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March22,2013|Filedunder:KnowHowGuides|Postedby:HollyTuppen
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TendaystovoteforLocalHotelHero
bySiobhanO'NeillOctober20,2017

TalkingPoint:Atwosectorapproachto
endslaveryinconstruction
bySiobhanO'NeillOctober12,2017

NovotelJaragua:buildingteamworkfora
sustainableproperty
bySiobhanO'NeillOctober4,2017

Globalhotelindustryunitesbehind
commitmentfor2030
bySiobhanO'NeillSeptember26,2017

HICAPsustainabilitywinnersannounced
In celebration of World Water Day here are our top tips for hoteliers bySiobhanO'NeillSeptember22,2017
looking to reduce their water consumption and address water issues
responsibly
Aninternationaldaytocelebratefreshwaterwasrecommendedatthe1992UnitedNationsConferenceon
EnvironmentandDevelopment(UNCED),andsincethenWorldWaterDayhasbeenheldannuallyon22nd Polls
March.Thedayaimstofocusattentionontheimportanceoffreshwaterandadvocatingforthesustainable What'sthemosteffectivewayforhotelstobe
managementoffreshwaterresources. responsiblebusinesses?

Eachyear,WorldWaterDayhighlightsaspecificaspectoffreshwater.In2013,inreflectionofthe Togivebacktothelocalcommunity
InternationalYearofWaterCooperation,WorldWaterDayisdedicatedtothethemeofcooperationaround
Toprovideemployabilityopportunitiesfor
water,whichisveryinkeepingwithwhattheInternationalTourismPartnership(ITP)hasbeendoingonthe youngpeople
topicofwatersinceestablishingaWaterWorkingGroupin2012.
Toensurefairandequalpayandcontractsfor
ITPiscurrentlyworkingwithits16globalhotelcompanymemberstoaddresshowtheindustryshould allemployees
addresswaterchallenges.Thiscollaborationisbeingconductedthroughaworkinggrouponwater,withits
Toreducewaste,carbonfootprintandwater
firstobjective:Toproduceariskanalysisofkeywaterissuespresentandforecastofwateravailabilityand consumptionasmuchaspossible
quality,alongwithanassessmentofanycostandregulatoryimplications,inselectedgeographicregions,in
ordertoincreaseawarenessandunderstandingofhowandwherewaterissuespresentasignificantriskto Vote
theindustrysfuture.
ViewResults
Aspartofthisworkinggroup,ITPhasengagedthehelpofSIWI,theStockholmInternationalWaterInstitute, PollsArchive
toconductaresearchpieceontheabove.Moredetailsofthisresearchwillbepubliclyavailableinearly
summer.However,fornow,weveupdatedourpracticalKnowHowGuidetoWaterManagementinthehotel
industry...

Whytheneedtoconservewater?

Waterscarcityisarecognisedglobalproblem,withdemandforwaterprojectedtoexceedsupplyby40%by
2030.Bythesameyear,halftheworldspopulationwillbelivinginareasofhighwaterstress.

Mostwater(97%)isintheoceans,whichcover71%oftheEarthssurface.3%isfreshwater,twothirdsof
whichistiedupasiceinglaciersandatthepoles.Thisleavesapproximately1%asfreshwaterinrivers,
lakes,theatmosphereandingroundwater.

However,withdemandrisingrapidlyduetoagrowingglobalpopulationwithexpectationsofhigherliving
standardsandresourceintensivefarming,that1%isunderthreat.Climatechangeisaddingtotheproblem
becauseourweatherpatternshavebecomelesspredictableandmorepronounced.Whileanumberofareas

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areexperiencingperiodsofprolongeddrought,therainthatfallsinsomeotherareasisheavier.Thisleadsto YCI
floodingwithoutsufficientlyreplenishinggroundwaterstocks.

