Water-Efficiency Can Save the Hospitality and Tourism Industry A Bunch of Green
December 8, 2008, Atlanta, GA --- Savvy business leaders are seeking ways to reduce costs. They know that effective resource management practices can save money. Effective water management and awareness can be a fast and easy way to cut costs and embed environmental sustainability into operations.
Typical hotels use estimated 218 gallons per occupied room. Water-efficiency can reduce water and sewer bills by 25-30 percent. On a global scale, water consumption varies greatly. It is estimated that, in order to survive, a person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day, this includes water for drinking, cooking and sanitation. The average water use per person per day, just for domestic purposes in the United States and Canada is estimated around 150 gallons. In Europe, with roughly the same standard of living, the average resident of the United Kingdom uses 31 gallons per person per day. In the developing world, the average person living in Africa uses 5 gallons per person per day, and in many areas, people are getting even less water than that. Globally, a staggering 25,000 people die daily from lack of access to clean water.
Oil prices have fallen from their recent peaks, but concerns about the
availability of freshwater show no sign of abating. Goldman Sachs, an investment
bank, estimates that global water consumption is doubling every 20 years, which
it calls an “unsustainable” rate of growth. Water, unlike oil, has no
substitute. Climate change is altering the patterns of freshwater availability
in complex ways that can lead to more frequent and severe droughts. This will affect the hospitality and tourism industry, and the price of water is expected to increase.
"FreshWaterAlert" is a global water initiative promoting responsible tourism and sustainable water management through practical action. The goal is to educate and create awareness on how individuals can use water more efficiently today, and to preserve freshwater for future generations. By reducing unnecessary water consumption and improving water-efficiency, employees and travelers can help conserve water and minimize water waste in the water infrastructure.
Hotels, motels, resorts, restaurants, spas, cruise lines, airlines, airports, government tourism organizations, incoming agencies, wholesale and retail agencies, associations and organizations, can join a new hospitality and tourism industry water initiative in 2009, just by simply sharing information with their employees and clientele. It is a win-win partnership as both travelers and businesses will reduce water waste and support corporate, country, state and local water-efficiency efforts worldwide.
H2oAlliance offers unique highly targeted communication solutions, customized training programs and workshops, management platforms and advice to business leaders, to help them improve water-efficiency and water risk management in their operations and supply chains effectively. H2oAlliance management team and partners are the leading water management experts in their own right committed to reduce global impact on the environment through better water, resource, energy, and waste management. H2oAlliance partners and clientele contribute to environmental sustainability at global level, and help save finite freshwater resources at local level.
The hospitality and tourism industry can be a catalyst for change and can drive the industry to improve the management of their water resources. This water initiative will also help raise awareness for UNICEF and Africare water projects and how people can help children and families in need of safe and clean drinking water and sanitation in developing countries.
Contact: Hospitality and Tourism Water Initiative Program Administrator
Reference:
FreshWaterAlert
Water-Efficiency
Risk Management
Water Management ICT Solutions
Water Management Platform
Unicef Water Programs
Africare Water
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Global Call To Action For Tourism and Travel Industry Leaders
June 16, 2008, Atlanta, GA (FreshWaterAlert.org) -- FreshWaterAlert™
campaign urges tourism and travel professionals to address the emerging global
water crisis, calling tourism and travel industry leaders to actively address
the issue of water quality and conservation.
"It is increasingly clear
that lack of access to clean water in many parts of the world causes great
suffering in humanitarian, social, environmental and economic terms, and
seriously undermines global development goals. It is estimated that
approximately 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6
billion do not have access to adequate sanitation", according to Minna LeVine,
CTC, FreshWaterAlert™ tourism and travel campaign coordinator. "Water is not
just an environmental issue -- it is a poverty and development issue, an
economic issue and, therefore, a tourism and travel business issue", Ms. LeVine
adds.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a global strategy towards
preventing water-borne diseases. "Polluted drinking water will kill around 1.6
million people this year unless governments make a concerted effort to clean up
their supplies. More than 4,000 people die every day from water-borne diseases,
and the death toll is not confined to developing nations. It's a problem
plaguing all countries, developed and undeveloped", according to Dr James
Bertram, coordinator of WHO's Water, Sanitation and Health Programme.
FreshWaterAlert™ is a global call to action, encouraging business leaders
of the tourism and travel industry to work more actively with the local and
international community, through initiatives such as the FreshWaterAlert™. “We
are pleased that business leaders have taken the initiative and are urging
Governments to take seriously this emerging crisis,” said Georg Kell, Executive
Director of the United Nations Global Compact. “This also represents an appeal
for partnership, and in this way underscores the fact that today’s global
problems demand collective and coordinated action.” Contact: FreshWaterAlert.org, Tourism and Travel Awareness Program
Coordinator, tanews@comcast.net. For campaign
information, go to www.FreshWaterAlert.org
References:
World Water Reference
Water and Tourism
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