social engagement, continuing our sincere and intense cooperation in the course of the future years.
Our aim has been to encourage our students’ civil and human growth, in the attempt to relate the school to the local community and to a wider European perspective and we think to have been successful.

Results of the questionnaire on the domestic use of water

2006-06-16T09:45:00.000+03:00

by the Romanian Comenius team from Rucar
Poll Time: March 2006

Results of the questionnaire on the domestic use of water by the Italian Comenius team

2006-05-26T19:44:00.000+03:00

2006-05-23T08:32:00.000+03:00

This work have been presented during the project meeting in Carini, Italy (8th-11th of May 2006), by the students of the Italian Comenius team. Supervisor teacher: Giovanna Di Lemma

2006-05-21T23:55:00.000+03:00

QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE DOMESTIC USE OF WATER

Results of the A’ class of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina

Time: March 2006
Sample Size: 92 students

PERSONAL USE OF WATER

1) How often do you have a bath in a week?

a) less than once
1 or 1,09%
b) twice
15 or 16,30%
c) three times
48 or 52,17%
d) every day
28 or 30,43%

2) When you have a bath do you fill the bath with water?
a) YES
22 or 23,91%
b) NO
70 or 76,09%

3) If the previous answer is NO, do you have a shower

a) turning the tap off, when you soap yourself?
41 or 53,95%
b) Leaving the tap on, when you soap yourself?
35 or 46,05%

4) When you use water while you brushing your teeth, washing your face, shaving etc. do you leave the water running?

a) YES
27 or 29,35%
b) NO
24 or 26,09%
c) SOMETIMES
41 or 44,57%

FAMILY USE OF WATER

1) When there is a tap or pipe leaking do you have it fixed immediately?
a)YES
76 or 82,61%
b) NO
16 or 17,39%

2) Do you use an economical toilet flush (e.g. appropriate float or putting a brick inside it etc)?

a) YES
28 or 31,46%
b) NO
61 or 68,54%

3) Do you have a washing machine at home?

a) YES
89 or 97,80%
b) NO
2 or 2,20%

4) If so, how often do you use it for the family?

a) once a week
3 or 3,30%
b) twice
17 or 18,68%
c) three times a week
71 or 78,02%

5) If you have a washing machine, do you use the economic program?

a) Always
8 or 8,89%
b) Sometimes
59 or 65,56%
c) Never
23 or 25,56%

6) Do you have a dish washer at home?

a) YES
52 or 56,52%
b) NO
40 or 43,48%

7) What do you use for washing up at home?

a) ) Always the dishwasher
19 or 21,11%
b) Sometimes the dishwasher
32 or 35,56%
c) By hand
39 or 43,33%

8) How do you wash the fruits and vegetables at home?

a) By washing and rinsing them in a basin (separately or in a sink) always
5 or 5,43%
b) With the tap on always
70 or 76,09%
c) By washing and rinsing in a basin sometimes
4 or 4,35%
d) With the tap on sometimes
13 or 14,13%

9) How do you usually wash the family car/cars?

a) At a car laundry
36 or 39,13%
b) With a bucket and a sponge at home
28 or 30,43%
c) With a washing hose
28 or 30,43%

10) For drinking water at home, do you use

a) Water from the tap
50 or 55,56%
b) Bottled water
40 or 44,44%

11) If you use bottled water, do you do it because (tick more one, if you want)

a) it has a better smell
3
b) it has better taste
13
c) it is not polluted
63
d) it has fewer salts
16

12) How much does a cubic meter of water cost?

a) less than 50 cents
20 or 22,47%
b) from 50 cents to 1 Euro
37 or 41,57%
c) from 1 Euro to 2 Euros
8 or 8,99%
d) from 2 Euro and over
24 or 26,97%

13) How many cubic meters of water do you consume in every bill on average.

*Nobody answered this question

14) How much is the average water bill approximately?

*Nobody answered this question

From the Greek “Blue Planet” Comenius Team: Data collection by the students: Agathi Daflou, Christina Tzeleta and Katerina Sintou.

Data process by the student Thalia Pappa and the teacher Stergios Nastopoulos.

2006-05-12T23:25:00.000+03:00

COMENIUS PROJECT “IL PIANETA BLU”
PROGRAM OF THE PROJECT MEETING IN CARINI
FROM 8TH TO 10 TH MAY.

SUNDAY 7 TH MAY
22:50 Arrival of Greek partners. Accomodation at the hotel.

MONDAY 8 TH MAY
8:30 Welcome ceremony at school.
9:00 ÷ 11:30 Presentation of the student’s works.
Information about:The water as a nutritive principle ;
Water as a global resource.

Coffee break

Questionnaire’s results.

Water as a natural resource
13:00 Lunch at school.
15:00 Project session meeting.
15.30 Visit of Isola delle Femmine. A seafaring place.
19:00 Return to the hotel.
20:30 Dinner at school. Musical presentation by the students.

TUESDAY 9 TH MAY
8:15 Departure from the hotel to school.
8:30 Departure for Erice on the lone mountain of western Sicily. It is a magnificent medieval town, famous for its Norman castle or “Castle of Venus”. Visit of the “A. Cordici” Museum in whose atrium there is “The Annunciation” by Antonello Gagini.
Erice is also famous for its craftsmanship and gastronomy, in particular for sweetsmeats of almonds and candied fruits.
13:00 Lunch at the professional school I.P.S.S.A.R. “I. e V. Florio” of Erice.

Departure for Segesta. Visit of the archeological area located on Mount Barbaro. It was one of Elyminians settlements. Visit of the Doric- style temple of V century B.C. and of Hellenistic Theatre.
19:30 Return to the hotel.
20:30 Dinner at school.

WEDNESDAY 10 TH MAY
8:15 Departure from the hotel for Palermo.
Visit of the Pretoria’s fountain built in 1554 by Francesco Camilliani a sculptor. It is adorned by statues which represent the Palermo’s rivers of Oreto, Papireto, Gabriele e Maredolce. The putto at its top symbolizes the Genius of Palermo.
Visit of the Cathedral built in the XII century by the Normans, on the site of an old Christian basilica. We can find the silver urn of St. Rosalia the protectress of the town.
Visit of St. Mary of the Admiral or the “Martorana”. It was by Admiral George of Antioch. It is famous for its mosaics and the baroque frescoes.
Visit of St. Francis of Assisi built in the XIII century.

13:00 Lunch at “ Focacceria” where it’s possible to taste the famous “ panino with panelle” and “panino with spleen and liver” typical Sicilian food.

15:00 Free afternoon for shopping.

18:30 Return to the hotel.

20:00 Project meeting session. Conclusion of works.

21:00 Farewell dinner at school.

THURSDAY 11 TH MAY

Departure of the partners.

2006-04-22T12:58:00.000+03:00

The new project meeting, as we decided in our last project meeting, will take place in Carini, Sicily, Italy in May 8th-11th, 2006. Now we are preparing for this last project meeting, which will have a festive and conclusive character. After an effort of three years, we will meet each other for the last time for the project. Friendship and relations developed all these years is an investment for the future, not only as teachers and students, but mainly as human beings. Difficulties, problems to be resolved have united different persons from different cultures and countries in a common purpose. We feel richer after all. Richer in feelings. And knowing each other changed our point of view to people and countries.

2006-04-11T14:07:00.000+03:00

EUTROPHICATION IN LAKES

2006-04-11T09:31:00.000+03:00

EUTROPHICATION IN LAKES AND SOME PΗYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS MEASUREMENT

Trophic States
Terms oligotrophic ("little food") and eutrophic ("well fed") were first used to describe soil fertility in northern Germany around 1905
This trophic classification of lakes was first developed largely on the basis of benthic invertebrates present in the deep water sediments. Some species were found to be more sensitive to low oxygen than others. This in turn could be related to classification as oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic. Note that as originally proposed, only oligotrophic and eutrophic were defined.
1. OLIGOTROPHIC LAKES - tend to be deep with mean depths > 15 m and maximum depths > 25 m. Waters are transparent and have low density of plant life occurring at various depths. Nutrient supply is low in relation to the volume of water and dominant fish tend to be coldwater species such as lake trout.
2. EUTROPHIC LAKES - are shallow with mean depths <>MESOTROPHIC LAKES - a convenient term for lakes that are borderline between oligotrophic and eutrophic. They are intermediate with respect to nutrient supply, depth, biological productivity, water clarity, and oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion.

Lake Succession - Natural Eutrophication
Based on knowledge that oligotrophic lakes are deep and eutrophic lakes are shallow, it was inferred that lakes must evolve toward a condition of eutrophy over geological periods of time. Thus, the ultimate fate of lakes was to become filled with sediments and eventually supplanted by grassed or forests. Lakes accumulate sediments at an average rate of about 1 mm per year. Support for the idea that there is a successional process in lakes from oligotrophic to eutrophic was found through examinations of the fossil remains of indicator organisms in the sediments. The deepest sediments (oldest deposits) tended to have a greater abundance of organisms found in well oxygenated conditions and the shallowest sediments (most recently deposited) tend to have more organisms tolerant of low oxygen conditions. Despite some evidence to the contrary, there is widespread acceptance of the PROCESS OF NATURAL EUTROPHICATION. Natural eutrophication is complex, immeasurably slow (geological time periods), and, for all practical purposes, it is irreversible under a given set of climatic conditions. It is caused by the change in form and depth of the basin as it gradually fills in with sediment. To reverse natural eutrophication, you would have to scour out the lake basin; a formidable task under any circumstances and certainly not practical with current technology! Nutrient supply does not change, or if it does, it decreases as soils become exhausted.

Cultural Eutrophication
Human settlement in the drainage basin of a lake generally leads to clearing of the natural vegetation, the development of farms and cities. These activities in turn accelerate runoff from the land surface and increase the input of plant nutrients, i.e., the rate of nutrient supply is increased. Also, streams were convenient for disposing of household wastes and sewage, adding to the nutrient load in the receiving water body. The addition of plant nutrients stimulates the growth of algae and other plants which in turn stimulates fish and other organisms in the food web. This phenomenon is called CULTURAL EUTROPHICATION.