Hotelcompanieshavebothastrongcommercialandmoralimperativeforaddressingwateruse.Costisa
clearfactor:wateraccountsfor10%ofutilitybillsinmanyhotels.Mosthotelspayforthewatertheyconsume
twicefirstbypurchasingfreshwaterandthenbydisposingofitaswastewater.AccordingtotheUKs
EnvironmentAgency,dependingontheirwaterefficiency,hotelscanreducetheamountofwaterconsumed
perguestpernightbyupto50%comparedwithestablishmentswithpoorperformanceinwaterconsumption.
Themoralreasonsareequallycompelling:waterisascareresourceinmanyresortsaroundtheworldso
hotelshavearesponsibilitynottousemorethannecessaryinruralorremoteareasitensuresthatlocal
residentsarenotdeprivedoftheiressentialsupplyandbyreducingtheamountofwastewaterthatneedsto
betreated,thislessenstheriskofwaterpollution.

AccordingtothelatestresearchconductedbySIWI,almost20%oftheworldspopulationliveinareasof
physicalwaterscarcity.Awaterscarceregionisonewherewaterresourcesdevelopmentisapproachingor
hasexceededsustainablelimitsandmorethan75%ofriverflowsarewithdrawnforagriculture,industry,
anddomesticpurposes.By2030,theworldmightfacea40%globaldemand/supplygapofaccessible,
reliablewatersupplyforeconomicdevelopment.Theprivatesectorisamajorwateruserandoften
completelydependentonwaterforproductionandservicedelivery.TheHospitalityindustryisoneofthese
wherewaterplaysadeterminingpartineverydayoperationsandpotentialgrowth.

Twitter: green_hotelier
RT@NikiZoli:Thankyou2017@MarriottIntl
#MICooksmartChallengesponsors@HormelFoods
@pepsiforhelpinguscelebrateourgreatnextgen
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RT@FranHTweets:NowinSingapore&getting
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RT@Ben_LightBlue:Thankyou@FranHTweetsto
Resorts have to be developed responsibly in water-stressed regions share@ITP_Newsactivitiesinthefieldof
#greenhoteland#sustainabletourism!
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ReplyRetweetFavorite
Waterefficiency:Establishingawatermanagementplan
RT@FranHTweets:Weat@ITP_Newsand
Inordertosetupandachieverelevantandrealistictargetsyouwillneedtoinvesttimeandresourcesin @Green_Hotelierareproudmediapartnersof
carefulplanning,organisation,trainingandfollowup. @ITBAsia#ITBAsiahttps://t.co/5PCjkfsflqabout6
hoursagofromTweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
Thefirststeptotakewhencreatingawatermanagementplanistostartmeasuringwaterconsumptionand
Follow @green_hotelier 3,718 followers
setsometangibletargets.Itsvitaltoknowyourstartpointandfindouthowmuchwateryouarecurrently
using.Installingmetersandtakingregularreadingswillaidthisandsubmeterswillhelpyouseewherethe
areasofgreatestuseare.Theseareobviouslytheareaswhereyouwillprobablyneedtofocusmostofyour Community & Engagement
efforts.
Environmentalawarenessandtraining
Anotherkeypartofunderstandingmeasurementandtargetsettingisknowingyourwatercosts.Workout
whatyourpotentialcostsavingsmaybeandthepaybackperiodforanycapitalinvestment.Groundinga
watermanagementplanoncosts,aswellasenvironmentalsaving,willhelpgainthebuyinofkey
SustainabilityintheKitchenFood&
stakeholdersandimproveyourpropertysoverallefficiency. Drink

Oncemeasurementandtargetshavebeenset,youcanestablishawaterconservationplan.Herearesome
suggestionsofhowbesttogoaboutthis: Growingourgreenleaders

Carryoutawateraudittoshowwherethemajorwatercostsareandwheresavingscanbemade
Comparetotalanddepartmentalconsumptionfigureswithhotelindustrybenchmarkstodeterminethe
potentialforsavings(seethediagramsbelow) Docustomerscare

Calculatethewaterusedperguestpernightbydividingthetotalwaterconsumedinguestroomsbythe
numberofguestsforthatmonth.Ifyourutilitybillisincubicmetresratherthanlitres,multiplythenumber
oflitresby0.0001 EngagingEmployees

