Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / The City of Cape Town implemented water restrictions from November 2004 and all residents in Cape Town had to rethink their water management practices. In the context of global environmental initiatives, this was a positive move as South Africans need to change the way water is used in line with global environmental practices. The increasing emphasis for the hospitality industry to “green the business” and implement environmental management practices forms the basis of this research project. The study focused on what water management practices are currently being utilised in selected Cape Town hotels. Initiatives available to assist the hospitality industry in South Africa were also researched to determine what assistance there is for local hoteliers who are implementing water management practices. An objective of the study was the inclusion of recommendations that hoteliers can use as a starting point when implementing water management practices. The study focused on a study amongst selected three, four and five star graded hotels in the central business district of Cape Town and Waterfront. Quantitative methods were used to generate data relating to the research objectives. A questionnaire was administered to representatives of the sampled 44 hotels to determine current water management practices. Guests within the sample group received a separate questionnaire to determine their perceptions with regard to water management practices in South African hotels. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The findings of the study showed that South African hoteliers are starting to “green the business” and guests to South Africa do view environmental issues as a factor when choosing accommodation.

This thesis looks at water quality modelling in the water network, focusing on water age. The initial part of the work identifies the factors that lead to an increase in water age in water supply networks. The theoretical part of the work presents the mathematical relationships and logistical steps that software tools apply to simulate water quality indicators in a water supply network. In the practical part of the work, a hydraulic model of a water distribution system with a total length of 302,1 km was constructed. Measurement campaign was carried out to calibrate and verify created hydraulic model. Using this hydraulic model, water age for existing and possible scenarios was simulated. The results of the work have revealed parts of the water supply network containing high water age and are intended to encourage the progressive water distribution systems management philosophy.

In dieser Arbeit wird ein Modell für die Simulation des Verbraucherverhaltens in Haushalten entwickelt. Das Ziel ist die Erstellung von Lastprofilen für den Strom- und Wasserverbrauch. Das Modell wird in einem Programm implementiert. Die Ergebnisse werden anschließend validiert und verschiedene Kenngrößen mit Literaturwerten verglichen. Abschließend wird eine Parameterstudie durchgeführt, um den Einfluss verschiedener Faktoren wie z.B. das Arbeitszeitmodell oder die Feiertagsmodellierung auf Lastprofile zu quantifizieren. Das Modell basiert auf einem Bedürfnismodell aus der Psychologie und ermöglicht den Verzicht auf die Errechnung von Aktivitäts-Wahrscheinlichkeitsverteilungen.:Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 1.1 Motivation 1.2 Ziel der Arbeit 2 Einordnung 3 Wissensstand 3.1 Lastprofile 3.1.1 VDEW-Standard-Lastprofile 3.1.2 Referenzlastprofile von Ein- und Mehrfamilienhäusern für den Einsatz von KWK-Anlagen (VDI 4655) 3.1.3 BDEW-Standardlastprofile Gas 3.1.4 IEA Annex 42 Lastkurven 