Sustainability: business, life, environment

Today is International World Water Day.  While that may be great in advancing eco awareness for the day, most forward thinking companies are exploring sustainable business strategies related to water that go well beyond just a day.  In fact, because water supply and demand are so tightly linked at a local level, communities are also becoming increasingly aware of their water supply and actively managing demand.  And, major investment is flocking to the world’s water resources, with tycoons referring to water as the new oil.
 
So, if you are a small business, have limited resources, and are interested in taking eco action towards business sustainability with water as your focus, what do you do?  Building a LEED certified building may be out of the question or retrofitting an existing building may not be an option either.  As suggested in our business sustainability programs there are multiple paths to business sustainability, reducing consumption and managing your water usage more effectively.  Whether that takes the form as eco awareness demonstrated in behavioral changes or as physical changes to your business operations.
 
An office based business can start by considering its landscaping.  We suggest in our professional consulting to consider reducing the amount of potable water  used for watering the grounds at your site.   Of course, one way to do this is just not to water; however, you also can do things like capture rainwater to use later for irrigation. 
Another option is to change your landscaping to use native plants that do not require additional irrigation. You also can use adaptive plants, which are plants that will need only the same amount of water as local plants.
Look for opportunities within your business for collecting “graywater.”
 
The opportunities to incorporate sustainability concepts into business operations are innumerable- water management is one way to start.  Extend the eco awareness of International Water Day beyond the day by making it a part of your business sustainability program.