CONSCIOUS USE OF WATER, A PRIMARY GOOD IN ALPINE REFUGES AND HIGH MOUNTAINS
Those who love the mountains don't waste their water
"Gocce di Montagna" (Mountain Drops) is a project conceived by AKU and the Alpine Guides of San Martino di Castrozza to inform all hikers about water use, a primary resource in mountain huts and high mountains. AKU has always been active in initiatives aimed at increasing environmental awareness, promoting a sustainable approach to outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, ski mountaineering, and canyoning.
In particular, the mountains speak to us about two urgent current issues: climate change and overtourism.
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A balance between people and the natural environment
Mountains are unique because they are more sensitive to change: they act as sentinels of what will happen in the plains. The effects of climate change are more evident: extreme weather events, retreating glaciers, and increasingly severe snowfall, impacting water availability in the valleys below.
Responsible water use in the mountains is essential and teaches us how to use it even when we return home. While water is a precious resource in cities and valleys, it is even more so in the mountains, where its presence and use by mountain huts depends on the presence of a spring and the ability to constantly store water in cisterns.
Those who frequent shelters must be aware of these issues, so as to use the shelters' primary resource—water—consciously, thus also contributing to the protection of natural environments.
What can I do to help the manager avoid wasting water?
limit water use to primary needs (avoid wasting it on washing clothes, boots, etc.);
consider the impossibility of washing as if you were at home;
accept the limited availability of the menu, with dishes proposed by the manager also based on water resources;
limit the use of plates and dishes (drink the second beer in the glass of the first!).
Cosa posso fare per aiutare il gestore a non sprecare acqua?
limitare l’uso dell’acqua alle primarie necessità (evitare di sprecarla per lavare indumenti, scarponi, ecc.);
considerare l’impossibilità di lavarsi come fossi a casa;
accettare la limitata disponibilità del menù, con piatti proposti dal gestore anche sulla base della risorsa acqua;
limitare l’uso di piatti e stoviglie (la seconda birra bevila nel bicchiere della prima!).
