The network of the Blue Community Switzerland
The Blue Community Switzerland network on social media includes around 3000 people in Switzerland and around the world. We know who the Blue Communities in Switzerland are (see here). But who are the people, the personalities, who connect with the Blue Community Switzerland via social media? And what are their reasons for doing so? We introduce some "followers", because the Blue Community is all of us!
Dorothee Spuhler
OST Fachhochschule Ostschweiz, UMTEC Institut für Umwelt- und Verfahrenstechnik. Projektleiterin Technologien für den globalen Süden, Dezentrale Systeme
SuSanA (Sustainable Sanitation Alliance), Eawag and Vorstandsmitglied VaLoo. Weitere Information und Links
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über Linkedin
«Water is everywhere and connects everything, including us humans with everything that surrounds us. It is the basis of our lives and we need to protect it and make it accessible to everyone. Access to water and sustainable (waste) water management is something I am also committed to professionally. Through Blue Communities, I can network and work with other stakeholders to contribute to the human right to water and sanitation.»
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Jan Seibert
Since 2009 Prof. at the Department for Geography of the University of Zurich where he leads the research group for Hydrology & Climate, see also geo.uzh.ch/~jseib/index.html
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin und über X (Twitter)
«As a hydrologist, the Blue Community goals are very close to my heart - water is a vital part of our environment that needs to be protected and used fairly. To achieve this, water researchers need to work together across traditional scientific boundaries.»
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Franziska Herren
Sicher ernährt mit sauberem Trinkwasser, mehr pflanzlichen statt tierischen Lebensmitteln, der Bodenfruchtbarkeit und der Biodiversität.
Verein sauberes Trinkwasser für alle. Initiantin Trinkwasserinitiative und Mitinitiantin der Initiative für eine sichere Ernährung (Ernährungsinitiative)
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über Linkedin
«I support the goals of the Blue Community, which are existential for securing our No. 1 foodstuff - drinking water. Because there is no alternative to water for our food security. The supply of food and sufficient clean drinking water can only be guaranteed in the long term if the food system becomes sustainable.»
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Ernst Bromeis-Camichel
Wasserbotschafter – Expeditionsschwimmer – Referent – Autor – Aktivist,
Davos Platz/Grischun/Svizra
Autor von «Das blaue Wunder»
2010 Nomination als Bündner des Jahres
2012 Preisträger der «SRG R» und «Capricorn d’onur» von Graubünden Ferien
2013 Ausgezeichnet als Alpenpionier
2017 Schweizer Nachhaltigkeitspreis
Stiftungsratsmitglied Schweizerische Greina-Stiftung
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über X/Twitter und Facebook
«I support the Blue Community because water fatefully connects all life. All life has no choice whether it uses water or not. It has to!»
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Meera Karunananthan
Lecturer at Carlton University, Geography and Environmental Studies.
Feminist geography; water justice and hydro-social conflicts in the global South;
racial capitalism and decolonial theory; political ecology; community-engaged and movement drive research
Water justice. Board member @BluePlanetProj and @PBICanada.
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über X/Twitter
«Conflicts over the control of freshwater supplies have become a defining feature of capitalism in the 21st century. As an engaged researcher, I am committed to theorizing these “hydro-social” conflicts by bringing critical geography and feminist theory into conversation with knowledge produced by grassroots movements at the frontlines.
Before joining Carleton, I was the director of the Blue Planet Project, a global water justice organization founded by the Canadian NGO, the Council of Canadians. In this role, I supported global trans-local organizing aimed at building connections between local water justice struggles through research and popular education strategies.»
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Michael Waefler
Fachplaner Gas Wasser bei Stadtwerke Wetzikon, Kanton Zürich
Eidg. Fachausweis Brunnenmeister, Water Supply Operator
Schweizerischer Verein des Gas und Wasserfaches SVGW
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
«I support Blue Community because the human right to water is important to me. Because we are talking about something that I believe should be self-evident. Because a UN resolution (not a law, not legally binding, not enforceable) is not enough in my view to enforce the human right to water. Because drinking water has been a UN human right since 2010 and 844 million people still have no access to drinking water today. Because investors are fighting for the ownership and trade of rain (drinking water), the lucrative profits and dependence on the supply have long been recognized by large international corporations and they buy the (human) water rights for low fees. Because in the age of fake news, education is becoming increasingly important.»
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Anne Grosperrin
Vice-présidente de la Métropole de Lyon, déléguée au cycle de l’eau.
Présidente de la Régie « Eau publique du Grand-Lyon ». Écologiste.
