True, water covers about 70 percent of the earth’s surface, but despite its abundance, only 1 percent can be used by humans.[1] Demand for this limited resource is rapidly increasing—the International Monetary Fund estimates that humans currently use more than 50 percent of the freshwater available to them, and that by 2025 this amount will reach 90 percent if per capita water use continues to rise at present rates.[2]
Buildings, including commercial, residential, and educational, use a significant portion of this fixed resource—they consume approximately 20 percent of the total water drawn from fresh sources every day. Reducing this amount by a mere 10 percent would save over 2 trillion gallons of fresh water annually.[3]
Rising prices and increasing scarcity are positioning water to become "the oil of the twenty-first century."[4] Globally, over 1 billion people lack clean drinking water and by 2025 it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed regions, leaving businesses and industries in intense competition with ordinary citizens for the world’s freshwater supplies.[5]
Costs are incurred at three points in the system—for fresh water supplies, water heating, and waste water disposal. Water prices are rising, and with overwhelmed waste water systems, so too are costs for water disposal. The price of water heating is also high—on average, every 1,000 gallons of water consumed requires 4,000 watt-hours of energy, which adds 5.4 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere.[6]
Water-wise offices can anticipate healthy savings from water conservation improvements. Interestingly, payback periods for water efficiency upgrades are shorter than average—five years or less, and more often than not, as few as two or three years.[7]
Questions to get you started...
Get an idea of where your office can save water with these quick questions:
- Does your company track water use? If so, how many gallons per year does your office consume?
- Is your company responsible for the water bill? Yes? Then get saving by sealing leaks from faucets and toilets throughout your building.
- How many bathrooms and fixtures do you have per floor? Are you able to modify the fixtures? If so, are there water efficient, low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads in place?
- Do you have direct contact with your landscaping service provider? If so, do you practice drip irrigation and select vegetation with low water intensity or not use irrigation at all?
- Have you checked into the local water quality in your area? Are water filters installed where water quality is poor?
- Has your business considered installing a rainwater or graywater processing systems?
External links
- American Water Works Association - WaterWiser Program
- GreenBiz - Report Says Financial Institutions Need to Weigh Business Water Risks
- Pacific Institute - Freshwater Resources: Managing the Risks Facing the Private Sector
- Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) - Water Consumption
- UNEP Finance Initiative - Challenges of Water Scarcity: A Business Case for Financial Institutions
- US Environmental Protection Agency - Using Water Efficiently: Ideas for Commercial Businesses
- ENERGY STAR - Portfolio Manager An interactive tool to track and measure energy and water use across a business’ entire portfolio of buildings.
Footnotes
- US Environmental Protection Agency - Water Supply and Use in the United States
- International Monetary Fund - Plunging into Crisis: Freshwater resources come under increasing pressure
- ENERGY STAR - Buildings & Plants: The First Step to Improving Building Water Efficiency
- GreenBiz - Water
- Business for Social Responsibility & the Pacific Institute - At the Crest of a Wave: Increasing and Inequitable Demands Page 6
- Greener Buildings - Using Water Management Strategies to Boost the Triple Bottom Line
- GreenBiz - The Business of Saving Water