3.2 Lastprofilgeneratoren 3.2.1 Methoden 3.2.2 Auswahl der Beispiele 3.2.3 Lastprofilgenerator nach Stokes 3.2.4 Lastprofilgenerator nach IEA Annex 42 3.2.5 Lastprofilgenerator nach Jordan 3.2.6 Lastprofilgenerator nach NREL 3.2.7 Lastprofilgenerator nach Walker und Pokoski 3.2.8 Lastprofilgenerator nach Capasso 3.2.9 Lastprofilgenerator nach Widen et al. 3.2.10 Lastprofilgenerator nach Richardson 3.2.11 Lastprofilgenerator nach Metz 3.2.12 Lastprofilgenerator nach Fischer 3.2.13 Zusammenfassung der Lastprofilgeneratoren 3.3 Verhaltenssimulation 3.3.1 Rational Choice Model 3.3.2 Verhaltensmodell nach D. Dörner 3.4 Hausinfrastrukturmodelle 3.4.1 Heizung und Kühlung 3.4.2 Modellierung in TRNSYS 4 Das Modell des bLPG 4.1 Bedürfnismodell 4.2 Modellierung eines einzelnen Haushalts 4.2.1 Desires 4.2.2 Person 4.2.3 Load Types 4.2.4 Devices 4.2.5 Time Profile 4.2.6 Time Limits 4.2.7 Affordances 4.2.8 Berechnungsbeispiel Aktivitätenauswahl 4.2.9 Zusammenfassung der Modellierung eines Haushalts 4.3 Verbesserung der Modellqualität 4.3.1 Locations 4.3.2 Holidays 4.3.3 Geographic Locations 4.3.4 Subaffordances 4.3.5 Temperature Profiles und Date Based Profiles 4.3.6 Vacations 4.3.7 Autonome Geräte 4.4 Houses und Settlements 4.4.1 House Types 4.5 Abstraktion der Geräte 4.6 Abstraktion Haushaltsdefinition 4.7 Elemente für Auswertungen 4.8 Zusammenfassung des Modells des bLPG 5 Implementierung 5.1 Allgemeines 5.2 Historie 5.3 Features 5.4 Struktur 5.5 User Interface 5.6 Database 5.7 CalcController 5.8 Calculation 5.8.1 Aktivitätswahl 5.8.2 Protokollierung 5.8.3 House Infrastructure 5.9 ChartCreator 5.10 SimulationEngine.Exe 5.11 Verwendete Bibliotheken 5.12 Zusammenfassung der Implementierung 6 Modellierung der vordefinierten Haushalte 6.1 Datenbasis und Modellierung 6.2 Vordefininierte Elemente 6.3 Namensschema 6.4 Erfahrungen bei der Erstellung der vordefinierten Haushalte 6.5 Zusammenfassung 7 Validierung 7.1 Einzelner Haushalt 7.1.1 Aktivitäten - Rasterdiagramme 7.1.2 Aktivitäten - Zeit pro Affordanz 7.1.3 Summe des Stromverbrauchs 7.1.4 Verlauf des Lastprofils 7.1.5 Wasserverbrauch 7.1.6 Integration von Photovoltaik 7.1.7 Lichtbedarf 7.1.8 Zusammenfassung CHR03 7.2 Vordefinierte Haushalte 7.2.1 Stromverbrauch 7.2.2 Verhaltensgesteuerter Anteil am Stromverbrauch 7.2.3 Zeitverbrauch der Aktivitäten 7.2.4 Eigenverbrauchsquote mit einer Photovoltaik-Anlage 7.2.5 Jahresdauerlinien 7.3 Validierung einer Siedlung 7.3.1 Gleichzeitigkeitsfaktor des Stromverbrauchs 7.3.2 Vergleich einer Siedlung mit dem H0-Profil 7.4 Fazit 8 Anwendungsmöglichkeiten und Ergebnisse 8.1 Integration von Photovoltaik und Batterien 8.2 Parameterstudie 8.2.1 Vergleichskriterien 8.2.2 Einfluss von Brückentagen 8.2.3 Einfluss von Urlaubsreisen 8.2.4 Einfluss des Rentneranteils 8.2.5 Einfluss von Schichtarbeitern 8.2.6 Einfluss von Arbeitslosigkeit 8.2.7 Einfluss der Energieintensitätseinstellung 8.2.8 Einflussgröße Beleuchtung 8.3 Zusammenfassung der Parameterstudie 9 Ausblick 9.1 Verbesserungspotenziale der Implementierung 9.2 Verbesserungspotenziale der Datenbasis 9.3 Zusammenfassung des Ausblicks 10 Zusammenfassung Anhänge Anhang A Website Anhang B LoadProfileGenerator Manual Literaturverzeichnis / In this thesis a model for the simulation of the behaviour of people in residential households is introduced. The goal is to generate load profiles for residential electricity and water consumption. The model is implemented as a Windows program. The results are validated and various metrics are compared with literature values. A parameter study is performed to quantify the influence of various factors such as the working hours or the influence of holidays on the load profile. The