Checkiffunding/loansareavailablefromgovernmentorothersourcesforinvestmentinnew
technologyorwaterreductionschemes
Onthebackoftheinformationgathered,establishrealisticgoalsforeachdepartmentandtheentire Readmore
hotel

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Communicatethemanagementscommitmenttowaterreductionandthesubsequentobjectivesand Green Hotel Case Studies
goalstoallemployees
Bestpractice:HotelAndaluz,New
Trainstaffsotheyunderstandhowtomakeprudentuseofwaterandhowtomaintainequipmentfor Mexico
optimumenergyefficiency
Encouragestafftoputforwardtheirownsuggestionsforwaterreduction
GreenHoteliersGreenBuildingCase
Establishamonitoringandtargetingsystemsothatyoucanregularlyreportprogressbacktostaffand Studies
otherstakeholders.Motivatethroughfeedbackandrewardsuccess
Joinforceswithotherhotelsandprovidementoringtohelpthemreducetheirwaterconsumption Engagingstaff:LondonHeathrow
Marriott

LEEDPlatinum:ITCGrandChola

Sustainableinitiatives:Element
Lexington,Massachusetts

Ecodesign:StarhotelsE.c.ho.Milano

GTBSGold:RadissonBluEdwardian,
London

India'secopioneer:TheOrchid,
Mumbai

Doingtherightthing:InspiraSanta
Marta,Lisbon,Portugal

WindPowerChampions:The
InterContinentalMiami

Readmore

Know How
Flooring

Figure1: Annual water consumption in hotels

Environmentalawarenessandtraining

IndoorAirQuality

FoodSafety

Furniture,FixturesandFittings

Figure 2: Water benchmark for luxury fully serviced hotels, from EMH

Movingthroughareasofahotelwherewaterconsumptionislikelytobehighest,herearesomewaysinwhich Readmore
youcanchangeyouroperationalwateruse.Alwaystestfirsttoseethatanymeasurestakenwillnot
compromisequality,healthorsafety.
Energy & Carbon
Bathrooms SolarPower
Showerflowshouldbenomorethan10litres/min.Thiscanbeverysimplymeasuredwithabucketand
stopwatch
Lowflowtoiletsuseanaverageofjustsixlitresperflush,comparedtooldermodelsthatuseroughlytwo Canyoustillaffordtobegreen
tofourtimesmorethanthat.Additionally,youcaninstallduelflushtoiletssoguestscanoptforashorter
flush.Ifitisnotfeasibletochangealltoilets,youcanreducethewaterusedinflushingbyplacingabrick
orfullwaterbottleinthecistern(effectivelydisplacingsomeofthewater) EnergyEfficiencyintheKitchen
Tapsshouldhaveamaximumflowofsixlitres/min,orfourinhandwashingsinksinpublicbathrooms.
Flowrestrictorsorbetteraeratorscanbothhelpreducetapflow
Maintenanceisakeypartofsavingwaterconsumptionaleakingtoiletcanlose750litresofwaterday Copenhagen:Whatsnext

Laundry

Whereoutsourced,askyoursupplierwhatprocedurestheyhaveinplacetoreducewaterandenergy Sinkorswim,whatCopenhagen
use meansfortheindustry

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Washsmallquantitiesina5kgmachineandalwaysensuremachinesarefullyloaded
Minimisetherinsecycleasmuchaspossiblewithoutreducingquality
Considerusingintermediateextractionbetweenrinseoperations
Readmore
Considerthereuseofwaterfrompreviousrinsecyclesforthefirstwashofthenextcyclebyinstalling
temporaryholdingtanks
Maintenanceisalsokey:Checkregularlyforleakingdumpvalves,ensurethatallwaterinletvalvesare Waste
closingproperlyandcheckthatlevelcontrolsonwaterreusetanksareworkingproperly
GolfCourses
500roomplushotelscouldconsiderinstallingacontinuousbatchwasher(CBW),whichusesallthe
rinsewaterforprewashingandmainsudsoperation
EnsurethatthewaterflowratesontunnelwashersandCBWsareadjustedtothemanufacturers WasteManagement
recommendedsetting
Whenbuyingwashingmachines,lookoutforagoodwaterconsumptionrating
Considerusingozonelaundrysystems.Theseinjectozoneintothewater,whichworksinconjunction GreenIT
withthelaundrychemicalstoprovideamoreefficientwash

Swimmingpools
HowGreenareyourmeetings
Havingaswimmingpoolcanincreasefreshwaterconsumptioninalargehotelbyupto10%sothinkhard
aboutwhetheritisreallynecessarybeforeinstallingone.Thesestepswillhelpensurenowateriswasted.

