Water resource use and quality

Aware of the importance of taking action to be a promoter of change, the University has set up concrete actions for sustainable water management, involving the student community and staff.

Increasing water scarcity is a global emergency, caused by the effects of climate change and by inefficient water resource management in many areas of the world. The drought that has been affecting our territory in recent years, due to the absence of consistent rainfall, dwindling snow reserves and high temperatures, highlights the importance of adopting water-saving strategies and responsible behavior to protect a resource that is essential to life and increasingly scarce.

Water is a common good and it is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard it by avoiding wasting it.

Concrete actions

  • Always turn off tap water when you don’t need to use it;

  • Beware the toilet flush, use the dual hand control to select the amount of water you really need;

  • Watch out for leaks! Promptly report any faults or malfunctions (more info on how to report faults at this link).

Calculating the University's water footprint

The Smart Water Metering Project, promoted and coordinated by the University Waste Manager, in partnership with the offices from the Area Servizi Informatici e Telecomunicazioni and Area Servizi Immobiliari e Acquisti and with the collaboration of Veritas SpA, was implemented and, since spring/summer 2022, enables the collection of the data necessary for subsequent processing to calculate the University's water footprint.

Rainwater harvesting system

A system for collecting and using rainwater for irrigation is in place at the Scientific Campus in Mestre. An action is planned within the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Plan to quantify how much is already collected and used annually at the Scientific Campus, and to analyze whether and how such recovery can be activated in other University contexts/locations.

On-site Communication Campaign

As part of its Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Plan, the University has launched a communication campaign, posting signs in places where everyone can take action. In restrooms, for example, users will find tips on efficient water usage.

Water coolers

For the last years, the University has been engaged in promoting sustainable behavior, by incentivizing its whole community to partake in daily actions which can reduce the environmental impact and stimulate the responsible use of resources. 

In March 2023, new water coolers were installed in the main University buildings, increasing the number of dispensers previously installed in 2017. An initiative that came out of a desire to significantly reduce the amount of plastic used daily by students and staff, thus incentivizing the use of water bottles.

The water provided by the dispenser comes from the city water supply, which is analyzed daily to ensure its purity and safety.

The water coolers are located in the break rooms and in the following buildings: 

  • Ca' Foscari
  • Ca' Cappello
  • Ca' Dolfin
  • Ca' Bembo
  • Ca' Bernardo
  • Ca' Bottacin
  • Ca' Foscari Zattere
  • Scientific Campus in Mestre
  • Campus in Treviso
  • Malcanton Marcorà
  • Briati Building
  • Cosulich Building
  • Moro Building
  • Vendramin Building
  • Rio Nuovo
  • S. Basilio
  • S. Giobbe
  • Santa Marta
  • San Sebastiano

 

Last update: 27/03/2025