Aguapé logo
Friday February 12th

Aguapé Cleanup Mobilization takes out more than 20 tons of trash

In this photo: members of the local Rotary Nucleus for Community Development, Rotaract members, municipal environmental secretaries and employees of Gravatai, Alvorada and Cachoeirinha

The banks of the Gravataí River are cleaner since dozens of volunteers and Aguapé partners removed more than 20 tons of trash close to the Cachoeirinha bridge. The local riverside community assisted. Volunteers we given gloves and standard security equipment. The cleanup was not restricted to the land; the Environmental Brigade boat donated by the Aguapé Project patrolled the river in support of the cleanup. All kinds of trash were found along the banks including plastic bottles, tarpaulins and discarded furniture.

In this photo: ex-district governor 4670 Eliseu Gonçalves, project coordinator Luiz Borba, RC Cachoeirinha club president Cledi Soares, and NRDC memer Djair.

According to the Project Coordinator this first cleanup in Cachoeirinha surpassed all expectations. "We had the support of many partners as well as members of the community. We will continue to develop environmental consciousness-raising, which is the true focus of the project."

Environmental Brigade picks up trash with boat donated by Aguapé Project.

The cleanup mobilization was sponsored by the Cachoeirinha Secretaries of Environment, Public and Urban Works, Cachoeirinha City Hall, APN-VG, Alvorada Municipal Environmental Office, RCs Cachoeirinha, Cachoeirinha Industrial, Alvorada, Rotaract & Interact Cachoeirinha, Environmental Brigade, City Firefighters, and the NGO Angels of the Asphalt.

Members of RC Cachoeirinha, NRDC Cachoeirinha and Interact Cachoeirinha help with the cleanup.

The Project activities began in April 2009 and are divided into four modules: reforestation, cleanup mobilizations, environmental patrolling, and education. It is the largest ongoing Rotary project in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Project's goals are prevention, environmental education, consciousness-raising, and assistance in depoluting the Gravatai River. The Project is subsidized by Rotary International via the Rotary Foundation, with investments of over $500,000. RCs of Cachoeirinha, Gravatai and Alvorada are responsible for the planning and implementation of the actions in the four modules.

Wednesday January 20th

More than 15 tons of trash removed from the Gravatai River

Members of RC Alvorada who participated in the cleanup mobilization.

On Wednesday, January 13th, at Pradinho Park in Alvorada, an Aguapé Cleanup Mobilization took place. The event was supported by the Environmental Secretary of Alvorada, employees of that department, and local community members. The sunny weather contributed to the good progress of cleanup. Nearly 15 tons of trash were removed from the banks of the Gravatai River.

RC members in action, cleaning up trash. The need for action is obvious!

Project Coordinator Luiz Borba and RC member Silva showing the results of the effort.

Thursday December 3rd

Aguapé Project participates in the Cachoeirinha Science Exhibition

The Cachoeirinha Science Exposition

From December 2-5, Aguapé Project showed at the Cachoeirinha Science Exposition in Portugal School, Fatima neighborhood. In partnership with the Assocation for the Natural Preservation of the Gravatai Valley, Aguapé Project's booth showed where people could obtain information on the Project. Aguapé thaks the Municipal Education Secretary of Cachoeirinha for allowing participation in this event.

Aguapé's booth at the Cachoeirinha Science Exposition.

Tuesday December 1st

Water & Environment Seminar

On 21st November at the Cachoeirinha City Park Auditorium the Water & Environment Seminar was promoted by District 4670 of Rotary International.

Cachoeirinha's Environmental Secretary, David Cafruni, was present along with several other local authorities and Rotarians from all over the Porto Alegre metropolitan area. The seminar focused on projects concerned with education and preservation of water resources in the Gravataí River Basin. It also featured a lecture presenting the Aguapé Project.

Friday 27th November

Aguapé Horseback Ride promotes local environmental awareness

Riders make their way into the Industrial District of Cachoeirinha, passing the Rotary Mark.

More than 40 horseback riders followed a path along the Gravatai River and through Cachoeirinha city to publicize environmental awareness via the Aguapé Project. Saturday's rains gave way to sunshine on Sunday, allowing the riders to enjoy their parade.

