The D-NOSES partner consortium met in person for the second time during the project in Zaragoza – home to the D-NOSES Project Coordinator and host of this meeting, Ibercivis Foundation – between 17-19th September.
On the day of the arrival some of the partners visited the location of one of the pilots, Forum Area in Barcelona, which will be used to test and apply the D-NOSES project methodology. The area has a persistent odour problem due to being surrounded by a bio-methanisation waste treatment plant, a waste incineration plant, a covered Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) underneath the Forum, and a wastewater sludge treatment plant. The odours are always present and, depending on the time of the day and the meteorological conditions, one can smell fresh wastewater, sludge, fresh waste, decomposed residue or biogas.
Following the visit, the Partners headed to Zaragoza for the meeting held at the impressive Etopia building, an innovation centre dedicated to fostering cultural, social and entrepreneurial innovation. As such, it was the perfect location for D-NOSES, a project that brings technology, science, society and government together to create a radical, new approach to odour governance.
The meeting’s purpose was to not only hear updates from each Project partners but also learn more about the upcoming project pilots and contribute to the pilots and stakeholder management plan coordinated by Ideas for Change, Work Package Leader responsible for stakeholder engagement and identification of local case studies, and Mapping for Change, local case studies for citizen science interventions and capacity building Work Package Leader. Participants were introduced to the overall engagement strategy and pilots structure (phases, goals, methods), a combination of the engagement frameworks developed by IFC and MfC.
After discussing the 10 selected pilots, which would be implemented earlier than the initial project timeline envisioned, the Partners broke up into groups during a workshop designed to address each case study and focus on creating a plan of community engagement to realise the goal of each pilot. Every group was given a special D-NOSES toolkit which included practical tips and methods to apply at each stage of the methodology to help standardize the pilots as well as support pilot leaders in creating a holistic strategy. The work was stopped for a lunch break and a group photo.
After finalising the workshop, the Partners were invited for a guided tour to the Aljafería Palace, a fortified medieval Islamic palace built during the second half of the 11th century and home to the regional parliament of the autonomous community of Aragon (Cortes of Aragón). The Partners had the opportunity to see the inside of the parliament and speak to the first female President of the Cortes of Aragón, Violeta Barba Borderías. The social event for the night culminated in a dinner organised by Foundation Ibercivis.
On the 19th of September the Partner met at Etopia again to discuss the D-NOSES’ progress in each work package. The day’s session included project administrative updates, collective discussion about each part of the timeline and the upcoming deliverables. The meeting ended in a joint lunch after which the Partners said goodbyes. The next meeting will be held in Mx. The location will be confirmed soon.
Many thanks to Ibercivis for a fantastic organisation of the Consortium Meeting.
