New Guide Developed: Reducing Your Business’s Water Consumption

To be sure, rising carbon dioxide emissions will have impacts on ecosystems the world over. However, given the confluence of rising global populations, unprecedented economic activity, and that less than one percent of the earth’s water resources is fresh water, water scarcity is increasingly seen as reaching a crisis point.

Clusters of production, as seen in the tens of thousands of industrial parks the world over, can place high demands on water supplies and water infrastructure. Conventional water management practices often mean that drinking-quality water is used to wash floors, flush toilets, cool equipment, and water lawns.

Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University’s Eco-Efficiency Centre in partnership with the Salamander Foundation has developed Industrial best practices for water management: A guide for industry to help reduce your water footprint. The report covers the current state of water management in Canadian industrial parks and discusses the implications that inefficient water use can have not only on elevated operating costs, but public perceptions of environmental responsibility.

In addition, the report details tips, solutions, and technologies to reduce water consumption, such as faucet aerators, proper metering, and updated plumbing. Encouraging managers to think of industrial parks as ecosystems, where the outputs of one organization are the inputs of another, the report includes a number of practical suggestions to make better use of water locally, such as through green roofs, stormwater management, and storage.

Industrial best practices for water management is a practical guide for planners, developers, and managers in industrial park operations, synthesizing the work of academic, professional, governmental, and non-governmental organizations from around the world. It is available at no cost on our website at www.dal.ca/eco-efficiency and strives to be a valuable reference guide on reducing resource consumption, enhancing operational efficiency, and incorporating the benefits of sustainable water management into decision-making.