What are microplastics? Where do they come from? How do they end up in lakes? Can these particles be filtered by waste water treatment plants? Are there standard monitoring methods? What can we do to reduce microplastic pollution? The seminar planned within the framework of the EU LIFE Blue Lakes Project seeks to provide answers to these questions.
In the LIFE Blue Lakes project, seven project partners from Italy and Germany, led by the Italian NGO Legambiente, are striving to reduce microplastic pollution in lakes. A special focus of the project is to raise awareness among consumers in order to reduce the consumption of plastic and microplastics in everyday life. Furthermore, concrete recommendations for action for municipalities are compiled in a lake paper and a dialogue with relevant economic sectors is conducted. Methods for monitoring microplastics and more efficient technologies for filtering microplastics in wastewater treatment plants will be developed and a broad knowledge transfer to relevant experts will be ensured. Further information on LIFE Blue Lakes is available on the project website: https://lifebluelakes.eu/en/
EU Green Week 2022 – 30 May to 5 June 2022.
EU Green Week is an annual opportunity to debate European environmental policy with policymakers, leading environmentalists and stakeholders from Europe and beyond. This year's edition focuses on the European Green Deal - the EU’s sustainable and transformative growth strategy for a resource-efficient and climate-neutral Europe by 2050.
Further information on the EU Green Week 2022 is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eu-green-week-2022_en
Programme – LIFE Blue Lakes Seminar – EU Green Week Partner Event
10:00
Moderation and Welcoming
Udo Gattenlöhner, Global Nature Fund
No microplastics, just waves – The LIFE Blue Lakes project
Elisa Scocchera, Legambiente, Italy
The Lake Paper – Recommendations for communities in Italy and Germany
Chiara Braschi, Legambiente, Italy
A standard monitoring protocol for microplastic pollution in lakes
Maria Sighicelli, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Italy and Valentina Della Bella, Environmental Protection Agency of Umbria (ARPA UMBRIA), Italy
Microplastics in municipal drinking and wastewater treatment plants
Prof. Francesco Fatone, Polytechnic University Marche, Italy
Involve businesses, NGOs and people to actively engage in the prevention of microplastics
Bettina Schmidt, Global Nature Fund, Germany
Q&A and discussion
Closing session
12:00
End of event