Sustainability: business, life, environment

With oil, natural gas, and energy receiving most of the popular press, the often forgotten resource that presents the greatest challenge to local communities is the availability of fresh water.  Unlike energy constraints, water can not be economically brought in from neighboring areas in tankers, on trucks, or even in transmission pipelines.  With all the advances in technology, communities still rely on the access and availability of a local water  supply.

To further illustrate this concept, let us take a look at the city of Las Vegas, NV, which sits in a remote desert region of the southwestern United States.  Despite its isolated location and somewhat harsh environment, the city currently flourishes as one of the fastest growing cities in the county.  This is made possible by a massive influx of energy from the far reaches of the surrounding region and resources from all over the country.  However, the community would fail to survive without the abundance of locally available water.

Because water supply and demand are so tightly linked at a local level, communities are becoming increasingly aware of their water supply and actively managing demand.  In the McKinsey report, Charting Our Water Future, this gap is discussed in terms of community risk and economic trade-offs.

Addressing this at a business level, as sustainability consultants, we encourage our clients to be actively aware of their consumption and water disposal.  With the interdependencies of energy and water and the potential limitations of local supply, water is becoming an unknown future cost and a real business risk.  We advise clients to include water management as a sustainability concept in an overall business sustainability program.  Some ideas include:

•    Create a water management strategy and efficiency policy
•    Install water efficient equipment and fixtures
•    Utilize greywater recycling where possible
•    Promote water conservation within the supply chain

Within Taiga Company, there are tools and resources available to raise your eco awareness and to implement solutions that meet unique business needs.