Alliance for Water Stewardship Implementation at the Global Water Center
By Dylan Waldhuetter, Alliance for Water Stewardship North America – Standard Implementation Manager
The Global Water Center, home to The Water Council and Alliance for Water Stewardship North America, has completed its implementation of the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) International Water Stewardship Standard and will be seeking certification in the first quarter of 2018. The site is on-track to be the first commercial office building in the world certified to the AWS Standard. The certification will add to the Global Water Center’s role as the water technology and stewardship hub of the “Freshwater Capital of the World”.
The AWS Standard functions as a strategic framework for sites to identify and mitigate water-related risks at specific sites or within supply chains; address shared-water challenges; and create shared-value by improving the sustainability of North America’s freshwater resources.
While commercial office buildings aren’t traditionally high-water use sites, there are a variety of water-related risks and opportunities that can be realized through use of the AWS Standard. For instance, some important outcomes from the Global Water Center implementation include:
- Improved maintenance of onsite green infrastructure
- Responsible repaving of the parking lot using a non-PAH sealant
- Improving salt application to limit overuse and runoff into water bodies
- Opportunities to utilize the building as a forum for water stewardship-related education and community programming events
An important component of implementing water stewardship actions at a facility is the inclusion of stakeholder engagement to better inform a company’s understanding of local water-related risks, but also to help build a foundation for collective action. The Global Water Center is recognized as the global hub for leaders in water technology and research; the implementation of the AWS Standard provides a new opportunity to be a convener for water stewardship and sustainable water management conversations and projects. As such, we welcome your ideas on possibilities for future collaborative actions that promote corporate water stewardship while also enhancing our freshwater resources.
To view the Global Water Center’s Water Stewardship Commitment & Policy, click here. Please contact Dylan Waldhuetter, the project implementation manager, at dwaldhuetter@thewatercouncil.com for more information.