Cultural eutrophication is characterized by an intense proliferation of algae and higher plants and their accumulation in excessive quantities, which can result in detrimental changes in water quality and biological populations

The perceived negative effects of cultural eutrophication include reduced water transparency and excessive algal and plant growth, which is highly visible and can interfere with uses and aesthetic quality of water. One consequence of such growths may be taste and odour problems in drinking water. Ecological consequences include hypolimnetic anoxia due to algal decomposition and fish kills

In a few words: Cultural eutrophication is the rapid enrichment of water with nutrients derived from human activities. Main nutrients are P and N and they are derived from sewage, agricultural and livestock holding operations. This process is the result of an increase in nutrient supply to a constant volume of water, without any appreciable change in depth or form of the basin, as in natural eutrophication.

Table I. General Characteristics Frequently Used to Classify Lakes

The control of eutrophication is normally based on limiting aquatic plant nutrient input. Such control efforts must be directed toward the element which is currently limiting or can be made to limit algal growth in the body of water of concern. Domestic wastewaters represent potentially significant sources of nitrogen and phosphorus for the excessive fertilization of surface waters. Eutrophication control efforts are generally directed toward limiting the phosphorus content of domestic wastewaters by precipitation or co-precipitation treatment methods involving the use of aluminum or iron salts or lime. Other potentially significant sources of nitrogen and phosphorus include urban and rural storm water drainage and atmospheric inputs.

The control of nitrogen and phosphorus from urban and rural diffuse sources is a much more difficult task and will require the expenditure of large amounts of funds if excessive fertilization of natural waters it to be minimized to the greatest possible tent

IMPORTANT PARAMETERS

Physical parameters: Colour, Temperature, Turbidity and Odour.
Chemical parameters: pH, Electrical Conductivity (E.C), Total Solids (TS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Hardness, Calcium Hardness, Magnesium Hardness, Nitrates, Phosphates, Sulphates, Chlorides, Dissolved Oxygen (D.O), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Fluorides, Free Carbon-di-oxide, Potassium and Sodium.
Heavy metals: Lead, Copper, Nickel, Iron, Chromium, Cadmium and Zinc.
Biological parameters: The biological parameters involved the qualitative analyses of planktons (zooplankton and phytoplankton).

COLOUR
In natural water, colour is due to the presence of acids, metallic ions, suspended matter, plankton, weeds and industrial effluents. Colour is removed to make water suitable for general and industrial applications and is determined by visual comparison of the sample with distilled water.

pH
The pH of a sample of water is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions. The term pH was derived from the manner in which the hydrogen ion concentration is calculated - it is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration. What this means to those of us who are not mathematicians is that at higher pH, there are fewer free hydrogen ions, and that a change of one pH unit reflects a tenfold change in the concentrations of the hydrogen ion. For example, there are 10 times as many hydrogen ions available at a pH of 7 than at a pH of 8. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is considered to be neutral. Substances with pH of less that 7 are acidic; substances with pH greater than 7 are basic.

The pH of water determines the solubility (amount that can be dissolved in the water) and biological availability (amount that can be utilized by aquatic life) of chemical constituents such as nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon) and heavy metals (lead, copper, cadmium, etc.). For example, in addition to affecting how much and what form of phosphorus is most abundant in the water, pH may also determine whether aquatic life can use it. In the case of heavy metals, the degree to which they are soluble determines their toxicity. Metals tend to be more toxic at lower pH because they are more soluble.

When pollution results in higher algal and plant growth (e.g., from increased temperature or excess nutrients), pH levels may increase, as allowed by the buffering capacity of the lake. Although these small changes in pH are not likely to have a direct impact on aquatic life, they greatly influence the availability and solubility of all chemical forms in the lake and may aggravate nutrient problems. For example, a change in pH may increase the solubility of phosphorus, making it more available for plant growth and resulting in a greater long-term demand for dissolved oxygen.
Generally, during the summer months in the upper portion of a eutrophic lakes, pH will range between 7.5 and 8.5. In the bottom of the lake or in less productive lakes, pH will be lower, 6.5 to 7.5, perhaps.

TURBIDITY

Even relatively small amounts of wave action can erode exposed lakeshore sediments

Turbidity refers to how clear the water is. The greater the amount of total suspended solids (TSS) in the water, the murkier it appears and the higher the measured turbidity. The major source of turbidity in the open water zone of most lakes is typically phytoplankton, but closer to shore, particulates may also be clays and silts from shoreline erosion, resuspended bottom sediments, and organic detritus from stream and/or wastewater discharges.

High concentrations of particulate matter can modify light penetration, cause shallow lakes and bays to fill in faster, and smother benthic habitats - impacting both organisms and eggs. If light penetration is reduced significantly, macrophyte growth may be decreased which would in turn impact the organisms dependent upon them for food and cover. Reduced photosynthesis can also result in a lower daytime release of oxygen into the water. Effects on phytoplankton growth are complex depending on too many factors to generalize.

Schematic adapted from "Turbidty: A Water Quality Measure", Water Action Volunteers, Monitoring Factsheet Series.

Very high levels of turbidity for a short period of time may not be significant and may even be less of a problem than a lower level that persists longer. Turbidity is reported in nephelometric units (NTUs), but may also be measured in Jackson Turbidity Units (JTU). Waters with a turbidity level of > 5 NTU are not safe for recreational use or human consumption. Levels > 25 NTU cannot sustain Aquatic life.

The easiest and cheaper method to measure the water turbidity is using the Secchi Disk

SECCHI DISK

A Secchi disk is a circular plate divided into quarters painted alternately black and white. The disk is attached to a rope and lowered into the water until it is no longer visible. Secchi disk depth, then, is a measure of water clarity. Higher Secchi readings indicate clearer water. Lower readings indicate turbid or colored water. Clear water lets light penetrate more deeply into the lake than does murky water. This light allows photosynthesis to occur and oxygen to be produced. The rule of thumb is that light can penetrate to a depth of about 2 - 3 times the Secchi disk depth.

Taking a Secchi Disk reading

Tie a wrist loop at the end of the rope so the rope end does not accidentally drop into the water when the disk is lowered.
Lower the disk into the water until the disk just disappears from sight.
Record the amount of rope submerged (i.e., note the point where the rope and water line meet).
Raise the disk slowly until the disk just becomes visible and record this depth as well.
Average the two recorded values. This average is called the limit of visibility.

If the disk hits the bottom before dropping out of sight, note this observation and record the bottom depth.

TEMPERATURE
Most aquatic organisms are poikilothermic - i.e., "cold-blooded" - which means they are unable to internally regulate their body temperature. Therefore, temperature exerts a major influence on the biological activity and growth of aquatic organisms. To a point, the higher the water temperature, the greater the biological activity. Fish, insects, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and other aquatic species all have preferred temperature ranges. As temperatures get too far above or below this preferred range, the number of individuals of the species decreases until finally there are few, or none.

Temperature is also important because of its influence on water chemistry. The rate of chemical reactions generally increases at higher temperature, which in turn affects biological activity. An important example of the effects of temperature on water chemistry is its impact on oxygen. Warm water holds less oxygen that cool water, so it may be saturated with oxygen but still not contain enough for survival of aquatic life.

Thermal pollution (i.e., artificially high temperatures) almost always occurs as a result of discharge of municipal or industrial effluents.

PHOSPHATES
Phosphorus is one of the key elements necessary for growth of plants and animals. Phosphorus in elemental form is very toxic and is subject to bioaccumulation.
Their presence in water is due to detergents, fertilizers and biological processes. They occur in solution in particles or as detritus. They are essential for the growth of organisms and a nutrient that limits the primary productivity of the water body. Inorganic phosphorus plays a dynamic role in aquatic ecosystems; when present in low concentration is one of the most important nutrients, but if the rainfall can cause varying amounts of phosphates to wash from farm soils into nearby waterways. Phosphate will stimulate the growth of plankton and aquatic plants which provide food for fish. This increased growth may cause an increase in the fish population and improve the overall water quality. However, if an excess of phosphate enters the waterway; algae and aquatic plants will grow wildly, choke up the waterway and use up large amounts of oxygen. It is calculated by the stannous chloride (SnCl2) method.

NITRATES
Nitrogen is one of the most abundant elements. About 80 percent of the air we breathe is nitrogen. It is found in the cells of all living things and is a major component of proteins. Inorganic nitrogen may exist in the free state as a gas N2, or as nitrate NO3-, nitrite NO2-, or ammonia NH3+. Organic nitrogen is found in proteins and is continually recycled by plants and animals
Nitrates are the most oxidized forms of nitrogen and the end product of the aerobic decomposition of organic nitrogenous matter. The significant sources of nitrates are chemical fertilizers from cultivated lands, drainage from livestock feeds, as well as domestic and industrial sources. Natural waters in their unpolluted state contain only minute quantities of nitrates. The stimulation of plant growth by nitrates may result in eutrophication, especially due to algae. The subsequent death and decay of plants produces secondary pollution. They can be measured by the phenoldisulphonic method.

(This work was presented by the Greek team in the project meeting in Ioannina (27-04-2006))

Report on the project meeting in Ioannina

2006-04-08T22:31:00.000+03:00

The Blue Planet Comenius team at "Theogefyro" (God's Bridge)- Ioannina- Greece

Report on the project meeting in Ioannina (March 27-29, 2006) of “The Blue Planet Project” team

In this project meeting participated the following:
From Istituto Di Istruzione Superiore "Ugo Mursia"-Italy:
1. Guido Gambino, School Principal
2. Anna Taddeo,teacher
3. Giovanna Di Lemma, teacher
And two students
From Grupul Scolar Forestier-Rucar, Romania:
1. Ana Vorovenci, School Principal
2. Maria Vlaicu, teacher
3. Domnica Pestritu, teacher
4. Nicolae Popescu, teacher

And the Greek Comenius team.