Interact Club members passed out pamphlets among spectators who greeted the riders. A loudspeaker car accompanied the riders, explaining the initiative and the importance of society doing its part to preserve the environment. Several cars followed the parade, one of them towing the boat that has been donated to the Environmental Brigade.

Aguapé Project Coordinator Luiz Borba (l) and EGD Eliseu Gonçalves da Silva (r) with riders from the GTC Saudade Ranch.

The ride began at 8am at the Saudade Ranch Gaúcho Traditions Center (GTC), followed the river, paraded down Av. Flores da Cunha, arrived at the Granja Esperança and returned to the GTC, a total of 4 hours. Upon return, more than 100 people enjoyed a delicious traditional lunch prepared by local Rotarians. An educational video about the Project was presented after the lunch.

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This first annual Aguapé Horseback Ride was sponsored by the GTC Saudade Ranch, Angels of the Asphalt, municipal Secretary of Public Safety, and Rotarians.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Aguapé Project begins signups for training teachers and leaders

Aguapé Project, besides being an environmental project aiming to recover the Gravatai River, is also an educational project. In this sense, the project is offering a diversity of free lectures that will take place in Alvorada, Gravataí and Cachoeirinha over the next two months.

The objective is to collaborate with ongoing classroom activities via practical content that can subsidize educators' material across various disciplines. With a total requirement of 20 hours, divided into 10 meetings of 2 hours, this integration into the Aguapé Project will offer to teachers a Certificate of Participation recognized by the State Secretary of Education.

The first lecture "The Generation of Waste and its Impact on the Gravatai River" will be offered by chemical engineer Fernando Lima Borges. The second lecture "Riparian Vegetation" will be conducted by Luís Fernando Carvalho Perelló, doctoral student at the Universidade Federal of São Carlos (SP). The third lecture, "The History of the Gravatai River," will be offered by geologist Carlos Augusto Mennet Marchiori and will feature debates and open forums concerning the river.

Tuesday, October 5, 2009

Donation of paper by Aracruz

Aguapé Project received from Aracruz Corporation a generous donation of 12 reams of 250 sheets of paper, thickness 75, in 66 x 96 cm format. The material is available at the project office for use in research forms, propaganda, and flyers, among other uses

Sunday, October 3, 2009

Aguapé present at Rotary SongFest

Promoted by RC São Leopoldo, Rotary SongFest featured the participation of dozens of artists in diverse modalities. Rotary SongFest is a traditional gaucho music festival that promotes social inclusion and musical initiation.

Aguapé Project was represented by EDG Eliseu Gonçalves, Governador 2009/10 Paulo Meinhardt, project coordinator Luiz Borba, and Marcelos Canellas. The quartet presented a song with Aguapé as its theme, and earned the trophy for best lyrics written by a Rotarian.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Story about planting seedlings on Tree Day in the Cachoeirinha Daily newspaper

The story below appeared in the Cachoeirinha Daily newspaper on September 23. It talks of the planting of seedlings at the mouth of Passinhos Creek, organized by the Project. To see the story in large format, just click on the picture below, or access the virtual edition of the newspaper or click on their site directly at this link. site do grupo CG.

Signups open for cycle of free lectures

Sign-ups are underway for the cycle of free lectures for school teachers, presented by Aguapé Project. Sign-ups can be done on the virtual form in the webpage link, or directly at Aguapé Headquarters. Following is a description of the objectives, locations, and speakers:

Objective

As a point of current interest of young students, environmental awareness is a theme that always raises student curiosity. Aguapé Project wants to collaborate with ongoing classroom activities by offering practical content that serves as a subsidiary to educators in the various disciplines offered by schools.

Format

Each lecture series is a sequence of 20 hours, divided in 10 meetings of 2 hours each. Through its agreement with Aguapé Project, the State Secretary of Education will offer a Certificate of Participation.

