ForewordW ater has a major importance for the maintenance of life in the planet and, therefore, to talk about the significance of its knowledge, in their several dimensions, is to talk about the survival of the human species, the conservation of the biodiversity balance and the dependence relations among living creatures and natural environments.the presence or absence of water writes history, creates cultures and habits, determines the occupation of territories, wins battles, ends and provides life to the species, determines the future of generations. our planet wouldn't have become a proper environment for life without water. since its origin, the elements hydrogen and oxygen combined to originate the key element of life's existence.under a privileged condition, it enabled the species to evolve and man to exist and to live in this planet. throughout thousands of years, our species occupied territories, grew and developed based on such an important and valuable natural good which is water. However, throughout history, there were changes in the relationship between man and nature and, as a result, in his relationship with water.In the society where we live, water started to be seen as a hydric resource and no longer as a natural good, available for human existence and that of the other species. We started to use it in an indiscriminate manner, always finding new uses, without assessing the environmental consequences in relation to the quantity and quality of water.Besides the population growth in global scale in the last century, the intensity of the shortage increased in certain regions of the planet, mainly due to human factors related to the occupation of land, pollution and the contamination of both the superficial and the underground bodies of water.

O conceito de desempenho ambiental tem sido utilizado como forma para revelar as relações da empresa com o meio ambiente e com a sociedade, constituindo um parâmetro de análise da sua postura diante das questões sócio-ambientais. A avaliação dos aspectos e impactos ambientais gerados por determinada atividade é um instrumento da gestão ambiental, sendo aplicado, nesse trabalho, em uma pedreira de diabásio, na área de expansão urbana, no município de Campinas (SP). Foram avaliados os aspectos e impactos das etapas produtivas da pedreira e de suas instalações administrativas. Os impactos adversos mais significativos levantados foram a sobrepressão atmosférica e a vibração do terreno, causando desconforto à comunidade. Após tais levantamentos, algumas ações de melhoria foram implantadas pela empresa e resultaram na diminuição das reclamações por parte da comunidade; outras medidas, pró-ativas, devem ainda ser implementadas, principalmente aquelas voltadas para a prevenção de impactos negativos e a preservação do meio ambiente, além da recuperação da área degradada, como medida reativa.
The concept of environmental performance has been used as a way of revealing the relationships of a company with its environment and community, and is a parameter of its posture in addressing social and environmental questions. Evaluation of the environmental impacts generated by a certain activity is one instrument of environmental management. We present a case study of a diabase quarry located in an expanding urban area in the Municipality of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Several aspects and impacts of the different stages of production in the quarry, as well as its administrative facilities, were evaluated. The most significant adverse impacts were airblast and ground vibration disturbing the neighborhood. After the environmental monitoring, some ameliorative actions were implemented and have resulted in reduction of claiming; new pro-active attitudes could be initiated by the company mostly related to prevention of negative impacts, environmental preservation, and reclamation of the quarry site, as a reactive posture

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