The project meeting in Ioannina is a crucial one for the project as it had to be reorganized and new scopes to be put in the project, after the drop out of Swedish team from the project. In brief the program of the project meeting had a double aim to implement. As for the first scope we developed activities that continue the axis that already had put in the previous project meetings. So the Greek Comenius team worked on issues we had already implemented, but in their own point of view and sight.
We emphasized the involvement of new students, who, based on the work already done, developed their own tasks. This work was presented during the project meeting to the partners. An important part among these was the questionnaire about the domestic use of water on which we had a first approach of the results we had taken after a survey in the A’ Class of our school. We also exchanged results from the other schools that will be compared with ours in order to find similarities and differences.
We also presented the problem of the eutrophication in our lake that was accompanied with practical experimentation and use of chemicals measured it in specific time. We also included a tour on our lake in order to show the connection of our town history and legends with water (Ali- Pasha and Kyra Frossini legend).
We visited sites of natural interest as the unique natural river bridge “Theogefyro” of the Kalamas River and the wetlands of Lefkada. During our visit to Lefkada the importance of the sea and the naval tradition of our people, was emphasized with a visit to the famous Aristotelis Onassis’ island, Scorpios, where there is his tomb, and the sea resort of Nydri.
Important parameters of the project meeting was to show the tradition of Epirus, giving presentation of local dances to our guests, and trying to make our guest to know our area better as the visit to Zitsa village with the famous wine history.
In our project meeting the local authorities were present in our presentation as the Prefect of Ioannina and the local educational administration. We also cooperated with the Municipality of Zitsa and the Monastic Committee of Prophet Elias’ Monastery of Zitsa. The Municipality of Lefkada helped us by giving information on the wetlands of the island and their exploitation.
In our project meeting session we exchanged ideas about the next steps of our project. The Italian partners informed us partners about their work on the alimentary value of water and their work on this issue. The Romanian ones informed us about their plan to organize an exhibition of paintings. Also they proposed to work on water legislation. A common decision is to compare the different systems of bill payment in our countries in comparison with the legislation and rules of the EU. The Italians also intend to implement the sub-project “Itineraries of water” that will be presented in the next project meeting.
We also talked about the final product. As the Greek team announced, the most part of the web site is already finished and it has to be completed with the new material that has been collected this year. The site is hosted in the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina web space in the address: 8lyk-ioann.ioa.sch.gr/bpp . We also continue to update our project blog and web magazine in the addresses: theblueplanetproject.blogspot.com and www.webzinemaker.com/blueplanet. A CDROM including the whole site was given to the partners in order to host in a convenient space of their schools.
We decided to make a CDROM with all the most important material collected that it will be the final product of our project.
In all phases of the project meeting the students participated actively, either implementing experimentation and giving and accepting information, or hosting foreign students.
In conclusion we could say that in this project meeting we renewed our partnership and, reaching to the end of a three year’s effort we think that most of our scopes posed at the beginning of the project were achieved, even if our project had many difficulties to overcome.
The next project meeting will be held on the 8th of May, 2006 in Italy.

The Greek Comenius team

Program of the Project meeting in Ioannina

2006-03-31T21:16:00.000+03:00

COMENIUS PROJECT “The Blue Planet”

Program of the project meeting in Ioannina, Greece (March 27 to 29, 2006)

Sunday March 26th

Attendees’ arrival. Accommodation to the hotel.
21.00 Dinner at a tavern.

Monday March 27th

8.15 Welcome ceremony at school
9.00 Presentation of the student’s work on water.
10.15 Coffee Break
10. 30 Information about the chemical methods of water quality measurement by the teacher Stergios Nastopoulos. -Recording of an interview of the attendees for the local radio in the school studio.
11.30 app. Departure to the lake coast and practice on water quality chemical methods. Visit to the old Turkish Mosque “Aslan Pasha”, where there is the Municipal Museum of the Turkish Period of the town.

14.00 Lunch at a tavern by the lake
15.30 app. Cruise on the lake. Guided tour of the worth seeings of the lake.
18.00 Return to the hotel
20.30 Musical presentation by the students with modern and traditional dances
10.00 Dinner at school

Tuesday March 28th

8.15 Departure from the hotel to school
8.30 Departure to Kalamas River and the unique physical bridge “Theogefyro” (God’s Bridge). Visit to the village of Zitsa. Information about the local history and the important wine tradition of the area. Visit to a local wine factory. Visit to the Prophet Elias’ Monastery, historical site, where Lord Byron had stayed for a while and here had inspired and started the poem “Child Harold” (1809). Lunch at a tavern.
13.30 Departure to Ioannina.
15.00 Free afternoon for shopping, tour around or visit to the lake island.

20.30 Project meeting session
21.30 Dinner at a tavern.

Wednesday March 29th

8.15 Departure from the hotel to school
8.30 Departure to Lefkada Island
10.30 app. Arrival at the island.
Guided tour and information about the wetlands there by the specialist Mr. Angelos Papadopoulos. Visit to the Archeological Collection of the island, important for the findings of the famous Arcaeologist Dornfeld, who have concluded that the home island of Ulysses was there.Visit to Nydri, a famous sea resort, opposite to Aristotle Onassis island, Scorpios, where there is his tomb. Cruise around Scorpios island.
13.00-14.00 Lunch at Nydri
17.00 Departure to Ioannina, arrival and return to the hotel
21.00 Farewell dinner at a local tavern.

Thursday March 30th

Departure of the attendees

New Project Meeting

2006-03-10T20:15:00.000+02:00

A view of Ioannina, the lake and the castle

Our project is running the third year now and we are preparing for the next project meeting in Ioannina for March 27-29, 2006. All we are anxious and wait this project meeting to arrange the final products details, to talk about the goals achieved so far, and for some colleagues to visit for the first time local sites concerning our study subject. And most of all to strengthen our friendship built during these 3 years.

Teachers and students of the Swedish Comenius team and their work

2005-10-10T12:16:00.000+03:00

Photos:Magnus Hannson

Hurricane Katrina victims

2005-09-03T19:08:00.000+03:00

(Photo AP news)

We haven't made this blog to cover issues of that are usually covered by the first page of the newspapers. But the photos we have seen on TV from New Orleans Superdome shocked us and we think that we can help. So, visitor of this blog, take a look at the link below, and, if you can, help. Nobody can defy the power of water. And in pain all people are helpless. Let's make this pain less.

Poll by the Italian School

2005-08-24T14:04:00.000+03:00

Water is the essence of life. In your opinion it is a resource
inexhaustible: 34
renewable: 27
non-renewable: 28
sufficient to the human needs: 35
insufficient to the human needs: 36

Which activity depends on water?
domestic: 49
agricultural: 78
industrial: 12
tourist: 10
social: 11
In your opinion the distribution of water is an issue
political: 32
economic: 56
social 21
geographical: 43
tourist: 8
Is there a disparity in the distribution of water among rich and poor countries?
YES: 66
NO: 3
Don't Know: 11
Is water shortage a problem in your country?
YES: 44
NO: 28
Don't Know: 8

Are you conscious of how precious water is?
YES: 79
NO: 1
Do you think you are responsible for the preservation of water?
YES: 33
NO: 25
Don't Know: 22
Do you know that our school is developing the school project "Water-the Blue Planet"?
YES: 72
NO: 8
If yes, how have you got the information?
from the teacher involved in the project: 69
from the mass-media: 5
other sources: 6

Do you consider that your school should take part in such a project?
YES: 70
NO: 2
Don't Know: 8

How much do you know about water as a limited source of life?
100%: 27
75%: 29
50%: 18
25%: 6
0%: 0

Do you have any idea of the qualities of the water in your area?
YES: 47
NO: 8
Have no idea: 25

How rationally is water used by your local community?
100%: 4
75%: 40
50%: 15
25%: 17
0%: 4

How much are the local authorities interested in water cleaning and its reasonable use?
100%: 0
75%: 15
50%: 18
25%: 40
0%: 7

Have you ever take part in activities regarding water pollution prevention?
YES: 17
NO: 63

Would you like to work on the purpose of the project?
YES: 52
NO: 2
Don't know: 22

(This poll is implememnted among the students of the Italian School during 2003-04. The results taken have been processed by the same students).

Texts from the Italian school

2005-08-23T11:34:00.000+03:00

Literary text no. 1

The Waste Land

Here is no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road
The road winding above among the mountains
Which are mountains of rock without water
If there were water we should stop and drink
Amongst the rock one cannot stop or think
Sweat is dry and feet are in the sand
If there were only water amongst the rock
Dead mountains mouth of carious teeth that cannot spit.
Here one can neither stand nor lie nor sit
There is not even silence in the mountains
But dry sterile thunder without rain
There is not even solitude in the mountains
But red sullen faces sneer and snarl
From doors mud cracked houses
If there were water
And no rock
If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock
If there were the sound of water only
Not the cicada
And dry grass singing
But sound of water over a rock
Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees
Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop
But there is no water

From T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
lines 331-358

Literary Text no.2

The Canterbury Tales
The Prologue

When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the draught of March to the root, and all the veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings the engendering of the flowers,
When also Zephyrus with his sweet breathe
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
His half- course in the sign of Ram has run
and the small fowl are making melody
that sleep the night with open eye
(so nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages
And Palmers long to seek the stranger strands
Of far-off Saints, hallowed in sundry lands,
And specially, from every shire’s end
In England, down to Canterbury they wend
To seek the holy blissful martyr, quick
To give his help to them when they were sick.
From “The Canterbury Tales» by
Geoffrey Chaucer

Literary Text n. 3

Laudes Creaturarum
Altissimu, onnipotente, bon Signore,
Tue so le laude, la Gloria e l’honore et onne
Benedictione.

Ad te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ene’ dignu te mentovare.

