The Right of Thirst: Water as a Human Right and as a Commons

Rainwater Harvesting system (RWHs) can be considered as an alternative water resource in the era of the climate crisis. This research aims to study the effectiveness of a RWHs for domestic non-potable use and the water demand of the community in a Mediterranean site (Chios island, Greece). A water balance model is applied to simulate the behavior of a rainwater tank and calculate the daily water savings. The analysis correlates rainwater tank capacity, catchment area and population. The operation of the rainwater collection system has been calculated for seven years. In order to assess the investment risk regarding the application of the RWHs, the financial ratio of PayBack (PB) period was determined. The multifaceted character of Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) practice in the three-dimensional concept of sustainability is discussed. This study concludes that RWH contributes to the greening of society, dealing with water scarcity in urban areas.

This article delves into the enduring self-governing nature of a traditional irrigation system in a rural community in Greece through the lens of the social–ecological system (SES) framework. The aim is to analyze the variables and interactions that have sustained this community-based governance structure over a century. This study underscores the critical role of social capital, where social networks and effective communication facilitate self-governance in the management of this common pool resource. The findings reveal how actors coordinate social and physical capital when performing daily activities, enabling them to collectively solve common dilemmas. By examining the institutional arrangements and operational dynamics of the irrigation system, the study illuminates the community-led social processes that drive its sustainability. This analysis enhances the understanding of the importance of integrating social and physical capital in governance through collective action to achieve resilience. This study provides insights into alternative pathways for building resilience and discusses an irrigation system as a communal autonomous space that prioritizes social equity, democratic decision-making, and social–ecological contacts.

This case study in the municipality of Acharnes, Greece, examines a local initiative that transforms schoolyards into community gardens, involving teachers, pupils, parents, grandparents, and neighbors. The research explores participants’ perceptions of these transformations, with a focus on interactions with non-human beings such as pollinators. Data were collected using a questionnaire completed by 85 participants, including parents and guardians of pupils and school staff. Data analysis was conducted using statistical software to evaluate the research sample. Initially, descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions, were used to summarize the demographic and baseline variables of the sample. Next, Kendall’s tau correlation was applied to assess statistically significant relationships, such as those between age and proximity to green spaces, as well as gender, education, and green space preferences. The results of the survey reveal the “embrace” of these new urban green areas by both the school and the local community. This study, as part of an effort to address broader challenges in urban contexts, highlights the need for further in-depth exploration and examination of these dynamics to provide valuable insights into the design and management of school gardens. The aim is to enhance community engagement and urban biodiversity, with a central focus on social and environmental resilience.

Water’s role in shaping human societies, economies, and cultures extends beyond its status as a natural resource. This water quality, the entanglement of the social and natural, constructs the waterscape. This paper discusses how a community fountain and its replica, in a rural community of Greece, constructed by different agents with divergent motivations and objective, form a waterscape, expressing the socionature of water. Perceptions, imaginaries, values, and connotations are considered in the making and (dis)continuity of the waterscape. Community practices, social and cultural meanings, economy, commodification, collective work, privatisation, memory, and nostalgia are schemes that flow within the waterscape, over time. Flows and uses, livability, and emotions display diverse patterns of sense of rootedness on the community space.