Bottom-up awareness for a collective change
What gave birth to our work has been the collaboration between the Municipality of Turin (section cooperation and peace) and the Polytechnic University of Turin, which has given us the opportunity to realize a two months holistic investigation in a little town in Senegal, called Fadiouth.
The objective of our work has been the redefinition of the current system, in social and environmental terms.
The first stage, concerning the analysis of activities, resources and social behaviors, has allowed us to define the main existing problems, giving us a base on which starting to suggest a systemic planning solution. On the principles of systemic design (the output of a system becomes the input of another one) we have valued the local identity and resources, concentrating on the consciousness of the individual for a change towards a collective well-being.
The main problems identified concern garbage and drain waters’ management. In the system theorized by us the garbage, before potential that wasn’t being used, is now reused as second raw material. With the introduction of twelve biodigestors, fostered by organic waste and maneur , the houses can have electricity and local agriculture can receive compost. The recovered inorganic waste give birth to a new activity that will lead to the realization of new products. The grey waters, before emptied into the lagoon, foster a fitopurification system; this simulates the natural process of water purification, using bacteria, seaweed, plants, snails and local fishes. Down line of the structure has been installed an aquaculture system, that allows the growth of fishes and edible vegetables for the citizens’ sustenance.
Each installation will connect five houses, while each biodigestor will be fostered by around fifty houses. This new system creates a dense net of relations that stimulates interaction between people, activities and resources. The solutions suggested aim at self-production and the recovery of waste materials. The redefinition of the flows facilitates the counterbalance and the harmonization of the activities present on the island, with a 70% reduction of potable water usage, an almost complete substitution of gpl with biogas and a complete elimination of the garbage in the lagoon.
Our work does not ignore the educational aspect and importance of raising awareness; we have thought of a “game”, made of different cards that would provide the necessary information for the learning. The whole project considers the centralization of man and the socio-cultural respect of the community’s traditions and generates a change that considers the timing for the acceptation of the project, in order to give the individuals consciousness of their possibilities of improvement for a more sustainable and harmonious living.