Laudato sie, mi’ Signore, cum tucte le tue creature,
specialmente messor lo frate sole,
lo qual è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de te , altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si’, mi Signore, per frate vento
Et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
Per lo quale a le tue creature dai sustentamento.

Laudato si’, mi Signore, per sor’ acqua,
la quale è multo utile et umile et preziosa et casta.

Laudato si’, mi Signore, per frate focu,
per lo quale ennellumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si’, mi Signore, per sora nostra matre terra,
la quale ne sustenta et governa,
et produce diversi fructi con coloriti fiori et herba.
Laudato si’, mi Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo tuo amore et sostegno infirmitate et tribulatione.

Beati quelli ke ‘l sosterranno in pace,
ka da te, Altissimo sirano incoronati.

Laudato si’, mi Signore, per sora nostra morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo vivente po’ skappare:
guai a quelli ke morranno ne la peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trovarà ne le tue santissime volutati,
ka la morte seconda no ‘l farrà male.

Caudate e benedicete mi’ Signore et rengratiate
E serviateli cum grande humilitate

“Cantico Di Frate Sole” di Francesco d’Assisi

Literary Text no. 4

La pioggia nel Pineto

Taci. Su le soglie,
del bosco non odo
parole che dici
umane; ma odo
parole più nuove
che parlano gocciole e foglie
lontane.
Ascolta. Piove
dalle nuvole sparse.
Piove su le tamerici
salmastre ed arse,
piove su i pini
scagliosi ed irti,
piove su i mirti
divini,
su le ginestre fulgenti
di fiori accolti,
su i ginepri folti
di coccole aulenti,
piove su i nostri volti
silvani,
piove su le nostre mani
ignude,
su i nostri vestimenti
leggieri,
su i freschi pensieri
che l’animo schiude
novella,
su la favola bella
che ieri t’ illuse, che oggi m’illude,
O Ermione.
Da “Alcyone” di Gabriele D’Annunzio

Literary Text no. 5

Piove

Piove
non sulla favola bella
di lontane stagioni,
ma sulla cartella
esattoriale,
piove sugli ossi di seppia
e sulla greppia nazionale.

Piove
sulla Gazzetta Ufficiale
qui dal balcone aperto,
piove sul Parlamento,
piove su via Solforino,
piove senza che il vento
smuova le carte.

Piove
in assenza di Ermione
se Dio vuole,
piove perché l’ assenza
è universale
e se la Terra non trema
è perché Arretri a lei
non l’ ha ordinato.

Piove sui nuovi Epistemi
del primate a due piedi,
sull’ uomo indiato, sul cielo
ominizzato, sul ceffo
dei teologi in tuta
o paludati,
piove sul progresso
della contestazione,
piove sui works in regress,
piove
sui cipressi malati
del cimitero, sgocciola
su la pubblica opinione.

Da “Satura” di Eugenio Montale

Literary Text 6

Text no.7

Water reflects our future

The water of all of us is the water of each of us
Together with air, the element essential to life.
The main constituent of all organisms- animal or plant. Water-seemingly available for all, and yet inaccessible to so many.
Water- a source of life when used to refresh and soothe; a deadly threat when overabundant or simply lacking.
We encounter water everywhere- in the home and in industry, in our leisure time and in hygiene, in navigation and in quenching our thirst, and everywhere it’s such a fragile commodity.
By means of Dams and ducts, taps and bottles, man had domesticated water- a major achievement of old and modern civilization.
But when you tame something you become responsible for it- forever.
So man has responsibility- for the water he has already polluted, for the water he has wasted and for the drinking water which more than 1,500 million of his fellow men are lacking.
He is also responsible for the water which he will be leaving to posterity, whether he is a political decision maker, an industrialist or an ordinary consumer, because the water of all of us is the water of each of us.
Accordingly there is no alternative- man must think again about his attitude to water and place of this vital fluid in the planetary cycle, and his actions must follow the only rational, viable course.

The Council of Europe

Text no.8

Some things to know about water
Most of the Earth’s water is undrinkable. If a large bucket of water were to represent the seawater on the planet, an eggcup would represent the amount of water locked in ice caps and less than a teaspoonful would be all that was available as drinking water.
Water is continuously recycled as a result of evaporation driven by solar energy. This cycle is estimated to consume more energy in a day than that used by human-kind over its entire history.About 6,000 children die every day from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. At any one time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases. Many more people die from diarrhoeal diseases than fro HIV/AIDS.About 70 percent of freshwater goes to irrigation but in some places half or more of it never reaches the fields because of leaks and evaporation. Irrigated land in the developing world is expected to increase by 20 percent and water withdrawals for irrigation by 14 percent in the next 25 years, since irrigation increases the yield of most crops by 100 to 400 percent. It takes, 1,000 times more water to grow food for an individual than to meet that person’s needs for drinking. It takes one cubic metre of water to produce a kilogram of wheat. And it costs 90 US cents to desalinate a cubic metre of water, making sea water an unlikely source for food production.Most of the cities where large numbers of people live without taps and toilets have plentiful water supplies. And in cities with water shortages, there are rarely any restrictions on water use for the rich. Water for household use represents only about eight to ten percent of total water consumption.Half of Africans, 300 million people have no access to safe water; 66 percent, or 400 million, have no access to hygienic sanitation. Africa’s available water resources are under-used. Only three percent of its renewable water is withdrawn annually for domestic, agricultural and industrial use, only six percent of the cultivated land is irrigated and less than five percent of its hydro power potential is used. The volume of water lost in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi because of leakages and illegal connections could meet the water needs of Mombassa, the country’s second largest city.About 90 percent of fish species depend on coastal wetlands, which are everywhere in steep decline. An estimated 95 percent of the wetlands in Italy have been lost.Regions that are pumping out ground water faster than aquifers can be recharged include the western United States, northern China, northern and western India, north Africa and west Asia.Some of the world’s freshwater resources are simply disappearing. They include the Aral Sea, which covered 68,000 square kilometres in 1960 and has since lost 60 percent of its area and 80 percent of its volume; Lake Chad, which has shrunk to about one fifth of its former size in 40 years; and the Colorado River, which no longer reaches the sea in the dry season.Fears about the safety of tap water have led millions of Americans to switch to bottled water – about one quarter of which comes straight from the tap. One make of “spring water” was found to come from an industrial plant next to a hazardous waste site. Bottled water is actually less tightly regulated than tap water, but costs hundreds of times more, without taking into account the cost of transport and plastic.The “clean” computer industry is one of the world’s thirstiest. The production of a six-inch silicon wafer requires the use of 8,600 litres of water.More than 45,000 large dams have been built and half of the world’s rivers have at least one dam. Dams produce 19 percent of the world’s electrical power and account for up to 40 percent of irrigation supplies. In Europe and North America more than 70 percent of the hydropower potential has been developed compared with less than five percent in Africa, 20 percent in China, 30 percent in Asia and 40 percent in Latin America. But between 40 and 80 million people have been displaced by dams. Populations are rarely consulted about the benefits and drawbacks. Dams have led to the loss of forests wildlife habitat and biodiversity to such an extent that some countries are dismantling them. And because of silting, they often fail to deliver the energy they were designed to provide.

Text no. 9

Water. A limitless resource?

Rain, drought and downpours lead to us to the idea of water, a resource we take for granted. But are we sure there is enough for all?
Let’s read what National Geographic tells us about it.

It evaporates fro the oceans, falls on the land, runs into the rivers and flows back into the sae- water, a seemingly limitless resource. But only 2.5 percent of Earth’s water is fresh water and most of that is frozen in polar ice and snow.
Of the available fresh water, only 0.6 percent is usable. Climate change would redistribute where and when water is available, and rising sea levels could turn coastal fresh water brackish.
The hydrological cycle yields a constant amount of water, but the quality is deteriorating while the human population continues to grow. Some 80 countries already report shortage. More than a billion people do not have safe drinking water, and 25.000 die every day from water- related diseases. As water shortfalls intensify so will competition- among countries strung along a river, for example- and violence may result.
Everyone needs at least 13 gallons of clean water a day for drinking, cooking, sanitation, say water specialists. Yet a sixth of the world’s people must do with less than that. dense population create scarcity even in Africa and Asia’s wet regions.
Some water can be used again, though often it must be cleaned first. But most water for irrigation, the biggest single use, cannot be recycled. In the US about 30 percent of all irrigation water is ground pumped from the High Plains aquifer, now drawn so far it will take thousand of years to recharge naturally.

From National Geographic, April 2001

Text no. 10

What can we do to save the Planet?

In a short space of time we seriously have polluted the environment and over-used the earth resources. But it’s not too late to change the situation.
We just live to change the way we live.
About two-third of the household litter can be recycled or re-used. Look at the things you and your family throw away each week. Re-use or mend as many things as you can. Recycle all paper, bottles, cans and plastics.
You can influence shops and manufactures by what
you buy. Complaints to manufactures in the ‘80s made them produce aerosols without CFC gases. So, whenever possible, try to buy eco-products which do not damage the environment.
Avoid over-packaged goods, too. They cost more and create a lot of waste.
The way we travel has a serious impact on the environment. New road systems destroy the land and cars pollute the atmosphere. Where possible, walk, cycle or use public transport. If you have to drive, make sure your car uses unleaded petrol. If it doesn’t, get a catalytic converter which reduces exhaust fumes.
Conventional forms of industry cause a lot of pollution. Coal, oil and gas produce harmful greenhouse gases and these natural resources will soon run out.
So, scientists are looking at alternative forms of power. Solar and wind power for example, may be cleaner and cheaper alternatives.