LECTURE LOCATIONS

Alvorada

Auditório da Secretaria de Educação
Avenida Wenceslau Fontoura, 211
Bairro: Nova Americana - Alvorada
A/C SMED - Sabryna Barski (3044.8666)

Gravataí

Auditório do Centro Administrativo Leste
Av. Ely Correa n. 675 - 6º andar
Bairro: Parque dos Anjos - Gravataí

Cachoeirinha

Auditório da Faculdade Cesuca - Complexo de Ensino Superior de Cachoeirinha
Rua Silvério Manoel da Silva, 160
Bairro: Colinas - Cachoeirinha

LECTURES

Title: "The Generation of Waste and its Impact on the Gravatai River"

Topics to be discussed:

LECTURER: Fernando Lima Borges, chemical engineer, 2 years experience in environmental industrial engineering and 3 years in waste management, environmental education and selective collection. Knowledge of water and effluent treatment.

Title: "Riparian Vegetation"

LECTURER: Luís Fernando Carvalho Perelló, Bachelor of Biological Sciences and Master's of Biology from UNISINOS; finishing PhD at the Federal University of São Carlos (SP) in Ecology and Natural Resources. Visiting professor at PUCRS (Environmental Institute) in specialisation course in Environmental Quality Management.

Title: "The History of the Gravatai River"

LECTURER: Carlos Augusto Mennet Marchiori, geologist, consultant in environmental engineering geology; formation in Water Resource Management from the National Water Agency (ANA).

Monday, September 21, 2009

Planting on Tree Day

On September 21, at 2:30pm, Project conducted a seedling panting at Barnabas Creek, Bom Sucesso neighborhood, in Gravatai. The event, commemorating Tree Day, involved simultaneous plantings in the cities of Gravatai, Cachoeirinha, and Alvorada. Among the guests present were Rita Sanco, mayor of Gravatai, Sandra Cardoso, from APN-VG (Association of Nature Preservation of the Gravatai Valley), Lucca Antomini from Gravatai City Habitation Department, and Mauricio Colombo from the Environmental Foundation of Gravatai.

On this occasion, the importance of the Projects was emphasized. Ary Cardoso, representative of the Project, and coordinator of the Education Module, explained the importance of preserving the environment of the Gravatai River. He informed that Project plants to plant around 9,000 tree seedlings during the 3-year span of the Project. Mayor Rita Sanco inaugurated the planting. Fifty (50) seedlings of ipê amarelo, ipê roxo, carnaúba and arueira, among others, were planted.

Planting on Tree Day in Alvorada (photos below)

Planting on Tree Day in Cachoeirinha (photos below)

Planting on Tree Day in Gravatai (photos below)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

Aguap� Project participates in the Independence Day parade in Porto Alegre

On 07/09 - Monday, Project Aguap� participated in the Independence Day parade in Porto Alegre. Wearing the project's official T-shirt, Rotarians punctuated the event and demonstrated the importance of preserving the Gravata� River.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

Visit from RI president John Kenny to the Aguap� Project

On 03/09, Tuesday at 10:45am at IRGA (Rio Grandense Rice Institue), Project had the distinguished presence of Mr. John Kenny (in the photo, putting on the official project T-shirt), President of Rotary International, and his wife June.

Featuring nearly 25 participants, among Rotarians and guests, Mrs. John Kenny was invited to plant a tree at the site and received gifts from participants (Project Aguap� shirt, IRGA hat and RC Cachoeirinha pennant).

We thank all participants for attending this great event.

THURSDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2009

Meeting at MTG

On September 1, Tuesday, at 10:30 pm, at the meeting room of the Gaucho Traditions Movement, a meeting was held regarding the Aguap� Horseback Ride.

Present: Valdir, Luiz Borba, C�sar Jos� Tomazzini and Secretary Ana Paula.

Luiz Borba began the meeting by explaining to C�sar Jos� Tomazzini about the Project and the main events to date; after this, he discussed the Aguap� Horseback Ride. The initial idea was that riders would leave the Gaucho Traditions Centers (GTCs) of their respective municipalities (Cachoeirinha, Alvorada, Gravata�, Esteio, etc.) and follow a pre-set path (approximately 20 km).

At the end of the ride, all participants would meet at GTC Rancho da Saudade, in Cachoeirina, to participate in a ceremony (presentation with information about the project, tribute to GTCs, etc.) and finish with lunch. Tomazzini liked the idea and was willing to help with the event. A meeting was scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11 @ 7pm at the GTC Rancho da Saudade with all the bosses and foremen to organize the ride. A similar meeting will occur on Monday Sept. 7 @ 8pm at the GTC Tradition, in Alvorada.

