The Future ready business of water SECURITY: preparing for the next drought
Australia began 2020 in the grip of a brutal drought and fighting unprecedented bushfires. As communities looked to desalination as the answer for water supply problems, it began to rain and then the pandemic hit. In this article, Grant Gabriel, an Associate Water Supply Engineer with WSP, discusses the imperative for making water security a […]
Read more Innovative ways to monitor water consumption
Businesses and organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the need to monitor and manage their water consumption, as evidenced by the growing amount of water-consumption data that are being submitted into our global sustainability-benchmarking database.
Read more Constructing Water-Smart Properties through Innovative Technology and Data Transparency
Already grown six-fold throughout the 20th century, global water demand is projected to increase by 55% between 2000 and 2050. In conjunction, global water supply faces increasing strain as worldwide per capita water resources more than halved from 1962 to 2014, and are forecast to slump to a third of 1962 levels by 2025.
Read more Water consumption: Why we should measure every drop
Clean freshwater is a vitally important natural resource that is essential for life. Although water covers approximately three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, only 2.5% of the global water stock is freshwater, and over two-thirds of this freshwater is locked up in the form of ice and snow in the Arctic, Antarctic and mountainous regions.
Read more Why is access to clean, safe water so elusive?
Biology tells us that water is the key to sustaining life, and history has shown that water determines where and how humans live. Early on in humankind, all settlements were located near wells and springs, with drought and flood periods deciding the survival of most early villages.
Read more Problems with Water Everywhere
According to the new global risk report issued by the World economic forum, water-related risks are amongst the five key risks for the fifth year in a row now. According to United Nations’ estimates, by 2030 almost half of the global population will be living in regions with high water stress.
Read more Flood Risk and Climate Change: England Flood Planners must prepare for the worst?
Developers and investors must consider the risk of flooding to the development design, planning and investment process at the earliest opportunity to help inform the decision-making process. Early engagement with the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and environmental consultants (such as Delta-Simons who specialise in flood risk and climate change for developers, occupier and investors) will ensure that the masterplan design includes suitable, viable and cost beneficial mitigation measures. By not considering climate change during the early stages of design and during the planning process, from a flood risk perspective, the risk of the planning application being objected to or occupiers being unwilling to sign leases increases along with potential delays to timescales due to reworking and spiralling costs.
Read more Water – The Ideal Impact Investment: Win-Win for Investors, Customers and the Environment.
Water is Impact Investing Impact investment conferences and media have begun to attract main stream investors as sponsors and participants often echoing the theme that, in our collective foolishness, we have allowed capitalism to maim our world – off balance sheet. This is a great step forward. However, the discussion often struggles to define clearly […]
Read more A New Focus on Water
Across the United States, and more broadly across the globe, water scarcity is expected to impact more than half the world’s population by 2030[1]. A 2014 study performed by the Government Accountability Office found that 40 out of 50 states in the United States are likely to experience a shortage of freshwater within the next […]
Read more Advancing Water Risk Assessment: Moving Beyond the Standard Tools
Water is undervalued in most markets. As a line item on a balance sheet, water is hardly noticeable. But as the saying goes, you don’t miss the water until the well runs dry. As more and more regions around the world are facing water risks including scarcity, pollution, and catastrophic weather events, companies are recognizing […]
Read more Natural Flood Management – “Myth or Masterstroke”?
What is NFM? Natural Flood Management (NFM) is currently a hot topic in the UK as there is debate as to what is included in NFM, whether NFM measures can solely be used in reducing flood risk or whether it is just a novel flood risk management option that has become a bandwagon that everyone […]
Read more Water Rises up on the Boardroom Agenda
“Any Other Business” Energy has long been high on the boardroom agenda for organizations looking to control their budget and comply with changing industry legislation. In contrast, water is often viewed under the item “any other business”. With regulated markets and comparatively low costs, many businesses believe that there are limited opportunities or risks associated […]
Read more Net Zero Energy: Homes designed for the future
With rising energy bills a concern for any tenant, the ability to generate more income through living in a zero-energy home can offset any worries about investing on a smart design. Financing such a project is the trickiest part but it has now been proven that the benefits and returns provide a viable and […]
Read more Scaling Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Change
In 2017 the U.S. experienced devastating storms, fires, and hurricanes that caused over $358 Billion in damages. And for countries and communities around the world, they continue to be impacted by climate change as weather patterns become unpredictable.
Read more Sustainability as a corporate goal
Energy optimization is being carried out at Sihlcity Zurich, a building complex that belongs to Credit Suisse Asset Management Global Real Estate. In 2012, the Credit Suisse Asset Management Global Real Estate, working with Siemens Switzerland and Wincasa, embarked on a five-year program with the goal of reducing energy consumption at some 1,000 Swiss properties […]
Read more Case Study: Sustainable Toilet in TaikooHui, Guangzhou
This article is part of a series of selected ESG case studies submitted by participants in the 2017 GRESB Real Estate Assessment. The installation of Eco-Toilet can greatly reduce the water consumption for flushing and to minimize the impact on the environment, especially on marine pollution. Purpose of the project Adopting the appearance of a […]
Read more Sustainable Water Management: Making Waves in the Commercial Real Estate Sector
Water usage in buildings, in certain parts of the world, has often been considered a secondary aspect on many organisations sustainability agendas; owing to its relative cost compared to other utilities such as electricity and gas. However, as the effects of climate change on water availability become more apparent, and urbanisation levels across the globe […]
Read more Washing Away Wasteful Water Practices
All Verdani Partners’ clients have committed to a minimum 20% water reduction goal over the next 10 years. To help them achieve their respective targets, Verdani Partners developed a comprehensive water management program. As a first step, we implement a water efficiency policy applicable to all properties that sets expectations and common procedures to reduce […]
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