ECOTOWN SITES

The creation of the proposed ecotowns will involve the following steps:

Phase 1: 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: Electricity 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

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

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 plant
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

In order to benefit from donations from the EU and other sources, local municipalities and NGOs will need to collaborate closely with all the Mediterranean countries involved in the project. By sharing projects, countries on the North and South of the Mediterranean will attract funding initiatives, giving their desired objectives a boost. Sustainable development and the fight against pollution are global issues that should not be considered separately. Common action will lead to change!

Having agreed to implement the creation of ecotowns modeled on Bahr Loubnan’s Naqoura, Bahr Loubnan is seeking the help and cooperation of local municipalities along the Mediterranean coastline. This is to establish a network of ecotowns that will at once reduce pollution on the Mediterranean coastline and sea, and aim to a sustainable eco-tourism. Sustainbale exchange between ecotowns will help to implement common actions. Exchange on all levels : success of experience, specific action, cultural, know how.. These ecotowns Will serve as educational models on environmental responsibility for the surrounding communities.
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.