The Aguap� Horseback Ride. is projected to take place on Sunday, November 8.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

Planting Seedlings at CADOP

On August 28, at 10:00 am, at CADOP (State Agricultural College Daniel de Oliveira Paiva), a planting of seedlings for the Aguap� Project took place. With the presence of project members (pictured above), students of the IRGA Institute and the school principal, 266 seedlings were planted (166 seedlings on Friday and 100 seedlings on Monday). We appreciate the cooperation of everyone at the event.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2009

Visit to planting areas in Gravata�

On Wednesday, August 26, Lydian Hannibal, L. Antonini (DEMHAB), Maurice Collins (GEF), Sandra (CAP - Gravata� / APN-VG) and Secretary Ana Paula were in Gravata� to conduct a visitation of possible areas for planting seedlings in the city.

With the collaboration of L. Antonini, the group visited sites near Barnabas Creek - Condominiums C / D and D Condominium / E (PICTURE ABOVE), Vila Formosa (PHOTOS BELOW), and the creek mouth.

According to analysis, there are about 4 km of area available for planting seedlings.

In the coming weeks, strategies will be defined to start planting in these regions.

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2009

Joint Meeting of RCs in Gravata� River Valley

On Wednesday August 19, at City Park in Cachoeirinha, a joint meeting of Rotary Clubs of Gravata� River Valley was held. With the presence of several Rotary Clubs such as Gravata� Ulbra, Cacoheirinha, Cachoeirinha Industrial, Esteio, Lind�ia, Sarandi and Alvorada. Cledi Soares began the meeting by welcoming the participants.

The Brazilian national anthem was played and members of the dais were presented. A brief introduction to the meeting was made, and Luiz Borba delivered a speech commenting on the importance of the Gravata� River. Captain Rodrigo of the Environmental Brigade, Governor Paulo Meinhardt, ex-Governor Eliseu Gon�alves and other participants of the meeting were called by Luiz Borba to participate in the ceremony of the boat and trailer presentation to the Environmental Brigade. Back to the meeting at the City Park restaurant the terms of the donation of the trailer and boat were signed, and Captain Rodrigo made a brief speech in appreciation for the donation. Afterwards, Ary Cardoso made a brief speech regarding the Education Module and the actions taken to date. Upon conclusion, he called on Leandro Santos da Silva, representative of APNVG and other authorities, for the presentation of a computer / data projectors to this entity.

Leandro made a brief acceptance speech and afterwards, ex-Governor Eliseu Gon�alves spoke and recited a poem in tribute to the Gravata� River and the Aguap� plant (water hyacinth in English). Governor Paulo Meinhardt made final observations on the project, Cledir Smith thanked everyone and closed the meeting with the Rio Grande state anthem and the ringing of the Rotary bell. An account of the event was published in the Journal of Cachoeirinha (below)

Visit to planting areas in Alvorada

On Thursday, August 13, Aguap� Project members Lydian Hannibal, Jos� Luiz and Ana Paula visited the Municipal Environmental Secretary (MES) in Alvorada, to conduct a visitation of possible areas for planting seedlings in the city. With the collaboration of biologist Augusto and the driver of the MES, the group visited Feij� Creek, �guas Belas Creek, �guas Belas creek (near the April 11 settlement), Campos Verdes condominium, Colinas do Pradinho condominium, Coc�o Pond and Zero Hora Creek.

Of the places visited, Feij� Creek demonstrated the greatest viability for planting seedlings, with approximately 700m available for this purpose. In the coming weeks, members of the project will visit the cities of Gravata� and Cachoeirinha to check local plantation prospects near the Gravata� River.

WEDNESDAY, 15 JULY 2009

Aguap� Executive Committee Meeting

On July 13, 2009, the Executive Committee of the Aguap� Project held a meeting at the Commerical Association of Cachoeirinha. The meeting was conducted by project coordinator Luiz Borba and honored by the presence of ex-District Governor 2008/09, Eliseu Gon�alves da Silva. Professor Let�cia Martins presented a summary of a research project elaborated by CESUCA in order to evaluate the development of the Aguap� Project, with a brief description of the objectives, methodology, and chronogram of each stage.

