LINK TO THE PICTURES
https://photos.app.goo.gl/12LttRVEMvZWbEAp8
DAY 1 : Sunday, may 1st. TRAVELLING DAY TO GEVELSBERG
The whole French crew flew to Düsseldorf ,Germany. Once there a bus was waiting for them to take us to Gevelsberg where the host families where waiting for the students.
Day 2: Monday, May 2nd DAY AT SCHOOL
We spent our first day at school. First we went to the auditorium where the headmistress made a welcome speech. Then the students made their school presentation. We also had a tour of the school.
We all had lunch at the canteen where we ate a German special called « Curry wurst »
At 2 pm we all were expected at the town hall where the mayor was expecting us.We listened to his speech and had a group picture taken on the threshold of the townhall. We all left with a little bag full of flyers !
In the afternoon the French and Finn teachers went hiking to discover the surrounding! Lovely day!
Day 3 : Tuesday, may 3rd AQUARIUS WATER MUSEUM in Wasser
Visit of the the water tower
We had a little speech on the history of the tower.
Here are some notes:
20 liters of water is said to be sufficient minimum)to survive (2 buckets)
In food like hamburger there is hidden water. But also in electronic devises, clothes
For example
I kg of beef requires 16000 liters of water.
In the south of Spain they use more water than they have, they have to import water.
Students then were divided into groups for différent workshops
Then in the afternoon, all the students were freed to do their activities while the teachers went to spend some time in the beautiful town of Hattingen.
Day 4: Wednesday, May 4th Day at school
Step 1: lecture by AQUABION
Lecture on water sustainability and treatment by the company AQUABION from Düsseldorf
Their goal is to improve water quality drinking water in Germany by using ion technology
Points highlighted
- Water scarcity due to climate change
- Rising energy costs: for the last 10 years the cost has been increasing again ne again and it seems endless
- When is water hard ? Limescale issues. What possibilities do we have? —> salt based softeners/water softeners or devices with magnets or electricity.
- The company came out with sacrificial anode system (which means you don’t need chemical to treat water) .In addition this ION system prevents the creation of legionella and treat against limescale.
History of Aguabion
MrMarc Flettner invited it in 1989 /The company is located in Düsseldorf / They got an award in 2022 (Deutschland favorite)
Website: www.aquabion.de
After the lecture the students went to classes with their correspondant.
Step 2 : lab experiment: how to create a mini waste water treatment plant
They made dirty water and then they had to come up with ways to make it clean again!
Then after trying to find solutions to clean the water, each groups presented their experiments.
4 Steps to treat water
- Floculation coagulation tank:
- sedimentation tank
- Filtration with sand filters or activated carbon
Bacteria are still there so next step is
- Desinfection : adding chlorine sometimes or ozone treatment ( ozone desinfection)
Step 3 : BUND Lecture by Henry Tunte
BUND is an association for the environment and nature conservation
Nitrate has been a major issue for the last 30 years. It pollutes rivers and groundwater.
Day 5: Thursday, May 5th Visit of a sewage plant in Wuppertal
We took the bus to Wuppertal and then walk for half an hour to get to the sewage treatment plant. We had a tour in 2 groups. Very interesting explanations. Then we went back to the city and took the suspension railway which is the main landmark of Wuppertal and finally visited the city.
Day 6: Dusseldorf
We headed to Düsseldorf without the Italian team as they left the day before. We visited a museum (Unser land) and then all the students had some free time walking around the city.
What a pleasant city by the river !
Day 7: Last day
Time to say goodbye to everyone. What a nice experience we all had, working together, meeting new people, discovering a new culture. Can’t wait to host mobility 3 in France in September.