Conductregularmaintenancetopreventleaks.Checkingforleaksisbestdonebyreadingwatermeters HiltonWorldwideCollaborateswiththe
lastthingatnightandfirstthinginthemorning GlobalSoapProject

Backwashtheswimmingpooleverytwotothreedaysratherthandaily.Itisalsobesttooptfora
backwashsystemwherewatercanberecapturedandusedforirrigation Leadinghospitalityandfoodservice
Alwayscoverswimmingpoolswhennotinusetopreventevaporationandreducetheneedtoemptyand companiessignuptowasteagreement
refill
Installingpushbuttonshowersbythepoolwillreducewateruse Whatliesbeneathmattresswastein
thehotelindustry
Grounds

Donotwatergroundsintheheatoftheday.Inhotclimates,thebesttimetowaterisintheevening Hiltontakesstepsforwardtominimise
Itsbesttoavoidusingautomatedwateringsystems,howeveriftheydohavetobeusedwatercanbe foodwaste
savedbyfittingtimersonsprinklerstocontrolwateruse.Moisturesensorsingardensandgroundscan
alsobeusedtoavoidoverwatering HiltonWorldwideannouncesmattress
Putaprocedureinplaceformanualwateringandtraingardeningstafftoreducewaterusewhere recyclingprogram
possible
Userainwaterharvestingtechniquestodivertandcapturerainwaterfromroofsandgutters.Watercan Increasingemployeeengagementin
bedivertedintoundergroundstoragetanksorintowaterbutts.Plantsactuallypreferrainwatertotreated recycling
waterfromatap
Ifpossible,usegreywaterfrombathsandsinksforirrigation.Considerinstallingatreatmentsystemthat
willenableyoutousetreatedblackwaterfromtoiletsinthegardens.Thetreatmentplantneedstobe
carefullypositionedinrelationtoprevailingwindsandscreenedfromview.Managementofthese Talking Point
systemsmustbewellcontrolled ITPMembersatDavos:Wewillhelp
Awelldesignedandcontrolledirrigationsystemwilldeliverwaterwhenandwhereitisneeded reshapetheworld

Usingyourownorganiccompostwilladdnutrientsandhelpretainmoistureinthesoil
Placingwoodchipsontopofsoilhelpstoreduceevaporation Employtoinclude,aperfectNew
Yearsresolution!
Nativespeciesofplantoftenneedlesswatersodesignandlandscapeyourgroundsinkeepingwiththe
existingenvironment
Workinclusionmeanschallenging
employers'perspectives

Hospitalityindustrysetsouttounlock
GenerationTalent

Providingemploymentopportunitiesfor
youngpeopleinCostaRica

SupplyChainsHowwouldyoucount
thecost?

GreenHotelierTalkingPoint:FairTrade
Tourism

Freshfruit,freshveg,freshthinking:
localsupplyinFethiye

GreenHotelierTalkingPoint:Supply
ChainDeforestationRisk

Educatingcustomersabout
sustainabilityinsupplychains

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The Orchid in Mumbai has a Sewage Treatment Plant on its roof to treat all waste water

Kitchens

Tapsinkitchensshouldhaveamaximumflowof10litresperminute
Onlyusedishwashersonfullload
Presoakingutensilsanddishessavesusingrunningwater.Similarly,washvegetablesandfruitsina
sinkofwaterratherthanarunningwaterrinse
Avoidthawingfoodunderrunningwaterandavoidusingrunningwatertomelticeinsinkstrainers
Minimizetheuseoficemachinesandadjustsettingstodispenselessice