model is based on a desire model from the field of psychology and makes it possible to avoid calculating any probabilty distributions.:Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 1.1 Motivation 1.2 Ziel der Arbeit 2 Einordnung 3 Wissensstand 3.1 Lastprofile 3.1.1 VDEW-Standard-Lastprofile 3.1.2 Referenzlastprofile von Ein- und Mehrfamilienhäusern für den Einsatz von KWK-Anlagen (VDI 4655) 3.1.3 BDEW-Standardlastprofile Gas 3.1.4 IEA Annex 42 Lastkurven 3.2 Lastprofilgeneratoren 3.2.1 Methoden 3.2.2 Auswahl der Beispiele 3.2.3 Lastprofilgenerator nach Stokes 3.2.4 Lastprofilgenerator nach IEA Annex 42 3.2.5 Lastprofilgenerator nach Jordan 3.2.6 Lastprofilgenerator nach NREL 3.2.7 Lastprofilgenerator nach Walker und Pokoski 3.2.8 Lastprofilgenerator nach Capasso 3.2.9 Lastprofilgenerator nach Widen et al. 3.2.10 Lastprofilgenerator nach Richardson 3.2.11 Lastprofilgenerator nach Metz 3.2.12 Lastprofilgenerator nach Fischer 3.2.13 Zusammenfassung der Lastprofilgeneratoren 3.3 Verhaltenssimulation 3.3.1 Rational Choice Model 3.3.2 Verhaltensmodell nach D. Dörner 3.4 Hausinfrastrukturmodelle 3.4.1 Heizung und Kühlung 3.4.2 Modellierung in TRNSYS 4 Das Modell des bLPG 4.1 Bedürfnismodell 4.2 Modellierung eines einzelnen Haushalts 4.2.1 Desires 4.2.2 Person 4.2.3 Load Types 4.2.4 Devices 4.2.5 Time Profile 4.2.6 Time Limits 4.2.7 Affordances 4.2.8 Berechnungsbeispiel Aktivitätenauswahl 4.2.9 Zusammenfassung der Modellierung eines Haushalts 4.3 Verbesserung der Modellqualität 4.3.1 Locations 4.3.2 Holidays 4.3.3 Geographic Locations 4.3.4 Subaffordances 4.3.5 Temperature Profiles und Date Based Profiles 4.3.6 Vacations 4.3.7 Autonome Geräte 4.4 Houses und Settlements 4.4.1 House Types 4.5 Abstraktion der Geräte 4.6 Abstraktion Haushaltsdefinition 4.7 Elemente für Auswertungen 4.8 Zusammenfassung des Modells des bLPG 5 Implementierung 5.1 Allgemeines 5.2 Historie 5.3 Features 5.4 Struktur 5.5 User Interface 5.6 Database 5.7 CalcController 5.8 Calculation 5.8.1 Aktivitätswahl 5.8.2 Protokollierung 5.8.3 House Infrastructure 5.9 ChartCreator 5.10 SimulationEngine.Exe 5.11 Verwendete Bibliotheken 5.12 Zusammenfassung der Implementierung 6 Modellierung der vordefinierten Haushalte 6.1 Datenbasis und Modellierung 6.2 Vordefininierte Elemente 6.3 Namensschema 6.4 Erfahrungen bei der Erstellung der vordefinierten Haushalte 6.5 Zusammenfassung 7 Validierung 7.1 Einzelner Haushalt 7.1.1 Aktivitäten - Rasterdiagramme 7.1.2 Aktivitäten - Zeit pro Affordanz 7.1.3 Summe des Stromverbrauchs 7.1.4 Verlauf des Lastprofils 7.1.5 Wasserverbrauch 7.1.6 Integration von Photovoltaik 7.1.7 Lichtbedarf 7.1.8 Zusammenfassung CHR03 7.2 Vordefinierte Haushalte 7.2.1 Stromverbrauch 7.2.2 Verhaltensgesteuerter Anteil am Stromverbrauch 7.2.3 Zeitverbrauch der Aktivitäten 7.2.4 Eigenverbrauchsquote mit einer Photovoltaik-Anlage 7.2.5 Jahresdauerlinien 7.3 Validierung einer Siedlung 7.3.1 Gleichzeitigkeitsfaktor des Stromverbrauchs 7.3.2 Vergleich einer Siedlung mit dem H0-Profil 7.4 Fazit 8 Anwendungsmöglichkeiten und Ergebnisse 8.1 Integration von Photovoltaik und Batterien 8.2 Parameterstudie 8.2.1 Vergleichskriterien 8.2.2 Einfluss von Brückentagen 8.2.3 Einfluss von Urlaubsreisen 8.2.4 Einfluss des Rentneranteils 8.2.5 Einfluss von Schichtarbeitern 8.2.6 Einfluss von Arbeitslosigkeit 8.2.7 Einfluss der Energieintensitätseinstellung 8.2.8 Einflussgröße Beleuchtung 8.3 Zusammenfassung der Parameterstudie 9 Ausblick 9.1 Verbesserungspotenziale der Implementierung 9.2 Verbesserungspotenziale der Datenbasis 9.3 Zusammenfassung des Ausblicks 10 Zusammenfassung Anhänge Anhang A Website Anhang B LoadProfileGenerator Manual Literaturverzeichnis

