Global Water Works Springs Forth to Accelerate Business Adoption of Water Saving Technologies

Two-thirds of the world faces severe water scarcity today¹, and leading researchers, including the World Bank and McKinsey & Company, suggest we will see a 40 percent gap between the supply and demand of water within just 14 years². Imagine shutting down business operations two days of every week due to insufficient water supply.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global Water Works, a new non-profit organization, announces the beginning of an initiative directed at helping business address one of the world’s most complex problems - the global water crisis.

The recent droughts in the southwestern US and the crisis in Flint, MI, along with the White House decision to “change the game for water³,” validate the role of Global Water Works to help industry see the new business opportunity with water saving technology.

Global Water Works was founded by Mary Conley Eggert, a technology business marketing veteran, and a concerned group of business leaders who believe that the time is now to protect water, our most essential resource for life. “Thousands of organizations have been advocating for water conservation for decades, but only in the last few years have we had the technology to measure what we've always wanted to manage,” declares Ms. Eggert.

Earlier this month, Global Water Works hosted a meeting at the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, uniting scientists, business analysts, manufacturers, marketers and educators in roundtable discussions on the use of efficient and smart water technologies to address current water challenges.

Representatives of Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) discussed business water stewardship and the 10-year history of the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, which certifies products that meet performance standards and that are 20 percent more water efficient than other products meeting federal standards.

The WaterSense program has helped consumers save a cumulative 1.1 trillion gallons of water and more than $21.7 billion in water and energy bills since its inception in 2006.⁴

• "A survey conducted by PMI last fall revealed additional opportunity for water savings,” said Nate Kogler, director of Product Management at Bradley Corporation, and a member of the Board of Directors for PMI. “Only about seven percent of commercial and residential toilets nationwide meet WaterSense standards. PMI is asking Congress to authorize the WaterSense program, which would lend additional credence to efforts to improve water efficiency.”
• Linda Reid, founder of the Institute for Water Business at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, reinforced the value of connecting disparate groups to resolve water challenges. “We’re talking about raising visibility of our water resources and conserving water in our homes and businesses, and people need to know that we’re talking about the same water – the water in our rivers, streams and aquifers.”
• Nate Conroy, founder of STEMhero discussed the value of a water curriculum in helping the next generation of business leaders. “By giving today’s middle school students access to data on water and energy use, they see the power of today’s analytics to make a real difference, right now.”

While consumers can take action to protect water, agriculture, energy and the food and beverage industries are the greatest consumers of water. The urgency to accelerate adoption of sustainable water management across all business is real. Some global companies, such as Google, PepsiCo, and Miller Coors⁵ are realizing efficiencies and sizable water savings. It’s a strategy that makes sense for the environment and the economy.

Global Water Works exists to arm industry leaders with information on technologies that can help reduce waste, increase efficiencies and lower costs while protecting our most essential resource - water.

About Global Water Works

Global Water Works is a (501c6) organization committed to advancing solutions designed to ensure that water will be available for future generations. Global Water Works promotes smart water technology, thought leaders and resources that will help water work for the planet, people and profit. globalwaterworks.org

1 Two-Thirds of the World Faces Severe Water Shortages, New York Times, 10 Feb 2016 by Nicholas St. Fleur

2 Charting Our Water Future, McKinsey & Company Report, 2009

3 Changing the Game on Water Supply, The Whitehouse Blog, 15 December 2015

4 EPA WaterSense by the numbers.

5 Case studies on YouTube for Google, PepsiCo, and Miller Coors

Related Resources

Global Water Works
globalwaterworks.org

STEMHero
stemhero.org

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences
http://uwm.edu/freshwater/

Plumbing Manufacturers International
https://www.safeplumbing.org/

WaterSense®, an EPA Partnership
http://www3.epa.gov/watersense/commercial/index.html