Housekeeping

Putproceduresinplaceandconducttrainingtoinformhousekeepingonhowtheycanreducewateruse.
Theseproceduresshouldincludehowmanytimestoflushthetoiletwhencleaning,nottoleavetaps
runningoruseexcessivewater,usingamopratherthanhosewhencleaningfloors
Implementalinenreuseprogramme.Aswellassavingwater,theseprogrammesmeanlesswearon
fabrics,prolongingtheirlife,andsaveshousekeepingstafftime.Manyhotelsadvertiseareuse
programmebutoftendonotadheretothem,leavingguestscynical,exasperatedbythefactthatguests
oftenthinkthisisjustacostsavingexerciseforthehotel.Ratherthanimposingastructuredprogramme,
themostsuccessfulpoliciesarethosethatallowgueststooptoutofhavingtheirlinenchangedona
dailybasis

Waterefficiencysystems

Greywatersystemsenableupto50percentofwastewatertobereturnedtothehotelaftertreatmentfor
toiletflushing

Becauseoftheseparatepipeworkinvolved,greywatersystemsareexpensivetoinstallandchemical
treatmentoftherecycledwaterissometimesnecessaryforhealthandsafetyreasons(onlyinondemand
systems).Theyarethereforebestdesignedintothebuildingattheoutset,althoughincreasinglyhotelsare
choosingtoretrofitthembecauseofthesavingstobemade.Paybacktimeisdifficulttocalculate,asitwill
dependonthetypeofsystemsinstalledandtherelativecostofthepotablewatertothatofthereusewater.
Thepaybackcanbeanythingfromtwotofifteenyearsdependingonthecostofwateratyourlocation

Lowflowtechnologyinstallationcansavehugevolumesofwateracrossbathroomsandkitchens,with
minimaleffectonthecustomerexperience

Adjustableflowrestrictorsontapsenablethemtodeliveralowerinstantaneousflowratethanscrewoperated
tapsandcanreducewaterusebyover50%.Similarly,lowflowshowerheadscostverylittleandusearound
9.45litresaminutecomparedwithconventionalheads(whichtypicallyusenearlytwicethat).Ifproperly
designedtheyshouldfeelaseffectiveashigherwatervolumemodels.

AnIHGpropertyrecentlyexperiencedhugesavingsbyimplementingthiskindoftechnology.HolidayInnin
Flinders,Australia,recoupeditsAUD$22,000(USD$19,500)investmentinlowflowtechnologyafter18
monthsandcutwaterusageby50%.

SpotlightonStarwoodandincentivisation
StarwoodHotelshavecommittedtoreducewaterconsumptionby20%by2020.Allhotelbrandsowned
byStarwoodintheU.S.offera$5vouchertospendintheshop/restaurant/barifguestsdonthavetheir
roomcleanedeveryday.Otherhotelsdonatetocharitywhenguestsoptoutofhavingroomscleaned/
linenchanged.Theserewardsactasanincentivebutalsoremoveanycynicismfromthecustomerso
theyunderstandthatnotchanginglinenisthehotelsenvironmentalpolicy,ratherthansimplyamoney
savingscheme.

SpotlightonSonevaandsourcingwater
SourcingwaterfromsustainablesourcesisamajorpriorityfortheseluxuryresortsinTheMaldivesand
Thailand.Althoughwaterconsumptionintheresortscontinuestorise,nowateristakenfromthepublic
watersupplywith60%comingfromrainwatercollectionorwellsand40%fromdesalination.Sincefresh
waterissuesareaparticularconcerninThailand,SonevaKirihasbuiltitsownreservoirtocollect
rainwater.

Waterandthestakeholder:Communicatingandeducating

Accesstowaterisahumanrightandeducatingthosearoundusaboutitsfragilityisthereforevital.Hotels
havearesponsibilityineducatingandcommunicatingwaterissuestotheirstakeholdersemployees,thelocal
communityandthecustomer.

Aswecanseefromtheabove,akeycomponentofawatermanagementactionplaniscommunicationwith
andtheeducationofstaff.Implementingsimpleproceduresandsettingtargetscanplayahugerolein
effectingthemindsetofemployeeswhenitcomestowaterconsumption.Althoughthisstartsatthehotel,this
shiftinattitudeissooncarriedintohomelifeandinturnextendstoothers.