Sept. 2013–Dez. 2015 Secrétaire générale du Groupe Europe Ecologie les Verts - Région Rhone-Alpes
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über X/Twitter und Linkedin
«La gestion publique est un choix d’ordre philosophique, politique et démocratique qui porte un changement de paradigme dans la façon dont nous considérons l’eau, non plus comme une simple ressource, mais comme un bien commun vital pour l’ensemble du vivant, qui doit être gérer et préservé dans l'intérêt général. C'est cette vision que je partage avec la Blue Community.»
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Karl Heuberger
Ing. Agr. HTL
long-time employee at HEKS. Human right to water and protection of biodiversity
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über Linkedin
«In my many years of working in development cooperation, I have learnt how important access to water is. Water is a basic requirement for all life. And we are all in a position to make a contribution to protecting water.
I share the values and goals of Blue Community - water is a public good - having access to water is a human right. I am happy to work within Blue Community to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient and clean drinking water. Being a Blue Community means actively working together with other Blue Communities towards this goal.»
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Madelaine Moore
Political economist working on all things water, social reproduction, eco-socialism. Post-doc @bielefeld uni. New mum.
Autor of Water Struggles as Resistance to Neoliberal Capitalism. A time of reproductive unrest.
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über X/Twitter
«Water is essential for all forms of life, we cannot exist without it. That is why it is so crucial that we organise together through groups like blue communities to protect water and make it accessible for all.»
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Fredrick Mugira
Bertha Fellow National Geographic Explorer Pulitzer Center Grantee Water CC & Wildlife Reporter.
Founder WJA. Cofounder infonile.org and member of waterjournalistsafrica.com
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über X/Twitter
«Without water, you and I would not be alive. And not water for humans only, but for all life. Earth would be unlivable without water, just like no one lives on Mars. Growing up in western Uganda, in a village neighboring the Congo rainforest to the west, Lake Victoria to the East, African great lakes in the south, river Nile in the north, and the equator in the middle, I have come to realize that water is a golden thread that unites all life. The right to access water must be respected for all life.»
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Anna Hofmann
Environmental engineer and Ph.D. student based at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen Germany. Actively contributing to the SUSKULT project, my focus lies in nutrient recovery from wastewater for sustainable fertilizer production. My research centers on developing a lab-scale process to facilitate this goal, showcasing my dedication to advancing environmental engineering and pioneering innovative solutions for urban water treatment challenges.
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
«The Blue Community enhances visibility for our shared topics, showcasing their relevance to policymakers. Together, our collective strength amplifies the impact of our research beyond individual efforts.»
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Andreas Bieler
Andreas Bieler is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Nottingham/UK and Co-Director of the independent Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice.
Tweets on labour movements and resistance to neo-liberal globalization
Author of "Fighting for Water: Resisting Privatization in Europe"
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community über X/Twitter
«Blue Community is an excellent initiative raising the awareness of the importance of water and allowing people to mobilise with concrete measures in support of water as a human right.»
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Erin O’Donnell
A water law and policy expert with over two decades of experience, Erin is a Senior Lecturer and Australian Research Council research fellow at Melbourne Law School. Her work focuses on Indigenous water rights, water justice, legal rights of rivers, and water markets.
Autor of Legal Rights for Rivers: Competition, Collaboration, and Water Governance
Connected with the Blue Community on LinkedIn / X/Twitter / Bluesky
«Rivers are living beings with whom we are all in a relationship of mutual interdependence and reciprocity. The sooner we stop dominating and exploiting all waterways, the sooner we can embrace a truly legitimate and sustainable way of life. Water is life: for us, for the planet, and for itself.»
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Dennis Agoti
WASH Technical Specialist at Peace Winds | Providing Sustainable WASH Solutions, Nairobi, Kenia
Working with HuProTech GmbH as Water and Sanitation Policy Advocate. Active with Kenya Water Institute - Nairobi Campus
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
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Gemma Gasseau
PhD candidate in Transnational Governance, a joint program of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore, Firenze, Italy, and Sant’Anna School for Advanced Studies.
Her current research focuses on the politicization of water governance in the European Union prior, during and after the Eurozone crisis.
See also her article Negotiating the public: re-municipalization, water politics and social reproduction
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über X/Twitter
«Water is essential for life. Therefore, initiatives upholding the right to water, like the Blue Communities, are important for advancing social and environmental justice.»
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John Oldfield
CEO, Accelerate Global, LLC Advocacy Advisor, Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium Managing Principal, Global Water 2020 (2017 - 2021)
See also his text «Calling on parliaments: Human rights and the potential of Parliamentary Water Caucuses»
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über X/Twitter
«Safe water is a human right for individuals, households, healthcare facilities, schools, and other institutions. We must now work on the progressive realization of that human right. Elected officials – including Members of Parliament, Governors, and Mayors – are pivotal, but often under-recognized, in this fight across countries in the global south and north. They represent their people and communities, and we must put them to work for water.»
