By Tricia Kuse, Johnson Controls
No question about it: the buzz for quite some time has been mostly about our “carbon footprint” – the amount of CO2 we emit into the atmosphere as a result of what we do and what we consume at home, at work and on the road.
Lately, though, I’m hearing a lot about another set of tracks we’re laying down: our “water footprint” – particularly the trail left behind by businesses, governments and other organizations.
Water is essential to everything we do. We rely on it for food production (6%), power generation (40%), manufacturing (40%), personal use (8%) and a host of other uses that are critical to our economic prosperity and our very well being.
Yet water shortages are on the rise. Drought – made worse by climate change – affects much of the world. California is in the midst of what’s being called “the worst drought in modern history.” Thirty-six other states will face similar shortages in the next few years. One chairman of a major North American company worries that water shortages could actually present a bigger challenge than energy security. He predicts, “We will run out of water before we run out of fuel.” Frightening.
As individuals and businesses, we can all use water more efficiently, but governments – federal, state and local – must play a role, as well. And more of them need to follow the example being set by Charleston, South Carolina.
We’ve worked with Charleston city officials for more than four decades – helping them make their municipal facilities and operations more energy efficient and sustainable. One recent focus has been on water.
With more than 90 beautiful parks, 1,200 acres of open space and 190 landscaped municipal buildings, the City of Charleston uses a lot of water to keep the grass green and flowers blooming. In 2007, we identified ways to do that more efficiently: a new smart irrigation system.
We installed WeatherTRAK smart sensors throughout Charleston’s parks. These ingenious little devices analyze daily weather data from satellites and combine it with information about the type of vegetation, soil, ground slope and other factors to provide the exact amount of water to keep the landscaping green and growing when the plants need it, not when they don’t. This amazing system cuts water use by up to 40%.
The project was funded through a performance contract, which means that guaranteed cost savings from lower water bills, coupled with additional cost savings from energy efficiency improvements, are paying the cost of installing the new irrigation system.
Government bodies at all levels should learn some lessons from what Charleston is doing:
More government bodies and businesses need to follow Charleston’s lead and focus on both tracks they’re leaving behind: their carbon footprint and their water footprint.
The solution couldn’t be clearer: Efficiency Now – it’s never been more important.