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Wherewaterisinshortsupply,beingawareofcompetingdemandsforwaterandavailabilityissuesforalocal
communityisvital.Hotelshavetoworkwithlocalcommunitieswhenitcomestowateruse,ratherthantaking
suppliesfromthem.

Getinformedaboutlocalwaterissuesthroughtalkingtolocalauthorities,communityandbusiness
groupsandyourstaff
Conductawateruseandriskassessmentofyourproperty(seetoolsbelow)
Beawareofandasaminimum,adheretolocalregulationsonwaterextractionandwastewater
disposal.Wherestandardsareloworinfrastructurepoor,ensureyoursarehighandjoinwithother
businessesandcommunitygroupstolobbyforbetterregulationandmanagement
Inareaswherelocalpeoplemayhavelimitedaccesstowater,orwherewaterqualityispoor,consider
supportingimprovementschemeswithlocalauthoritiesandcommunitygroupsorfundingbetteraccess
towater,suchaswatertanksorstandpipes

Hotelscanalsoplayaroleineducatingcustomersaboutwaterissues,andtosomeextentencourage
reflectionontheirownwateruseathomeandwhentraveling.Mostsimply,thiscanbedoneby
communicatingwhatthehoteldoestominimisewaterconsumptionandwhyitiscommittedtodoingso.This
canbedoneby:

Communicatetogueststheimportanceoffreshwaterresourceswithintheareaandprovide
opportunitiestoallowgueststousewaterwisely
Encouragegueststoshowerinsteadofbath
Suggesttheydonotleavethetaprunningwhenbrushingtheirteeth.Itcansaveuptoninelitreseach
timetheydoso!
Invitethemtoreusetheirtowelsandlinensbyoptingnottohavethemchangedeveryday
Incentivisegueststochangetheirbehaviourthroughdonationstocharityorvoucherstospendatthe
hotel
Informguestshowthehotelreduceswaterconsumptioninotherareasofthehotel

Goingonestepfurther,hotelsinparticularlywaterstressedareascaninvolveguestsintheirwaterpolicy.This
ismostsuccessfullydoneinpropertiesandplaceswhereguestsaremotivatedtolearnaboutthelocalarea
andcommunity,andareenvironmentallyaware.Initiativesincludeguestparticipationinlocaleducationor
waterinfrastructurebuildingandrunningeducationaltoursofinnovativewatersavinginitiatives.

In some regions working with the local community on improving water infrastructure is essential

SpotlightonKempinskiandstaffeducation
KempinskisGreenInspirationprogrammestartswithraisingawarenessamongguestsandstaff,inspiring
themtoadoptsimplebutimpactfulbehaviours.ThefirstofmanyinitiativesisTheOakTree:
Theoaktreeisasymbolofstrength,anancientEuropeantree,resistanttodroughtanddisease.All
KempinskihotelsparticipateintheOakInitiativewithaguestawarenessprogramme:thesmallOakTree
leftonthebedbytheguestinvitestheirhousekeepingattendanttomakeupthebedwiththeexisting
linens(reducingwaterusedforlaundryandtheassociatedwastewater),tousegreencleaningproducts,
andtoturnoffairconditioning,lightsandTVwhiletheguestisnotintheroom.Staffcontributeby
purchasinggoodsresponsiblyandcommunicatingthistosupplierseachdecisiontouseFSCpaperor
buylocalproducefortherestaurantsaddsup.Ahotelmayalsochoosetosupportalocalenvironmental
conservationprogramme.StafftakepartinEarthHoureachyear,andaGreenDayeachmonthwhere
theywillcleanupthepropertyanditsgrounds.

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Waterandcharity:Philanthropicapproachestowater

Besidesfromthepotentialforanindividualpropertytoeducateimmediatestakeholdersaboutwaterissues,
manyhotels/hotelchainschoosetointeractandsupportbroaderwatercharityandconservationefforts.
Largerhotelchainsmaysetuptheirownwaterconservationgroups,orbecomeaprimarysponsorofan
existingone.