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Andrea Muehlebach
Professor of Anthropology at the Department of Anthropology and Cultural Research at the University of Bremen, Germany
Autor of "A Vital Politics: Water Insurgencies in Europe" (Duke University Press, Open Access). See also on Blue Community
Head of the Bremen NatureCulture Lab. For more see her private Website
Networking with der Blue Community Switzerland by X/Twitter
«I support the Blue Community Initiative because it represents a pact between water utilities and the communities they serve: This is a collective commitment to keep water in public hands and manage it with long-term goals and environmentally sound planning. This commitment by the public sector makes sense not only in economic and ethical terms, but also in ecological and infrastructural terms.»
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Uli Paetzel
Chairman of the Board of Germany's largest water management association @EGLVde & President of DWA (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e. V.) @dwa_ev
Driving force in the Ruhr region. Likes Adorno, jazz and Schalke 04.
Networking with Blue Community Switzerland via X/Twitter
«We can no longer imagine life without access to clean drinking water. This is why access to clean water has been recognized as a human right by the UN General Assembly since 2010. In order to be able to grant this human right to future generations, sustainable management of our water resources is essential, especially in view of climate change. Our task as the DWA is to develop concepts on how we can make optimum use not only of clean water, but also of our wastewater. This is the only way we can conserve our water resources and protect them from harmful environmental influences in the interests of future generations.»
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Sabine Ziegler
«Humans consist of 60% water. If we do not ensure safe and clean access to water, we are endangering our very existence. The situation is not yet acute in the global North, but this could change rapidly with climate change.»
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Tièdiè Togola
Teacher for history and geography since 2022 (general secondary education). Environmental geographer
Member of the Mali Blue Community. Contact by Mail
Connected with the Blue Community Schweiz by X/Twitter
«The Blue Community is an initiative that aims to ensure the rational use of water by all living beings. It sees water as a resource that has the same right as all other living beings, because without it no living species could exist on earth. But nowadays, this resource is under threat as never before, especially as the consequences of climate change make themselves felt. As a result, joint action is imperative, particularly in our African countries, especially those south of the Sahara. We all need to feel like ambassadors for the Blue Community, by planting trees and promoting environmentally-friendly water-use techniques. The only way to save mankind is to ensure the continuity and preservation of nature in all its diversity, a common struggle.
With this in mind, as part of the Blue Community school RadioChico Mali, I am an active member of Mali's Blue Community. We take small steps while seeding vegetables and plants, and it's so interesting and joyful to mobilize around this project.»
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Hanna Kandal-Stierstadt
Reformed theologian and pastor, now retired, grandmother and water lover.
«There are over 35 public fountains in the Schwamendingen district of Zurich. Cool water of drinking water quality at all times and everywhere. That's such a great thing. When I'm out and about with my grandchildren, we often stop at one of these fountains and I tell them about the springs on the Züriberg, which bubble up constantly and of their own accord. I tell them about people who are working to ensure that the water belongs to everyone and not just a few people who bottle it and sell it at a high price. Access to clean drinking water must be a human right. For everyone. Here and now. And not someday. Children understand this straight away.»
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Souleymane Guindo
Language teacher (German and English) since 2018. International correspondent for RadioChico Switzerland in Mali since 2019.
Member of Junior Chamber International Mali. Member of the West African Blue Community, environmentalist.
Contact by Mail
«In Dogon country, water is a symbol of humanity, and the Dogons attribute divine value to it. It was discovered by Nommo, master of speech and water, and ancestral Water Genie. So this resource is one of the most respected in Dogon country.
So, as a son of the Dogon Country, it's my right to contribute to safeguarding water.
So, through RadioChico Suisse, I discovered the blue community, which consists in the rational use of water. With the children of the Radiochico MALI school, we take action through small steps rather than speeches. Our small steps consist in planting plants and vegetables.
Then the children will understand that only water can make trees and vegetables grow and give us fruit. So the importance of water is well remembered by the children and by everyone.
I'm more than ever happy to be a member of this community and finally contribute to a world with clean drinking water for all living beings with my children from the RadioChico Mali school.
And to help nature conserve this precious resource, water.
Without water, there is no life.»