Text no.11

Interdependence
We are part of the earth

We are part of the earth and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices of the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man-all belong to the same family………
We know that the white man does not understand our way. One portion of the land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs.
The earth is not his brother but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on.
He leaves his father’s graves behind and he does not care.
He treats his mother, the earth, and his brother, the sky, as things to be bought, plundered, sold like sheep or bright beads.
His appetite will devour the earth and leave behind a desert………
The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.
This we know.
All things are connected like the blood which unites a family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth….. Continue to contaminate your bed and we will one night suffocate in your own waste.
Chief Sealth

(These texts are studied and analyzed during the school years 2003-04 and 2004-05)

The Water Mill

2005-07-29T10:14:00.000+03:00

The water mill on the Dambovita River was founded 150 years ago and the last restoration took place on 1990.The main parts of the mill are:
-The drain;
-The two mill wheels;
-The rooms where the technological processes take place;
-The whirlpool
There has been developing here a very old traditional activity – the last three steps of the woolen carpets production.

The woolen carpets are put into the whirlpool for 2-3hours in order to moisten it very well. This way the worker may easily identify and bring to the outer side of the carper the numerous knots.
The woolen carpet is placed on a large wood cylinder. Under the cylinder there is a huge brush made of wood too. The rushing water of the drain makes moving the large mill wheel. The wheel axel turns the cylinder too and allows the brush to card the carpet. Thus the long woolen threads are extracted from the knots.
The aim of the next step is to make the carpet lasting and thicker than it was at the beginning. The carpet is placed inside a moving cylinder in a room where the temperature reaches 5o C (by wood heating). This process lasts for three hours. The carpets are, then, washed in clear cold water and dry in the sun.

Another part of the water mill is the whirlpool - the so-called “washing machine». In fact this very old washing system was imitated by the washing machine. The device is used to wash carpets and other wools .For some hours they are wheeled by the rushing stream of water coming from the Dambovita River. The small air balls of the clear water clean the carpets efficiently.
The system is an ecological one. Chemical washing products are prohibited.

Valimareanu Alexandru,17 years old

Grupul scolar Forestier, Rucar-Romania

Water And Easter Traditions In Romania

2005-07-29T01:19:00.000+03:00

The Easter or the Resurrection is the greatest Christian celebration. Due to the Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, those who believe in Him are redumpted and forgiven the original sin.
The date of Christian Easter is not a fix one: it is in accordance with the spring equinox. Due to subsequent irregularities of the calendar, the Catholic Church celebrates Easter between 22nd of March and the 25th of April, while the Orthodox Church celebrates Easter between the 4th of April and the 8th of May.
A sum of pre-Christian beliefs and holidays mark the Lent of the Orthodox Christians:
-In the middle of the Fast, girls wash their faces in the river in order to be pretty;
-On the Palm Sunday the hair is washed with blessed water so that it will grow thick and nicely; afterwards, the water is poured at the root of a pear tree.
On Sunday – the Holy Day of Resurrection – people go to the church for the holy Liturgy. They come back home with candles latten during the ceremony. The family members wash their faces in a pot where they laid a red egg, basil, a silver coin and water. They say the Lord’s Prayer and receive the Eucharist. In the end they break red eggs and greet one another with “Jesus has resurrected”.
Some of them collect eggs shells and throw them away in the river so that they reach the Mildmen Land announcing them the Resurrection, too.
People believe that the one born on Ester night will be lucky the whole life, while he one who dies during the Passions Week will have his sins forgiven.

ANA VOROVENCI
Teacher

The Dambovicioara Cave

2005-07-28T23:45:00.000+03:00

THE DAMBOVICIOARA CAVE is situated along the Dambovicioara River, in the charstic area of the Rucar – Bran mountain path. Water has been carving it for millions of years in the limestone of the Piatra Craiului Mountains (The Prince Rock Mountains).
The cave was first mentioned in 1767. It has 2 galleries: a short one of 20 m, to the left, and a 100 m gallery to the right.
Following the short gallery, one may notice the strawberry shape stalactite. The legend says that the cave was a hermit’s shelter long time ago. Visitors may admire the three columns – the hermit altar. Next to it there are the table and the chairs used by the hermit.
The 100 m gallery has its own legend too. During the World War I, the gallery was the dwelling of two outlaws: Fulga and Budac. They robbed the rich people on the way or the visitors of the cave. One day, two policemen disguised as tourists, came to the cave and trapped the two outlaws. Fulga was killed. As for Budac, he was captured and imprisoned.
The gallery is full of “exhibits” carved by the water in the mountain rock: the hermit’s armchair and his books on the self; a snake head, a pistol, or a bear paw.
The gallery becomes very narrow on its last 15 m. and the tourists may walk it in Indian file.
The cave is 369 m long, but the tourists are allowed to visit only the two galleries mentioned above

Ochi Andreea, 17 years old

Grupul Scolar Forestier-Rucar-Romania

Romanian Proverbs And Sayings

2005-07-13T12:08:00.000+03:00

Dupa furtuna vine si vreme buna !
After a storm comes a calm!
Daca nu e ploaie fie si ninsoare !
If thou has not a capon,feed on an onion.
Cand seaca apa se cunoaste pretul fantanii
We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.
Apa trece, pietrele raman
Streams go,rocks remain.
Sangele apa nu se face.
Bold is thicker than water.
Apa,vantul si gura lumii nu pot fi oprite.
The water,the wind and people’s tougue cannot be stopped.
Apele mici fac raurile mari.
Little springs make great rivers.
Apa statatoare e des inselatoare.
Still waters run deep

and
A fi o apa si-un pamant = to be alike;
A nu avea nici dupa ce bea apa =to be starving;
A cadea din lac in put=He is gotten aut of the myre an is fallen into the river;
A da cuiva apa la moara = to drow water into smb’s mill

This is a work of the Romanian school from Rucar)

Project Activities Report

2005-07-05T16:29:00.000+03:00

The experience done thanks to the Comenius project “The Blue Planet” has been educational and formative, enriching both the teachers and the students of each participating school, at a cultural and social level, creating an occasion of cooperation and growth in a European perspective.
The European School Partners involved in the experience are:
Cordinating school:
“Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Ugo Mursia” Carini- Italia
European school partners:
“Satilaskolan” Satila, Vastra Gotaland - Sweden
“Grupul Scolar Forestier” Rucar - Romania
“8° Eniaio Lykeio Ioanninon” Ioannina, Epirus- Greece

Transnational mobility

Project meeting in Ioannina, Greece
Project meeting in Rucar, Romania

The project meeting in Greece occurred on 18th, 19th and 20th October 2004.
It included an informative-theoretical-practical approach and a Naturalistic-Archaeological section, with lectures on the following themes: “General principles of the water management” and “Management of the drinkable water” by the municipality of Ioannina”. There was a presentation and a study field of the environmental problems of the Lake Pamvotis of Ioannina by a biologist from the Institution for the Lake Pamvotis, specially the problem of eutrofication and the difficulties to solve it. There was also an information section about the water resources of the Konitsa territory and the Zagori villages, especially Papingo village, which was combined with a visit in the wild landscape of this area. As concerns the practical section, experiments on the physical-chemical methods of measurement of the water cleanliness of the Voidomatis River have been carried out by the participants and moreover they visited the local Water Bottling Company of Zagori.
The naturalistic itinerary has included: a visit of the island of the lake Pamvotis and the Museum of the Modern History of Ali Pasha, the visit to the environmental Centre of Konitsa and the Voidomatis River, and finally a visit to Papingo Village and the WWF Museum there.
The Archaeological itinerary included: visits to the ancient Nikopolis and its Roman Aqueduct and the Nekromanteion of Ephyra with the Oracle of the Dead on the River Acheron, with information about the ancient Greek myths of the underworld.
The meeting focalised the attention of the Municipal authority, of the local TV and press and of local institutions, with the participation of the administrators of Education. Moreover it has arisen the attention and the cooperation by the Institution for the Lake Pamvotis and the Technical association of Greece (Epirus Department) of the Municipality of Ioannina and the donator Anagnostopoulos Foundation in Papingo.
The participants acquired information about the aspects of local life and food and culture, thus creating a more personal link among teachers and students, who have always had a central role in the project meeting activities.

The project meeting in Rucar occurred on April 18th, 19th, 20th ,
It included lectures on the National Park Piatra Craiului, its history, goals and water managment, by an environment engineer; a presentation on Local development and fresh water management”, by the mayor of Rucar.
There was also an information section concerning the importance of water for the local activities such as :the Trout Nursery of Dambovicioara and the Watermill at Rucar.
The power of water was underlined during the water itinerary, including the visit to the Hydropower Station of Pecineagu/Clabucet, the Dambovicioara gorges, the Hydropower Station and the dam of Vidraru and finally the water cleaning entreprise”Apa Brasov”.
During the meeting, the project participants had the opportunity to disccover the water symbols in some of the Romanian myths, legends or literary works thanks to the visits to the Cave of Dambovicioara,the Monastery of Curtea de Arges,the old city of Brasov, or the folk evening, show and dances, performed by the Romanian students.
Of course the students had a relevant role in the activites as well as the local community, with the participation of local administrators and the other local schools.

LOCAL ACTIVITIES

Didactic development of the project theme in the different school subjects and integration in the curriculum in each participating school.
Researches on the scientific and literary aspects concerning the theme, with text analysis of literary passages and study of the ancient myths and symbols of water to be carried out also in the course of next year and enriched with the myths and legends collected by the Greek and the Sweden students
Implementation of the ITC and of communication on line with the development of the Web Magazine, the virtual class and the Web Group and Community, especially promoted by the Greek Partners.
Socialization of the material produced during the meetings: brochures, maps, paper and photographic material.
Workshops group-work on the theme, between teachers and students of different classes to widen the classical knowledge and popular tradition.
Visits to places of particular naturalistic relevance relating to the project theme, with the students’ involvement to motivate them; in Italy the students visited the “ Lavatoio “ of Cefalù, famous also for the Norman Cathedral and its golden mosaics and the city of Castelbuono, one of the most important centres in the Park of the Madonie.
Commemoration of the Tsunami victims and symposium on the disasters caused by water, including also a collection of material of the scientific aspects of the Tsunami

Material produced both jointly and separately

A collection of CDs, prepared by the students in each school on the theme and shared during the meetings among the partners
A linguistic dictionary on water, a sort of glossary including the most recurrent words connected with water, prepared during the meeting in Rucar and completed on line to be enriched next year
A collection of proverbs and paradoxes in the four languages of the partners and the English version
A video presenting the most relevant activities of the meeting, produced by the Greek partner
Panels with pictures and drawings related to the project theme
Sculptures in the Swedish school

Impact of the project

On methodology

Motivation to work in group and to cooperate
Motivation to use the English language as a real means of communication
Intercultural vision of a theme of mutual interest
Desire to meet and know new school experiences and European partners
Consolidation of the use of ITC
Interdisciplinary approach to the school subjects

On the Local community

Interest for the school activities
Integration of the school to the territory
Motivation to understand the necessity to preserve and respect the environment
Social engagement of the local community

Dissemination of the material

The dissemination of the material has been done at a local and a wider level:

At a local level through the socialization of the material produced inside the school and local community.
At a wider level the material concerning the project has been disseminated in the internet, through the Gold system in Italy and the communication links on line run by the Greek partner, namely, through the web magazine: www.webzinemaker/blueplanet, and the site theblueplanetproject.blogspot.com, that are registering almost 25 visits per day by teachers and people interested in material on water.