Forsmallerhotels,therearenumerouscharitiesandschemesthatarealwayslookingforpartners.One
exampleisWholeWorldWater,whichencouragesthetourismindustrytofilter,bottleandselltheirownwater
supplyandgive10%oftheproceedstotheWholeWorldWaterFund,whichseekstoprovidecleanandsafe
drinkingwaterforeveryone.AlsofindoutaboutwhatWaterAidandJustaDroparedoinginyourlocalarea.

SpotlightonMarriott,NobilityofNature
Marriott's"NobilityofNature"programworkswithConservationInternationaltoprotectthesourceoffresh
waterinAsiaformorethan2billionpeople.LocatedinSichuanProvince,anareahardhitbythe2008
earthquakeandhomeofthegiantpanda,theprogramwillhelptoimprovewaterqualityintherural
communitiesofPingwuCounty.
"Worldwide,Marriottisinvestingininnovative,largescaleconservationprojectsthathelpaddresssomeof
themostpressingenvironmentalproblems,suchaswaterandrainforestpreservation.InChina,theneed
forfreshwaterisexpectedtoexceeditssupplyby25%overthenext15years.Helpingtodevelopviable
waystopreservethewatersupplyandconservewaterinourhotelsisonewaywecanhelp."J.W.Marriott
Jr.,ChairmanandCEOofMarriottInternational.

Reportingandrisk

Assessingwaterrisk

Watersecurityisakeyissueforhotels.Waterriskisnotonlyaboutavailability,butthereareahostofother
concernssuchasinfrastructure,governance,competingneedsandwaterquality.Avarietyoftoolsare
availableonlineforcompaniesandhotelsthatwishtotakeadeeperdiveintoassessingtheserisks.Mostof
theserequirewatersources,annualconsumptionanddischargeratesandthelocationoftheproperty.From
thistheyuseavarietyofdatasetstoassesswaterrisk.Sowhilstsomeeffortwouldberequiredtogather
data,thebenefitisaclearpicturetoinformplanningandinvestmentgoingforward.Thechoiceoftoolwill
dependontheneedsoftheindividualcompanysoitisrecommendedtotrytheseout.

WorldBusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopment(WBCSD)GlobalWaterTool

Producesdetailedassessmentofwaterriskonamultisitelevelandgeneratesdataforreportingmechanisms
suchasCDPWaterDisclosure.

WWFWaterRiskFilter

Acomprehensivetoollookingatwatermanagementissuesaswellaswaterrisksandmitigationsolutionsin
ordertodevelopaholisticstrategyforwateruse.

WRIAqueduct

Producesmapsbasedonpropertylocationwhichcanbeweightedagainstdifferentriskssuchasfloodrisk
andgroundwaterquality.

GlobalEnvironmentalManagementInitiative(GEMI).CollectingtheDrops(2007)

Anonlinetooltobetterunderstandwhatemergingwaterissuesmightmeanforabusiness,giventheir
operations,needs,andcircumstances.Doesnotassessrisk,thoughisausefultoolforoverallstrategy
planning.

Reporting

Companiesmaywishtoreportonwatermanagementinordertodemonstratetheircommitmentto
sustainablewateruse.Thismaybeincompanyreports,ontheirwebsiteortoanationalorinternational
reportingmechanism.

TheGlobalReportingInitiative

Providesgloballyapplicablesustainabilityreportingguidelinesandprovidesinformationonhowandwhatto
report.

CDPWaterProgram

Directedatlargecompanies,however,companiesofanysizemaychoosetoreportunderthelargestwater
reportingsystemglobally.

CarbonTrustWaterStandard

CertificationforUKcompanieswhomeasure,reportonandcommittoreducewateruse.

Accreditationandfurtherreading

TheTravelFoundation,GreenerAccommodations

InternationalTourismPartnership,EnvironmentalManagementforHotels

TourismConcern,WaterEquityinTourism:AHumanRight,aGlobalResponsibility2012

UnitedNations,UNGlobalCompactCEOWaterMandate

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