SVI.MED. (Euro-Mediterranean centre for the sustainable development – no profit association - Sicily), in collaboration with IRIDRA srl, partners of NAWAMED, the Municipality of Ferla (associated partner) and the technical professional network of Syracuse (Italy) implemented an online workshop last 19^th of October.

During the event entitled “A green wall for the reuse of grey water: the pilot plant of Ferla”, the speakers, Michelangelo Giansiracusa (mayor of the Ferla municipality), Barbara Sarnari (SVI.MED.), Barbara Bonadies and Nicola Martinuzzi (Iridra srl) and Francesco Giunta (president of the architect network of Syracuse) presented and debated on the NAWAMED project and the non-conventional water resources (NCWR) related opportunities and barriers with about 50 participants. 
 
Furthermore, the event was the occasion to discuss the opportunities provided by the nature-based solution (NBS) related measures for a sustainable urban development towards resilient cities.
 
After the presentation of Barbara Sarnari about the NAWAMED project explaining the main objective and ongoing activities, Michelangelo Giansiracusa underlined the importance of adopting virtuous strategies for a public administration to guarantee a safe and sustainable future to its citizens. In this framework, the collaboration with the NAWAMED project has the potential to showcase the potential of the wastewater as a resource, optimizing costs and energy for a municipality, in addition to improvement of the behaviours of people.
  
Barbara Bonadies showed as many countries and regions during the past few years have already integrated into their development plans, for the urban regeneration, nature-based solutions such as greenwalls. The debate was also focused on the possibility to consider those kind of measures as interventions for improving the energy efficiency of a building (according with the financing measures of the Italian government).
 
Nicola Martinuzzi described in details the pilot plant related to the school of Ferla, thus, the greywater reuse treatment and monitoring system to be installed. Each technical aspect was explained also as a result of the adaptation of green wall system for the treatment of grey water to the specific contest of Ferla’s school and the final use of the treated greywater. 

Finally, Francesco Giunta provided a vision on the national and regional context related to the law and codes which can be an opportunity but also a barrier for the scalability of the proposed NBS, in particular to incentive the NCWR. The role of the technical profession networks is crucial to foster the integration of the NCWR and NBS into the existing strategies and plans and as such, Giunta presented also some financing tools useful for the technicians which want to submit idea to collaborate on related issues.
 
It’s possible to download the power point presentations (in Italian language) at this link and relive the event on NAWAMED youtube channel 

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