IntegraCD Wetland For Environmental Remediation & Global Engagement

Wetlands are areas of great fertility and productivity.  In fact, wetlands can be described as “the lungs, kidneys and ovaries of the planet” (Dr. David Bellamy).  Besides the ability to purify water, wetlands also purify the air by functioning as a carbon sink. They also serve as nurseries for many times of aquatic and marine life, including many valuable seafood species.

When wetlands are destroyed, the livelihood of low-income families and communities also disappear.  For e.g., low-income people harvest reeds from wetlands to make mats.  When wetlands are being drained, the reeds also disappear, thus the loss of raw materials for making reed mats.  The loss of wetlands such as mangrove swamps will result in the loss of breeding grounds for such edible species as lobsters or the mud crab. When this happens, fishermen will lose their livelihood.

Promoting “Wetland As Poverty Alleviation”, VNS, a NGO, uses constructed treatment wetland (CTW) to treat and recycle wastewater.  An environmentally sound alternative for treating wastewater, the CTW improves public health and standard of living.  The CTW is an integrated system where water, plants, animals, microbes and the environment (soil, sun and air) interact together to treat wastewater.  In addition, the CTW can function as an educational project, recreational space and has the potential of attracting eco-tourists.

Using the theme From Nature To Empowerment, VNS is working with schools to promote the use of CTW to treat graywater for non-potable reuse.  The IntegraCD Wetland has potential in both developed and developing nations.