Global warming is widely reported to be a cause of water scarcity and increased water con-sumption. As a consequence, it becomes harder for water suppliers to be prepared for increaseddemands. It is possible to predict the upcoming demand with the help of machine learningtools, however, a preliminary analysis of water consumption patterns is important for a goodprediction. This work focuses on water consumption patterns and studies their change withtime as well as the effects of meteorological factors on it.In order to aid the investigation and scrutinization of the patterns, a new semi-automatedtool was developed. Its algorithm is based on the Mann-Whitney U statistical test and performsgrouping of the weeks with similar sets of hourly water consumption. It helps to frame off theseasons of the year within which the patterns are similar. Along with that, K-means clusteringwas applied to the data to retrieve the patterns and to compare the performance with the newlydeveloped algorithm. On top of that, the effects of the population growth and meteorologicalvariables on water consumption were studied.K-means clustering showed more robust performance than the newly developed algorithmand therefore the ways of improvement were discussed along with the significance of gooddata quality and thorough data pre-processing. It was detected that municipalities with thedifferent housing situation had different persistent summer patterns of water consumption. Ingeneral municipalities with prevailing individual housing tend to consume more water duringthe summer per capita than others. Furthermore, municipalities with prevailing individualhousing were observed to be less robust against temperature growth and humidity decreasethan those with prevailing apartment housing as the latter increase their water consumptionless significantly in response to mentioned meteorological variables change. Therefore, consid-ering the population growth, the benefits of planning new multi-apartment dwelling areas inpreference to individual housing were discussed in the context of sustainable water use andclimate change. / Global uppvärmning kan orsaka både vattenbrist och ökad vattenförbrukning. Som en kon-sekvens blir det svårare för vattenförsörjningsföretag att förberedda sig på de ökande kraven.Det är möjligt att förutsäga den kommande efterfrågan med hjälp av verktyg för maskininlärn-ing, men det är viktigt att analysera vattenförbrukningsmönster för att få en bra förutsägelse.Detta arbete fokuserar därför på att analysera, samt studerar effekterna av meteorologiskafaktorer och hur semesterperioden påverkar vattenförbrukningen.Ett nytt halvautomatiskt verktyg utformades för att extrahera dagliga vattenförbrukn-ingsmönster från förbrukningstidserier. Algoritmen anger vilka veckor på året som har liknandemönster och grupperar dem i så kallade konsumtionssäsonger. För att utvärdera prestandan förverktyget användes en grupperingsmetod den så kallade K-means clustering på samma data.Utöver det studerades även effekterna av befolkningstillväxten och meteorologiska variabler påvattenförbrukningen.K-means klustring visade sig ha en mer robust prestanda än den nya framtagna utveckladealgoritmen och därför diskuterades olika sätt att förbättra algoritmen samt vikten av god rå-datakvalitet. Det upptäcktes att kommuner med olika bostadssituation reagerade olika på varmtoch torrt väder samt vissa semesterhändelser. I allmänhet brukar kommuner med enbostadshu-sområden förbruka mer vatten under sommaren per capita än andra. Fördelar med att planeranya flerbostadsområden som ett mer hållbart alternativ till enbostadshusområden diskuteradesi kontexten av befolkningstillväxt och klimatförändringar.