Collaboration among the partners

As distribution of work and a mutual cooperation are two essential elements in the partnership, each partner has contributed as much as possible to reach the final objectives, helping according to one’s abilities and capabilities. The activities have given the opportunity to exchange material and methodological suggestions, indispensable in our educational role. We insist on the necessity to involve the students and to motivate them to be more cooperative, and besides we want to encourage them to widen the subject and to use the TIC and the English language to communicate. It would be also advisable to increase the mobility of the students in the project meetings to permit them to know different social and cultural contexts and to feel a deeper European spirit.

Evaluation of the results
Evaluative Techniques

Periodical Project Meetings
Round table with discussions and debates on the project management in each school, to carry out with students and teachers;
Tests to check the students’ awareness, motivation, knowledge…..on the theme;
Involvement of as many students, teachers and local exponents as possible;
A constant interaction between the theme of the project and the school curriculum and activities, in a multidisciplinary perspective;
A periodical account of the activities by the partners;

CONCLUSION
The results of the activities carried out in the course of this second year are satisfying, both at a didactic level and as concerns the cooperation among the partners. An interesting bulk of material has been produced and disseminated, moreover there has been a fair distribution of the role among the schools and the main obstacles concerning communication on line are improving.
For the future managment of the project all the partners insisted on the importance to involve the students on more practical activities: drawings and researches, collection of material in the foreign language and so on.
The Romanian and the Italian schools suggested to enrich the collection of texts on water-symbols in the partners’ culture (literature, music,religion,legends) and to continue working both on scientific and literary topics.The Greek and Sweden texts will be added next year, as the partners are still working on water symbols.This collection will be made by the Italian school as an end product of the project. Another activities to implement in the course of the future year is the dictionary with the most used words connected with water,in English and the languages of the four partners.The dictionary will be drafted by the Romanian team as an end product, too.
We are firmly convinced that the project has had an impact not only at a school level, on methodology and cultural aspects, but also in the local community life: administrators, politicians, the students’ families have been involved in the project meetings, thus creating a moment of aggregation and socialisation among different school realities and different countries.
It’s worth to underline the active role that the students have played both in Greece and in Romania during the meetings, as the project is a moment in the students’ growth.
In conclusion, the experience has been productive and fruitful as a life and teaching experience. Therefore, we intend to strengthen and intensify our school and social engagement through further lectures, workshops and school activities to be carried out in the course of the following year and to intensify our cooperation and friendship.
Our aim is to encourage our students’ civil and human growth, in the attempt to relate the school to the local community and to a wider European perspective.

Greek phrases and proverbs, full of water

2005-06-29T01:13:00.000+03:00

(This is a work of the Greek Comenius team)

Paradoxes and puzzles

2005-06-24T12:42:00.000+03:00

1. A magic water-lily
There is a magic water-lily in a lake which can double its surface everyday. Therefore it can cover the whole surface of the lake in 20 days. How many days are needed so that the water-lily covers half the surface of the lake?

Answer
Don’t be in a hurry to answer-think first!
You could start by wondering 1) about the growth rate of the water-lily. 2) which its initial surface was and more other details. Nothing, like that! Let’s start all the way round! Think of the last day and the day before it!
On the 20th day the whole lake will be covered. On the 19th day, since it doubles everyday , the water-lily will have covered half the surface of the lake. You see! The has automatically been solved! In 19 days the water-lily can cover half the surface of the lake.

2. The newly weds and the crocodiles!
Three newly-wed couples were walking through the jungle when they came to a river which was very deep and wide.
To make matters worse, the river was full of hungry crocodiles. There was only one boat which could carry only three passengers at the time. But there were more to face. The three husbands were so envious that there was no chance to let their wives to be with another man either in the boat or anywhere else without their presence.
Try to find a way so that the three couples will be able to cross the river safely making the fewest possible boat-trips.

Answer
Let’s use some symbols to make the problem easier to understand. We simply symbolize the three couples as Aa, Bb, and Cc. The capital letters correspond to the men where the small ones to the women.
At first, the three women use the boat to cross the river. Next, the woman “a” goes back and stays on the bank of the river until the three men, A, B, C cross the river . Five boat-trips were enough for all of them to cross the river safely.

3. The frog and the well
Persistently looking for water a frog fell accidentally in well which was 20 meters deep. Trying to get out of the well it followed some kind of a weird procedure. During the day it climbed three meters up whereas the night it fell 2 meters down. How many days on the whole did the frog to get out go the well?

Answer
May be someone could think that since the frog climbs 3 meters up in the day, 2 meters down in the night then in one whole day it goes 1 meter up. Therefore it will need 20 days not the whole.
But, let’s go to the end of the 5th day, for example. How many meters has it moved up? Obviously 5 meters.. At the end of the 18th day? 18 meters, of course! That is the 19th day it will have covered three more meters, which means it will have managed to get out of the well. Someone may say that at the end of the 17th day it will have climbed 17 meters, consequently on the 18th day it will cover three meters more and will come out of the well. Wrong! It will be at the same height as the mouth of the well. Nobody can be sure it will jump out of the well!!!

4. Houses and taps
There are three houses and three taps. Try to connect the tap A with the house G, the tap B with the tap F and the tap C with the house G. The connecting lines can be of any kind still they can’t be intersected in any possible way, which means they shouldn’t intersect another house or tap and also be out of the black frame. It’s believed that there is no solution to this problem. What do you believe?

Answer
The solution is well presented in the sketch given below. What do you say now, can you connect every tap with any house? No matter how much you will try, you won’t succeed. This problem has no solution!

5. A bath full of water
What weighs more:
a) a bath full of water
b) a bath full of water and a body floating on the surface or
c) both weigh exactly the same?

Answer
You may think that the bath with a body in it should weigh more. But in this case this bath contains less water than the one which is full of water. But can the quantity of water which is displaced by the body be made up for?
Yes, because the body displaces so much water as it is the body’s weight, that’s why the body floats. Therefore both weigh the same!

(This is a work of the Greek Comenius team)

Italian experience from Romania

2005-06-16T21:58:00.000+03:00

(Dambovicioara cave)

(Apa Brasov enterprise)

(A typical old house)

(Rucar Watermill)

(The Watermill)

(Dambovicioara Trout Nursery)

(A countryside landscape)

(Vidraru dam)

(Vidraru dam)

(Monastery of Curtea de Arges)

(Rucar school)

(Romanian traditional performance)

(Lecture at school)

(Bucarest)

(Bucarest)

(Bucarest)

(The Comenius partners)

This is a photographic album made by the Italian team about the project meeting in Romania (Rucar-April 18-21, 2005)

2005-06-13T22:52:00.000+03:00

"In memoriam" of the lost sailors. Brunno Island of the Gothenburg Archipelago. Photo by Mr. Panayiotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina

2005-06-13T22:48:00.000+03:00

Gothenburg harbour, Sweden. Photo by Mr. Panayiotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina

The Greek Ancient Myths

2005-06-10T14:57:00.000+03:00

Ιn the Greek Ancient myths we can usually find the value of the life-giving power and the great influence of the water element on the life and religion of people. When the three twelve gods, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades shared the world among themselves, it fell on Zeus to be the ruler of the sky, Hades of the underworld and Poseidon of the sea.
With his trident he agitated the sea, sank the ships and calmed it down again and gave peacefulness and joy to the sailors, who were crossing the seas.
Being the god of the sea, Poseidon can travel on his gold chariot through the waves without even being wet. At the same time dolphins come up to the surface from the bottom of the sea, bounding with joy around their god’s chariot.
According to the Greek myths the Greeks believed that Poseidon was responsible for a series of geological and other similar phenomena like:

a) the formation of the earth’s surface with mountains, valleys, islands, channels. So Poseidon cuts pieces from the land and creates Sardinia, Evia, Cyprus, the channel of Corinth.

b) The earthquakes, the cracks of the earth, the landslides and the disasters. So when Poseidon walks, the mountains are trembling, when he shakes the Earth he causes a sensation of terror and the underworld and the underworld appear.

c) “The water systems” and the passages on the surface of the earth and under it, the rivers, the springs, the lakes, the floods.
So Poseidon with his trident makes the cracks on the rocks and springs gush out, such as on the rock of the Acropolis in Athens after a quarrel with Athena, in Argolida for Amymone’s sake, he floods places like Thriasio Field in Attica and places in Ethiopia and Troy, he dries up the river Inachos or he appears himself in the form of the river.

d) The world of the sea with the untamed and terrifying powers for man and unpredictable dangers for the navigation. So Poseidon is raised by a daughter of the Ocean, he pairs off with Thetis, who is a sea spirit and he is married to Nireas’ daughter, Amphitrite and rewards the dolphin which helped to this union, he has a lot of the descendants who are all sea spirits, he saves Orestis on the sea, and harasses Ulysses who blinded Cyclops’ son, Polyphemus.
All these myths show that the Greeks’ misfortunes at sea are the result of the God’s rage for actions which are against his will.
In the age long imagination the waters gush out from the depths of the earth as well as the rapid streams of the rivers and the waves of the sea are combined with horses and bulls, animals which are characterized by dash. In this way the horse and the bull are always present in the myth and the worship of Poseidon.
So according to the myths Poseidon is born in the form of a foal, is transformed into a horse, becomes the father of uncontrollable horses, like Pegasus. For this reason Poseidon lets a bull come out of the waves which causes great trouble to the Cretans and the Athenians and gets involved in the life of Minos and Minotaur.
Due to the relationship between Poseidon and the sea we can easily explain the importance of the dolphin and the sea monsters in the myths about the god. The former is related to good news and the latter to floods and disasters.
Both from Poseidon’s sea personality and his being responsible for disasters, his relation to the Lost Atlantis city can be clearly explained.

