PLAN OF ACTION
GENERAL PLAN
1. To spread awareness through campaigns against pollution in the Mediterranean, which also promote biodiversity preservation.
2. To act on the legislative level if needed: implementing laws that meet international standards of environmental responsibility.
3 .To clear the Mediterranean coastline of pollution by reducing and stopping sources of pollution.
4. To establish a special structure for sustaining the environmental measures taken in the target coastal areas.
5. To develop and install measures to preserve marine and coastal biodiversity.
6. To build an aquarium or interactive museum of marine life.
7. To highlight the importance of sustainable development on coastal villages.
Specifics Actions
The creation of the proposed ecotowns will involve the following steps:
Phase I: Water and Waste
Water: Build a waste water treatment plant, make healthy drinking water available
Waste: Build facilities to collect, sort and recycle waste to energy, Compost and to manage toxic waste
Education and awareness: schools, general public and media
Phase II: Électricity and Renewable Energies
Facilitate the transition towards renewable energies
Reduce levels of energy consumption in domestic and public spheres by improving insulation in homes and public buildings, creating green roof systems and painting houses white to reduce carbon emissions. Public buildings should act as examples of how to be carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly.
Education and awareness: schools, general public and media
Phase III: Agriculture and Forest
Agriculture: phase out the use of pesticides, promote organic farming and drip irrigation systems.
Reforestation
Coast remediation
Education and awareness: schools, general public and media.
Phase IV: Implement Policy change
It is important that the following measures, which encourage environmental responsibility as part of civil life, be taken at the level of policy. Women, due to their domestic and educational roles, will play an important role in adopting these new responsibilities.
Ban the use of plastic bags and replace them with paper bags.
Promote soft mobility by improving public transport systems, bicycle routes and pedestrian areas
Promote ecotourism
Promote the buying and selling of local products
Make agreements with neighboring cities and towns to avoid external pollution
Phase V: Education and interaction
Set up teaching tools and an educational programme to promote the phases stated above
Involve the surrounding cities and towns at each step of the project by organizing school visits, lectures and workshops
Film each step of the project for a video marketing campaign
Perspectives and points to consider
This project cannot be implemented without the participation of local communities in the target areas.
Applications for funding will be necessary to acquire the following:
water recycling plants
renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines
and biofuels
garbage recycling facilities
support for local agriculture in the transition to organic farming
educational programmes
the implementation of green jobs
This ambitious and collaborative project will be lead by Ecotown NGO headed by Rima Tarabay and will be implemented closely with the locals muncipalities , institutions, ngo.. Ecotown will collaborate when is necessary with the Committee for Energy, Environment and Water, headed by Professor Stefan Schennach.