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Melanie Lampe
Mikrobiologin & chem. Ingenieurin im Bereich Trinkwasser, Dozentin, Consultant for Bacteria Awareness in Water Systems and infection control in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Deutschland
von Aug. 2014–Aug. 2019 Contract Managerin bei Eaton Environmental Services Ltd in Oxford, England, Vereinigtes Königreich
Freiberuflich seit September 2021 Referentin für Trinkwasserhygiene und Beraterin UWTL Umwelttechnik und ehrenamtlich Rugby Trainerin
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
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Naby Laye Zenab Camara
Degree in Computer Science, Guinean civil society activist and community development actor since 2019.
Sales & Marketing Manager in a local industrial cleaning company since March 2023.
Member and representative of the Blue Community in Guinea. .
«Water is essential to the lives of all living beings, especially drinking water for people in the 4 corners of the world. That's why I find Blue Community's vocation to promote access to drinking water so compelling. I'm committed to working with this community for the noble cause it defends. Because water is a source of life for everyone. Since November 2023, we have embarked on a series of activities in Conakry, including member recruitment, word-of-mouth community awareness campaigns, and plant reforestation. We've created a lasting impact while planting trees. And continue to do so so that future generations are saved from water shortages triggered by global warming.»
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Salimata
Journalist at RadioChico MALI school and high school student, peace ambassador and member of Mali's Blue Community.
«Water is synonymous with peace and the joy of living. Because peace is when we are happy, and water is the basis of this joy of living for all beings. Through our activities with Souleymane on the importance of water and its rational management, we, the children of the RadioChico Mali school, through our voices, say yes, drinking water in a peaceful world is possible.»
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Daniel Jaffee
«Privatization of municipal water systems and the fast-growing bottled and packaged water industry are the two major ways that drinking water is being transformed into a for-profit commodity on a global scale. The Blue Community movement makes a critical connection between these two forms of commodification, highlighting how both of them pose a threat to realizing the human right to water. Cities, universities, schools, faith organizations, and others who become Blue Communities are taking an important stand--joining a worldwide movement to keep water a public good and working toward water justice.»
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Harouna Tèmè
Student at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Bamako, studying German.
Member of Mali's Blue Community.
«I am a villager, born and raised in a locality where there is a lack of water, the village Yendouma. Also in neighboring villages such as Youga, Tougou, Koundou people have to go more than 10 kilometers in search of water.
I know the value and importance of water. Water is a precious source and we must guard it carefully together because water is essential to the survival of humans, plants, animals; birds, insects... It plays a crucial role in many biological processes, such as digestion or blood circulation. What's more, water is a key element in many ecosystems, helping to maintain the planet's natural balance.
In my mother tongue Dogoso, water is called "Di". It represents everything on this earth, because we can't survive without "Di".
This precious resource has its place in Dogon cosmology. "Nommo" is the God of water in Dogon society.
To preserve water and ensure its availability for future generations, it's important to take steps to protect and conserve it.
I propose a few ways to protect water in a pure and holy environment. Avoid wasting water. We need to restrict the way we use water: take shorter showers, install water flow reduction devices, and use water more consciously in our lives. Protect nature by planting.
When we talk about people, we're obviously talking about the school. I'll do everything I can to keep the water on our land pure, and I'll tell others to do the same, so that we can live in peace like the children at RadioChico MALI do»
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Timo Heinisch
seit 2019 Standortleiter Winterthur und Urdorf, Wasserbau und Tiefbau, Mitglied der Geschäftsleitung bei NRP Ingenieure AG in Winterthur und teilzeitlich Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bauingenieurwesen an der IU Internationale Hochschule
Bachelor of Engineering - BEng, Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen an der HTWG Hochschule Konstanz – Technik, Wirtschaft und Gestaltung 2005-2007
Dr.-Ing., Bauingenieurwesen an der Universität der Bundeswehr München 2008-2010
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
Faramanandraisoa Ralimanga
Responsable projets eau chez Ville de Lausanne
Mai 2017–Juli 2017 Cheffe de service eau et assainissement, Mairie les Gets, Rhônes Alpes - France
Responsable exploitation réseaux AEP, assainissement et thermominéralMairie de Thonon-les-Bains, Rhone-Alpes, France
Jan. 2010–Dez. 2011 Responsable exploitation réseau d'eaux (AEP - Assainissement), Etablissement Public du Parc et de la Grande Halle de la Villette, Région de Paris, France
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
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Sebastian Schläppi
seit August 2017 Technischer Berater bei der BGS Bau Guss AG in Härkingen, Solothurn, Schweiz
Sein Credo: Das Wasser ist ein freundliches Element für den, der damit bekannt ist und es zu behandeln weiss. Goethe
Vernetzt mit der Blue Community Schweiz über Linkedin
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