South Africa is a water-scarce country and receives less rainfall than the average rainfall of the World. As population increases, and development calls for increased allocation of ground water and surface water for the domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors, the pressure on water resources intensifies. This is exacerbated by the wastages that occur in schools and homes. Conservation of water by all consumers is essential. The study attempts to identify practices that lead to wastage of water and indicate strategies for the reduction of water wastage and conservation strategy. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Environmental Education)

Countries and governments around the world have accepted the scientific argument on the prevalence and the possible effect of global warming and climate change on the environment, world economy and ultimately human life (Nhamo, 2011). Amongst all industrial corporations, the mining industry is the biggest environmental polluter due to its extractive nature and energy intensive operations. However because of its economic importance, it cannot be abandoned, instead it needs to find a win-win situation, where it continues to succeed but minimizes environmental damage. This thesis aims to examine the possible impact of clean technology on the sustainability of South African gold mining sector. Specifically, the study aims to determine the drivers behind the move towards clean technologies and methods, identify challenges and opportunities associated with this transition at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine. This was achieved through using Kusasalethu as a case study to which investigations of the effectiveness of clean technology and methods were carried out. The case study was multidimensional; exploring the effect of clean technology on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission (GHG), water consumption, cyanide management and Kusasalethu’s financial performance. While the case study was largely qualitative it involved quantitative data analysis that had to be triangulated with other data sources and data gathering instruments to achieve legitimacy. This meant that the study had to adopt the mixed research methods. The instruments used included; key informant interviews, and document analysis, structured questionnaire and a set of open ended questions that served as interview guide. The qualitative data were analyzed by means of coding, descriptions, typologies, taxonomies and visual representations, whilst quantitative data were processed through Microsoft Excel to generate various forms of descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that resource consumption (energy, water, cyanide) depends on the mine design and gold output rate. Clean technology implementation at Kusasalethu helped the mine reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions. However scope 2 (indirect GHG emissions associated with energy consumption) is also determined by coal production technologies and methods used by coal mines. Although data on Kusasalethu water and cyanide management and related technologies was not available, the aggregate data for all Harmony Gold mines indicated higher annual water and cyanide consumption during 2010 and 2012. In terms of Kusasalethu’s financial performance and clean technology adaptation, acquisition of clean technologies increased capital expenditure temporarily. However, the positive effects of the clean technology transition and implementation minimized operational cost and increased operational profit greatly. Although adopting clean technologies calls for increased capital expenditure, this study reveals that this expenditure pays off in lower operation costs for the mine and the environment benefits through lower GHG emission. However, clean technologies are yet to impact significantly in lowering water and cyanide consumption levels as they do with energy consumption. The study concluded that clean technology and methods played a positive role on Kusasalethu’s environmental impact and financial performance by reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. Though, more need to be done in terms of water and cyanide management. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Countries and governments around the world have accepted the scientific argument on the prevalence and the possible effect of global warming and climate change on the environment, world economy and ultimately human life (Nhamo, 2011). Amongst all industrial corporations, the mining industry is the biggest environmental polluter due to its extractive nature and energy intensive operations. However because of its economic importance, it cannot be abandoned, instead it needs to find a win-win situation, where it continues to succeed but minimizes environmental damage. This thesis aims to examine the possible impact of clean technology on the sustainability of South African gold mining sector. Specifically, the study aims to determine the drivers behind the move towards clean technologies and methods, identify challenges and opportunities associated with this transition at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine. This was achieved through using Kusasalethu as a case study to which investigations of the effectiveness of clean technology and methods were carried out. The case study was multidimensional; exploring the effect of clean technology on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission (GHG), water consumption, cyanide management and Kusasalethu’s financial performance. While the case study was largely qualitative it involved quantitative data analysis that had to be triangulated with other data sources and data gathering instruments to achieve legitimacy. This meant that the study had to adopt the mixed research methods. The instruments used included; key informant interviews, and document analysis, structured questionnaire and a set of open ended questions that served as interview guide. The qualitative data were analyzed by means of coding, descriptions, typologies, taxonomies and visual representations, whilst quantitative data were processed through Microsoft Excel to generate various forms of descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that resource consumption (energy, water, cyanide) depends on the mine design and gold output rate. Clean technology implementation at Kusasalethu helped the mine reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions. However scope 2 (indirect GHG emissions associated with energy consumption) is also determined by coal production technologies and methods used by coal mines. Although data on Kusasalethu water and cyanide management and related technologies was not available, the aggregate data for all Harmony Gold mines indicated higher annual water and cyanide consumption during 2010 and 2012. In terms of Kusasalethu’s financial performance and clean technology adaptation, acquisition of clean technologies increased capital expenditure temporarily. However, the positive effects of the clean technology transition and implementation minimized operational cost and increased operational profit greatly. Although adopting clean technologies calls for increased capital expenditure, this study reveals that this expenditure pays off in lower operation costs for the mine and the environment benefits through lower GHG emission. However, clean technologies are yet to impact significantly in lowering water and cyanide consumption levels as they do with energy consumption. The study concluded that clean technology and methods played a positive role on Kusasalethu’s environmental impact and financial performance by reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. Though, more need to be done in terms of water and cyanide management. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