Rotary fellow Maur�cio Oliveira, from RC Alvorada, spoke about the Aguap� event that will occur on July 16th in that city. A cleanup mobilization, tree planting, and education and consciousness-raising efforts, the latter of which will take place in Nova Americana neighborhood. The cleanup mobilization will take place at the end of Estocolmo street and the tree planting will take place at the Community Center, corner of Itarar� and Wenceslau Fontoura streets.

TUESDAY, 14 JULY 2009

Presentation about Aguap� Project at the D4680 District Conference

2008/09 District 4670 Governor Eliseu Gon�alves da Silva attended the neighbouring District 4680 Conference on May 17, 2009. He gave a talk on the Aguap� Project, telling this district about all the partners, activities and goals of the first 3H project in Rio Grande do Sul.

Aguap� Project receives award in the Gravata� Council Chamber

The Aguap� Project received its first recognition by the Pr�mio Amigos do Verde. The presentation happened in the City Council of Gravata� on June 1st, 2009, proposed by the Council's Green Party, and was in recognition of the social action project.

THURSDAY, 9 JULY 2009

Aguap� Project lecture at the Cachoeirinha Rotary Club

The regular meeting of RC Cachoeirinha on July 8th featured a speech by the Coordinator of Aguap� Project, Rotarian Luiz Gon�alves Borba.

After a brief explanation of the objectives of the Project, Borba gave a presentation on the activities undertaken since the launch and confirmed the schedule for the coming weeks.

Inauguration of Aguap� House

With the participation of Rotary, municipal and state authorities, the Aguap� House, official headquarters of the Aguap� Project Executive Committee, was inaugurated on July 8th.

This site contains all centralized administrative processes of the Project, managed by secretary Ana Paula Gon�alves da Silva, hired exclusively for this activity. The building is located in Pres. Kennedy Polytechnical College, at 312 Decio Martins Costa Road in Cachoeirinha.

Project Aguap� lecture held at the Inedi School

The Aguap� Project held a lecture for 1st grade students studying at the Inedi school. Children are made aware of the activities to be developed by the project and how they can participate in its various modules. The lecture was presented by fellows Ary Borba of the Cachoeirinha Industrial Rotary Club and Joel Gon�alves of the Cachoeirinha Rotary Club.

Official Launch of Aguap� Project on the morning of May 27th in IRGA

Alvorada, Cachoeirinha, and Gravata� are united in a campaign for public awareness concerning the use of the Gravata� River. The initiative stems from Rotary Clubs of the three cities, and investment of more than US$500,000.

The launch of Aguap� Project on May 27th demonstrated the importance of the project that will invest more than US$500,000 in raising awareness and aid in recovery of the Gravata� River. The auditorium of the Rio Grande Rice Institute (IRGA) packed more than 120 people, including local authorities, NGOs, directors of schools, and community leaders. Ten seedlings were planted to symbolize the official start of the project.

Project Aguap� coordinator, Luiz Gon�alves Borba made a quick presentation of the history, goals and communities benefited, and ended saying that if we care to leave a better world for our children, we should worry about leaving our children better for our planet. The chairman of IRGA, Mauritius Fischer, noted that rice plantations occupy about one million hectares in the state, and pointed out that technical studies show that water used in growing crops is of better quality after it is returned to its natural river source.

Many speakers pointed out that they used to swim in the Gravata� River The mayor of Alvorada, Carlos Brum, said the reach of public policy is short. "Civil society has much more power than government. Let's work together make a better future" said Brum. The mayor of Cachoeirinha, Vicente Pires, noted that the city name is a reflection of its identity with the River. "Cachoeirinha comes from a waterfall that used to exist at the entrance of the city. It's time to multiply our efforts to achieve, in our lifetimes, sustainable results from this project." he said.

At the end of the pronouncements, current District Governor 4670 of Rotary International, Eliseu Gon�alves da Silva, stressed that the launch is the realization of a dream. "This project has been more than three years in the making from hard work by many Rotarians. We strived hard to convince the Rotary Foundation of the importance of this initiative." Eliseu also commented that the quantity of this investment may end up being much greater, because it will add on many partners during the course of project execution. .