The Sea Monsters

Long before Poseidon became the master of the sea, in the imagination of the Greeks there had been many sea sprits, males such as Nireas, Triton, Proteus and females like Thetis, Leucothea, Scylla and Charybdis.
The main common characteristics among there ancient sea spirits are the following:

Τhey knew the depths and the secrets of the sea
They could predict the future and
They had the magic power to be transformed into animals, plants, natural phenomena like wind, water and fire.

All these sea spirits were very popular and filled the fishermen and sailors with awe. As there was no scientific knowledge about navigation, the sailors begged these spirits to help them by sharing their wisdom and magic power with them so that they could predict the weather conditions at distant seas and avoid any possible dangers during their voyage.

Among the water spirits Proteus is of great importance in the cosmogonic myth which leads to the scientific thought. As well as his name Proteus which means “The First” that is “The Firstly Born” and his great ability to be transformed into any form he liked, reveal an age-old cosmogonic perception on the “first” form in the genetic procedure of the world.
This form has born all the other forms the world consists of, that is the first form of matter which has its own transformations and these transformations result in all the other forms of the world.
The authenticity of this cosmogonic perception on the form of Proteus is based in the idea of the genetic power of water.

Scylla and Charybdis

Leaving the island of Circe, Odysseus, listens to her advice about the rest of his trip. He will pass through huge stones, steep rocks where not even a bird can fly through, no ship could ever avoid sinking with all hands on board in the inferno of the waves and flames.
There are two reefs. One of them reaches the sky and black clouds cover its peak. In the middle of this reef there is a cave where Scylla lives. It is a roaring monster with twelve feet up in the air, six necks each of them of different length with awful heads at the end. Each mouth has three jaws which look like death.
Hidden in the Cave she catches dolphins, dogfish and other sea monsters with her deadly jaws. She also catches as many sailors as her heads from the passing ships.
The other reef is a wild fig tree and Charybdis is sitting under it vomiting black water. Three times a day she slurps all the water and three times she vomits it again. If, by any chance, someone is around when she slurps the water, it is sure that he can’t escape even if Poseidon himself would like to save him.
The passage of Scylla and Charybdis is located either at Bosporus or outside the Mediterranean near the Canary Islands, but most people claim that it is the Straight of Sicily.

Αn episode from Odyssey

(This text is studied and analyzed by the students in the Ancient Greek class of our Lyceum. Here is its English translation by Samuel Butler)

Book 5
...[282] But lord Poseidon, who was returning from the Ethiopians, caught sight of Odysseus a long way off, from the mountains of the Solymi. He could see him sailing upon the sea, and it made him very angry, so he wagged his head and muttered to himself, saying, heavens, so the gods have been changing their minds about Odysseus while I was away in Ethiopia, and now he is close to the land of the Phaeacians, where it is decreed that he shall escape from the calamities that have befallen him. Still, he shall have plenty of hardship yet before he has done with it."
[291] Thereon he gathered his clouds together, grasped his trident, stirred it round in the sea, and roused the rage of every wind that blows till earth, sea, and sky were hidden in cloud, and night sprang forth out of the heavens. Winds from East, South, North, and West fell upon him all at the same time, and a tremendous sea got up, so that Odysseus’ heart began to fail him. "Alas," he said to himself in his dismay, "what ever will become of me? I am afraid Calypso was right when she said I should have trouble by sea before I got back home. It is all coming true. How black is Zeus making heaven with his clouds, and what a sea the winds are raising from every quarter at once. I am now safe to perish. Blest and thrice blest were those Danaans who fell before Troy in the cause of [kharis] the sons of Atreus. Would that had been killed on the day when the Trojans were pressing me so sorely about the dead body of Achilles, for then I should have had due burial and the Achaeans would have honored my name [kleos]; but now it seems that I shall come to a most pitiable end."
[313] As he spoke a sea broke over him with such terrific fury that the raft reeled again, and he was carried overboard a long way off. He let go the helm, and the force of the wind was so great that it broke the mast half way up, and both sail and yard went over into the sea. For a long time Odysseus was under water, and it was all he could do to rise to the surface again, for the clothes Calypso had given him weighed him down; but at last he got his head above water and spat out the bitter brine that was running down his face in streams. In spite of all this, however, he did not lose sight of his raft, but swam as fast as he could towards it, got hold of it, and climbed on board again so as to escape drowning. The sea took the raft and tossed it about as Autumn winds whirl thistledown round and round upon a road. (It was as though the South, North, East, and West winds were all at once tossing it back and forth.)

[333] When he was in this plight, Ino daughter of Cadmus, also called Leukothea, saw him. She had formerly been a mere mortal, but had been since raised to the rank of a marine goddess. Seeing in what great distress Odysseus now was, she had compassion upon him, and, rising like a sea-gull from the waves, took her seat upon the raft.
[339] "My poor good man," said she, "why is Poseidon so furiously angry with you? He is giving you a great deal of trouble, but for all his bluster he will not kill you. You seem to be a sensible person, do then as I bid you; strip, leave your raft to drive before the wind, and swim to the Phaeacian coast where better luck awaits you. And here, take my veil and put it round your chest; it is enchanted, and you can come to no harm so long as you wear it. As soon as you touch land take it off, throw it back as far as you can into the sea, and then go away again." With these words she took off her veil and gave it him. Then she dived down again like a sea-gull and vanished beneath the seething dark waters...

(This is a work of the Greek school of Ioannina)

Water- Old Romanian Religious And Mythological Symbol

2005-06-08T02:48:00.000+03:00

Long before it became a research subject for men of science or a source of inspiration for painters, musicians or poets and writers, water had been a religious and mythological symbol. People have always benefited from it, but it was also transfigured into myths and legends.
In the orthodox religion, water is the symbol of being purified from sins, and also of death and Ressurection. During the baptism ceremony, while being three times sunk into holy water and through prayers, the newly-born child gets forgiveness for his ancestors’ sins and it is spiritually re-born through Jesus Christ.
Water has the same purifying power during other moments of the religious ritual, being known as ,,holy water” (in Romanian ,,agheasma mare” and ,,agheasma mica”). The word ,,agheasma” comes from Greek and means ,,being hallowed”. The main part of the ritual is the prayer for getting water hallowed. During the ceremony, the priest sinks three fingers of his right hand into water (symbolyzing the Holy Cross) and pronounces some sacred words.
Then, using a bunch of basil, the believers are sprinkled with holy water, just as things and places in the house, in order to get purified and to be shared divine faith. This is the way to remake the bundle between human and divine. A special moment in the orthodox rituals is hallowing water on Epiphany Eve and Day, which sends us back to the time when John the Baptizer baptised Jesus Christ in the Jordan river.
Water hallowed this way is used in different ways: to baptize believers, to bless their houses, to be sprinkled over the things and people that have to be exorcised, purified or blessed. The water hallowed on Epiphany has curative powers, mentioned in the special prayer pronounced then.
Believers take a sip of it in the morning, before eating anything, on Lent days or on holidays, in fact, wherever they want to get rid of some heart pressure or they need to have their body cured. If it gets too old, it will be thrown away in clean places where it can’t be defiled.
The above mentioned ideas are just some of the significances water has as related to different stages of the orthodox rituals. A comparative study of the symbol of water in different religious cults would be of great interest. There are a lot of changes in the world, generations succeed one another as time passes, but these symbols will not perish. They will last as long as there are people living on this planet.
Beyond being a religious symbol, water has become an element of spirituality, as it is present, both as a motive and as an element, in the customs and traditions that people obey and celebrate from birth till death.
As for us, the Romanians, our customs and traditions, deeply rooted in our conscience, define us and, at the same time, differenciate us from other peoples.
Water is a magical element in the Romanian fairy-tales which one can find having two forms: living water and dead water. Through water, the fairy-tale heroes experience the miracle of death and ressurection. As such, faith is prolonged into myth.
At drought time, Romanian peasants invoke beneficial rain through a special ritual which might have its origin in an antique faith in a mighty goddess of waters. The participants to the ritual dress up a nine or ten-year-old girl in clothes made of leaves, branches and weeds. Dressed that way, the ,,nymph” walks through the village, followed by a group of children who sing, dance and invoke beneficial rain, while pronouncing ritual words, meant to make the sky open its gates and send the rain down on Earth. Villagers stand by the gates of their houses in order to welcome the procession and pour water over the head of the girl dressed in leaves and branches. This very old ritual is called ,,Paparuda”.
There are other customs which make people use water in a symbolic way.
For instance, the day after Easter Day, young men, dressed in their finest clothes, join together in small groups and wander all over the village roads, get into the houses where there are young girls and women and sprinkle water over their heads. Before doing that, they respectfully ask for permission to get in and, usually, they recite a short poem in which the hostess is compared to a flower which has to be watered in order not to fade.
Another popular belief says that, if a girl wants to find out who her husband will be, she has to look, at midnight, into a fountain and, like in a bright projection, the face of the man predestined to her will be reflected in the water( which functions like a mirror).
Fountains usually symbolize life, creation and continuity. A fine legend says that an artist, called Manole, was asked to build a matchless monastery. But what he and his men built during the day, crumbled at nightime. Manole had a terrible dream: he was told he would have to sacrifice a human being if he wanted to finish his monastery. The first human being to come was Ana, Manole’s wife. He had to wall her in. Consequently, he was able to finish the building. The prince who had ordered the monastery to be built asked him if he could build another one, equally beautiful. With the vanity typical to any gifted artist aspiring to perfection, Manole answered he could. His vanity lost him, as the prince ordered the scaffolding to be removed, so Manole and his men remained on the roof. They made themselves wings and tried to fly down, but, obviously, they crashed and died. On the place where Manole fell down, there arose a fountain, symbol of life and of the perpetuation of creative spirit.
Romanian popular mediaeval culture has a series of mythological themes related to water and the beings that populate it. For instance ,,stima apelor”, some kind of local nymph that lives in every water, either a pond, a river or a lake. She would be a beautiful white silky-skinned woman, slim and good-looking. She should wear a popular costume. When she gets into the water she turns into a being half-woman, half-fish. When she gets angry, she arises the waters and floods the land. The man who is bewitched by her, leaves everything and everybody and throws himself into the water. He will be devoured by this nymph (we can easily identify ressemblances with the mermaids in the Greek mythology).
The popular traditions also refer to water spirits populating the depth of water, where there would be a rich underwater life, quite similar to terrestrial life, with people, animals and plants. Those underwater people can’t speak, are not unkind and never harm others.
Water has a special significance in exorcising. For doing proper exorcism, water should be taken from special places: clean untouched water for a beneficial effect and foul nasty smelling water for doing harm.
For instance, for curing headaches, one should take some small pieces of burning coal, put them into holy water and pronounce the magic words suitable to the situation. The spell is said to be effective when the ,,patient”, after drinking the water in small sips, will start yawning and being sleepy.
The possible interpretations and significance which popular mentality confers to water are almost uncountable. In the present essay, we have approached to only some of them.
The importance of water in the Romanians’ lives is also obvious at the language level. There are a lot of phrases and phraseological constructions containing the word ,,apa" (=water). Here are some of them:

a fi o apa si-un pamant = to be alike
apa de ploaie =nonsense
a bate apa in piua = to draw water in a sieve
a intra la apa = to shrink (proper sense)
= to get into hot water (figurative sense)
a baga (pe cineva la apa) = to trick somebody into trouble
a nu avea nici dupa ce bea apa = to be starving, to be as poor as a church-mouse
ca pe apa = fluently, by heart
a lasa (pe cineva) in apele lui = to leave somebody alone/in peace, not to trouble somebody
a nu fi in apele lui = to be in a bad mood
a-i veni cuiva apa la moara = to find it convenient
a-i lua cuiva apa de la moara = to cut the ground from somebody’s
feeta-i lasa (cuiva) gura apa = to make one’s mouth water

(This is a work of the Romanian school of Rucar)

2005-06-07T06:33:00.000+03:00

Proverbs about water from Italy

"Essere tra Scilla e Cariddi"
To be between the devil and the deep blue water

"Essere un’acqua cheta"
To be a sly one

"All’acqua di rose"
Milk and water or Lukewarm

"Gettare acqua sul fuoco"
Pour oil on troubled waters

"Molta acqua è passata sotto i ponti"
A lot of water has passed under the bridge

"Pestare acqua nel mortaio"
To talk to deaf ears

"Portare acqua al proprio mulino"
To act in one’s own interest

"Scoprire l’acqua calda"
To discover nothing new

"Somigliarsi come due gocce d’acqua"
To be as like as two peas

"L’acqua va al mare or Piove dove è bagnato"
Money goes where money is

"Fare acqua"
To be in trouble

"Avere l’acqua alla gola"

"Il sangue non è acqua"
Blood is thicker than water

"Essere come un pesce fuor d’acqua"
To be like a fish out of water

(A work of the Italian school from Carini)

2005-05-24T22:30:00.000+03:00

PROJECT MEETING ACTIVITIES REPORT

RUCAR,ROMANIA,
APRIL 18 – 20 ,2005

The project meeting of the Comenius school project „The Blue Planet” took place on April 18th,19th,20th at the Grupul Scolar Forestier Rucar,Romania,according to the programme of the second year project.

Participating teachers from the European school partners :

From Italy - Instituto di Istruzione Superiore „Ugo Mursia”,Carini -coordinating school:
Anna Maria Bevaqua ,coordinator teacher;
Anna Maria Taddeo,teacher;
From Greece - ”8 Eniaio Lykeion Ioannion”,Ioannina :
Panayiotis Yiakis,principal;
Stergios Nastopoulos,coordinator teacher;
Angeliki Stoukidou,teacher;
Martha Pappa Rapti,teacher;
From Sweden – „Satilaskolan” Satila:
Margit Karlsson,teacher;
Anette Schreiber,teacher;
From Romania – Grupul Scolar Forestier Rucar:
Ana Vorovenci,principal;
Domnica Pestritu,coordinator teacher;
Maria Vlaicu,teacher;
Ion Radescu,engineer.

During the project meeting there were developed the following activities:

1. Lectures on :

„The National Park Piatra Craiului – history,goals and
water managemant”,by Mr. Bogdan Cosmescu, environment engineer;
„Local development and fresh water management”,by Mr. Ghica Dumitru, maior of Rucar

2. There was also information concerning the importance of water for the local activities such as :the Trout Nursery of Dambovicioara or the Watermill at Rucar.

The power of water was underlined during the visits to:

The Hydropower Station of Pecineagu/Clabucet;
the Dambovicioara gorges;
the Hydropower Station and the dam of Vidraru;
the water cleaning entreprise”APA BRASOV”.

The project participants had the opportunity to disccover water symbols in some of the Romanian myths, legends or literary works during the visits to the Cave of Dambovicioara,the Monastery of Curtea de Arges, the old city of Brasov, or the folk evening performed by the Romanian students.

3. The project meeting session focussed on the following topics:

a) Activities already done by each project partner this school year.

The school from Sweden insisted on more practical activities, while the Greek team has been collecting sayings on water as well as students’ drawings.
The Romanian school suggested to make a collection of texts on water symbol in the partners’ culture(literature,music,religion,legends).As the Italian and the Romanian schools worked on both scientific and literary topics,the Italian school proposed to make a collection of these materials as an end product of this project year. The Greek and Sweden texts will be added next year,as the partners are still working on water symbols.This collection will be made by the Italian school as an end product of the project.All the participants agreed with it.They also accepted the Romanian
proposal of making a dictionary with the most used words connected to water,in
English and the languages of the four partners.The dictionary will be drafted by
the Romanian team as an end product of this project year.

b) The Sweden partnes insisted on teaching methods ment to raise the students’ interest in the project and involve them in the activities carried on by each school. The other partners offered examples of interesting activities - according to the students’ age.

c) Communication between the partners.
The Greek school underlined the importance of students’ involvement in the project too; the chat-room created by the Greek partner helps the students of the partner schools to get in touch one – another easily. The Greek school had a suggestion too:the proverbs on water - collected by the students - to be recorded and sent to all partners, using the new technology. The Romanian partner proposed to add these proverbs to the dictionary which is to be made this year. The Greek school proposed to add paradoxes on water too.Each partner agreed to add to the dictionary 5 proverbs and 5 paradoxes both in English and the mother tongue, before the 10th of June 2005.

d) Dissemination of the project activities.
The Greek school mentioned the web pages visited by more than 300 teachers last year.The Italian Site „Gold System” has been working with similar results.The Sweden and the Romanian schools insisted on the renewal of the students’ materials on the web pages of the project. There were underlined the initiatives of the Greek school with respect to the dissemination , the film on the project meeting at Ioannina inclusively.

4. Dissemination of the project to the Romanian community was done by:

involvement of the local administration, private entrepreneurs or students’ parents in the project meeting;
ccooperation with the National Park Piatra Craiului, S.E.H. Curtea de Arges, Compania APA Brasov; the School of Dambovicioara; the Trout Nursory of Dambovicioara.
headteachers of the nearby school were invited to the lectures on water;
students and teschers articles published in the local newspaper and the school magazine;

5. Conclusions:

the project participants had the opportunity to discover the real Romania and to be informed about the local water problems;
the projectg meeting ment a step ahead to reach the project aims;
We renewed our partnership and friendship that already had developed and enriched our teaching and life experience.

6.The partners decided upon the next project meeting:October,2005 in Sweden.

Water in posters

2005-05-22T10:37:00.000+03:00

A work of the Romanian School from Rucar. Well done, kids!

Water dictionary (English-Greek-Italian-Romanian-Swedish) and not only...

2005-05-19T01:08:00.000+03:00

A work of the cooperating schools. We hope it is useful...

2005-05-17T23:59:00.000+03:00

This spring has met generations, has seen travellers and travellers, paysants and soldiers, housekeepers washing cloths, horses and cows. She is still there waiting for you to pass by. Water clear and cold, no modern designed bottles, just water. Simple and strong construction with no ornaments. Practical and minimal. Functional.

2005-05-17T23:52:00.000+03:00

A modern spring built in old style in Epirus, Greece. Photo by Mr. Panayiotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina, Greece

2005-05-17T23:50:00.000+03:00

This old spring in Epirus, Greece is waiting for the tired walker, here for centuries. Photo by Mr. Panayotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina, Greece

2005-05-17T23:47:00.000+03:00

Waterfall in Epirus, Greece. Photo by Mr. Panayiotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina, Greece

2005-05-17T23:45:00.000+03:00

Natural pool used a water tank in Epirus, Greece. Photo by Mr. Panayotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina, Greece

2005-05-17T23:42:00.000+03:00

Water for irrigation. Photo by Mr. Panayiotis Giakis, Principal of the 8th Unified Lyceum of Ioannina, Greece

2005-05-06T02:35:00.001+03:00