This report analyzes the current greenhouse gas emissions inventory for The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin), reviews the carbon reduction strategies being implemented at UT-Austin and other peer institutions, and offers recommendations for strategies that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions at UT-Austin in the future. / text

South Africa is a water-scarce country and receives less rainfall than the average rainfall of the World. As population increases, and development calls for increased allocation of ground water and surface water for the domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors, the pressure on water resources intensifies. This is exacerbated by the wastages that occur in schools and homes. Conservation of water by all consumers is essential. The study attempts to identify practices that lead to wastage of water and indicate strategies for the reduction of water wastage and conservation strategy. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Environmental Education)

Acompanha: Caderno pedagógico: inserção da pegada hídrica nas aulas de ciências do Ensino Fundamental / A inclusão de discussões associadas ao consumo de água nas aulas de Ciências assinala para a necessidade da contextualização e ampliação desse tema, direcionando-o a abordagens mais atualizadas, frente à crise hídrica do Brasil e de vários outros lugares do mundo. Deste modo se promovem discussões mais aprofundadas no contexto educacional, levando em conta a Pegada Hídrica. Este estudo diz respeito a uma investigação cujo problema central reside na seguinte questão: como a utilização de estratégias didático-metodológicas embasadas por elementos decorrentes da ferramenta denominada Pegada Hídrica contribui para a compreensão de assuntos relacionados à utilização/destino e conservação da água por parte dos estudantes, a considerar a crise atual envolvendo esse recurso natural? A investigação é de natureza qualitativa, desenvolvida com 35 estudantes do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental em uma escola de Curitiba. O recorte metodológico é do tipo participante com a utilização de múltiplos recursos para a constituição de dados. Para estruturar a composição de tais estratégias realizou-se, antes do trabalho em sala de aula, uma pesquisa de levantamento sobre questões relativas à água, especialmente quanto à percepção dos estudantes frente aos níveis de consumo em diferentes contextos (agricultura, indústria e doméstico). Isso permitiu a elaboração de um questionário investigativo (levantamento) sobre a forma como os estudantes percebem, relacionam e compreendem aspectos relativos aos recursos hídricos. Aliou-se a isso a opção de instrumentos que facilitam a apreensão de dados, tais como: diário de campo (espécies de memorandos), manuscritos de participantes da investigação e gravações em áudio. Diante desse contexto, a análise de conteúdo, proposta por Laurence Bardin, se mostrou mais apropriada para a apreciação dos dados, uma vez que tal método constitui-se em uma pré-análise, seguida de exploração do material para tratamento dos dados e por fim, sua interpretação. Os resultados da investigação salientaram que os estudantes participantes têm se mostrado reflexivos e abertos às discussões sobre o conteúdo tratado. A análise dos dados nos informa que as proposições de estratégias didático-metodológicas diferenciadas e contextualizadas, embasadas por elementos decorrentes da Pegada Hídrica, objetivou de modo mais acurado, na compreensão de assuntos relacionados à utilização/destino e conservação da água. Deste modo, entendemos que o uso de temas de caráter socioambiental pode se configurar em importante ferramenta para propiciar discussão e contribuir para o aprendizado em ensino de Ciências, como no caso a crise atual dos recursos hídricos no Brasil. / The inclusion of discussions about water consumptions in Science classes highlights the need of contextualization and expansion of the theme, in particular the need to deal with the theme accor-ding to more updated approaches due to the current water crisis lived in Brazil and in many other places around the world so that more profound discussions are carried out in the educational context; examples of this are discussions that focus on water footprint. This investigation refers to a study which main research question was: how does the use of didactic-methodological strategies based on elements of water footprint contribute to students´ understanding of issues related to the use and water preservation considering the current crisis of this natural resource? This qualitative inves-tigation was carried out at a post-graduate level – Master´s degree – with the participation of 35 (thirty-five) 6th grade students at a Basic Education school in the Curitiba. The methodology involved participants and the use of multiple tools for data generation. In order to structure the teaching strategies, before the work in class, a survey was developed about issues related to water, especially students´ perception about the level of water consumption in various contexts (agriculture, industry and domestic). The survey supported the design of an investigative questionnaire about how students perceive, relate to and understand aspects related to water resources. In addition to the survey, tools that facilitate the generation of data such as: field diary (similar to memos), participants´ manuscripts and audio recordings were used. From this perspective, content analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin, seemed the appropriate approach for the data analysis, as this method represents a pre-analysis followed by the exploration of the material for later treatment of the data and, finally, the interpretation. The research results point out that participating students have shown reflective and open to discussions about the treaty content. Data analysis tells us that the propositions of educational-methodological strategies differentiated and contextualized, supported by elements stemming from the WF, the objective of accurate way in understanding issues related to use / destination and water conservation. Thus, we noted that the use of social environmental issues, can set an important tool to foster discussion and contribute to learning in science teaching, such as the current crisis of water resources in Brazil.