Creative Solutions for Environmental Issues in Morocco and the Mediterranean Region

Creative Solutions for Environmental Issues in Morocco and the Mediterranean Region A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning In the School of Planning of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning by Robert Eastman Johnson B.U.P. University of Cincinnati July 2018 Committee Chair: Johanna Looye, Ph.D. Committee Member: Margaret Kupferle, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The Mediterranean region has a rich history of ancient civilizations and traditions, which makes the entire area a tourist hotspot, attracting one-third of the world’s tourists yearly. A traditional staple is the olive oil industry, with 95 percent of the world’s olive trees located in the region. As a result, many municipalities suffer from excess waste produced by the tourist industry, while also struggling to find a solution to the wastewater produced by olive oil production. The Marrakech-Safi region has additional environmental challenges within the artisanal sector, particularly in Tameslouht, located in the El Haouz province. A small town located 10 miles southwest of Marrakech, Tameslouht’s artisan sector is the main economic driver, aside from olive oil, with a reputation for their pottery. However, the production of the pottery presents its own environmental issues. Due to its arid climate, wood is scarce, which forces potters to Burn tires to power their kilns. Tameslouht’s predicament has made it difficult to find a feasible alternative energy source to best serve the potters’ needs. When considering alternative designs for Tameslouht’s pottery sector it is important to consciously merge traditional with modern practice and design. Technology, cost, and environmental and social sustainaBility are central to identifying a viaBle solution. Appropriate technology comes down to simplicity in terms of design, practical use, and efficient production, with consistent returns and compatiBility with existing infrastructure in relation to environmental and cultural conditions to achieve the intended purpose. In terms of sustainaBle development, King Mohammad VI’s ascent to the throne in 1999 set off a now-impressive list of environmental reforms, programs, and projects. These ii accomplishments were showcased in 2016, when Morocco hosted 196 countries for the 22nd Conference of Parties, a follow-up to the Paris Agreement of 2015, which drafted a collection of documents that covered finance agreements, facilitative dialogue on creating a “ruleBook” that all countries could share in assessing each other’s climate pledges, and the approval of a five-year work plan. With the support of Morocco’s progressive environmental agenda and international treaties, a search for a solution to Tameslouht’s pottery kiln issue led to the discovery of EnergyXchange and Mayland Community College’s methane-powered artisan studios built upon a covered landfill in North Carolina. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program, a program that also supports international projects, performed the feasiBility study. Morocco is preparing for the aging youth population, But some will Be negatively impacted By these changes. Providing an inclusive planning process and resources could help the transition from traditional to modern technologies. The EnergyXchange case study is the cornerstone of this thesis and the starting point for the development of Tameslouht’s own waste-powered kiln project outlined in extensive technical detail in the Appendix. The sections put into context Tameslouht’s current pottery kilns, current waste management practices, and the current olive oil processes. Next, best practices in waste-to-energy processes are examined to determine how to produce energy for the kiln. The remaining sections outline an action and implementation plan for Tameslouht. iii © 2018 Robert Eastman Johnson PREFACE .2014 3, April on Morocco, ,(تمصلوحت ,(tmsloʊht Tameslouht1 in arrived first I Upon my arrival, I met with my host family whom I was to live with for the remainder of the month until I found my own apartment. My host Brother, Abdo, and I Began immediately discussing the main proBlems Tameslouht faces. The most oBvious was the plumes of Black smoke Bellowing near his home. The source of these was their traditional pottery kilns and the tires that fueled them. We went on to oBserve the traditional olive oil mills and their pollutant By-product, olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW2), flowing freely into the ground. Abdo went on the show me the massive open landfills and descriBed their waste management operation, which included three men with their donkeys hauling a cart full of trash. All of these systems within Tameslouht are directly related to their economy, environment, and their cultural indifference to environmental health and education. Over the next year, I spent my time learning the language, culture, and local government processes; teaching English, doing projects, and gaining trust and respect from the community and local organizations. Along with trust was an open discussion aBout what changes the residents wanted to see in Tameslouht. Most pointed out the apparent issues although others did not care either way. However, I knew there had to Be a way to connect all of the environmental proBlems into one package. As I oBserved all of these environmental proBlems on a daily Basis, my focus was primarily on creating a solution for the pottery kilns. Every day, I woke up to the smell of Burning ruBBer that eventually Became natural to me. One day while looking at the piles of 1 Also spelled Tameslohte, Tamesluht, or Tameslouhte. 2 Also hyphenated as OOW, OMWW, and OMW. iv Burning cardBoard left over from the weekly market, it hit me that somehow I could capture that energy from the trash and use it to power a kiln. Over the next three years I gathered information from case studies, the Tameslouht potters and residents, and fellow colleagues and professors, all of which has culminated into this thesis. As my Peace Corps service was coming to an end, a basic understanding was estaBlished on how to resolve Tameslouht’s pottery kiln and OOMW issues. Even though these ideas sound like a viable solution on paper, they are end-products of an implementation plan that still needs to Be developed. The main components missing are data and stakeholder input. Before leaving Morocco, Abdo and I created two surveys — one to be distributed to residents to record their daily trash production and another to Be given to the potters to gather information on how individual operations, health, and whether they would be in support of an alternative kiln design. Local counterparts distributed Both surveys and overall, valuaBle data was gathered. When my Peace Corps service ended, I returned to the States to finish my final year of my master’s degree. This allowed me to have more resources at my disposal, which I took advantage of By recruiting environmental and mechanical engineering students to help me develop a pottery kiln design that can Be efficiently powered By solid waste. It was not until during these meetings that we Began seriously looking at the possiBility of utilizing the OOMW as a possiBle Benefactor to methane gas production through the decomposition of food waste. Thus, we connected all of Tameslouht’s (and most of Morocco’s) environmental issues into one sustainaBle pottery kiln. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................................ ii PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................................................xii LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................................................................xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATION ................................................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 INDUSTRY, EMPLOYMENT, AND POLLUTION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION.................... 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................1 REGIONAL CONTEXT.......................................................................................................................................................1 OLIVE OIL INDUSTRY......................................................................................................................................................3 OLIVE OIL BY-PRODUCTS..............................................................................................................................................4 LOCAL BUSINESS TRENDS .............................................................................................................................................5 TRADE AND SERVICE SECTOR.......................................................................................................................................6

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