5 March 2021
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Chambers Ireland and Irish Water announce a new partnership by calling on Cork businesses to get involved in Irish Water’s Water Stewardship Programme, which includes taking the Water Conservation Pledge, carrying out free Online Water Conservation Training and finally enrolling to become a Certified Water Steward.
Water is a critically important resource, fundamental to both homes and businesses. But it’s also a limited resource with water shortages becoming a global reality. Protecting our precious water is becoming as important as reducing our energy use with water now ranked as the third greatest risk to global growth in the next 10 years according to the World Economic Forum.
Irish business uses circa 510 million litres of water every day in Ireland (the equivalent of 10 times the amount needed to supply a city the size of Limerick), which is why supporting businesses to become more sustainable in how they use water is critical to safeguarding our supplies for the future. Chambers Ireland will work with Irish Water to raise awareness of the Three Steps to Sustainable Water Management, to support businesses to lower water consumption and reduce operating costs while protecting the environment.
Yvonne Harris, Irish Water Head of Customer Operations, said: “Safeguarding our precious water resources is a top priority for Irish Water. For that reason we are delighted to launch this water stewardship partnership with Chambers Ireland. Conserving water not only helps protect your local supply – it can also protect the environment, boost your reputation, and reduce your bills.”
Small changes such as identifying water waste on site, setting a baseline for water use, raising awareness amongst staff and customers, or upgrading to water efficient devices can help to save water and money.
Ian Talbot, Chambers Ireland CEO said: “Chambers Ireland encourages Irish businesses to move to sustainable water management. Irish Water’s Water Stewardship Programme provides an opportunity to improve your green credentials by taking the water conservation pledge and online training to support your business to use water sustainably, in a way that benefits people and the environment.”
There are many business benefits to taking the water conservation pledge and developing a sustainable water management strategy, including reducing the risk of your business being impacted by limited availability or quality of water, reputational gains and improving relationships with stakeholders and with your supply chain, as well as ultimately cost savings.
Irish Water is delivering the Certified Water Steward Programme in partnership with the Lean & Green Skillnet and Central Solutions. Welcoming the initiative, Ken Stockil, Director of Programme Delivery said, “This innovative programme has been made possible thanks to the funding from Irish Water, Skillnet Ireland, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and is a clear demonstration of Ireland’s growing reputation and leadership actions on water stewardship and climate action.”
Irish Water’s innovative and world-leading Certified Water Stewardship Training is the final step of three steps Irish Water has developed to support all types of businesses move to sustainable water management. The programme has been running for two years and has trained over 320 Certified Water Stewards to date. 70% of the businesses who took part are introducing Annual Water Stewardship Targets on foot of the programme and have produced 825 new water conservation projects. Three graduating sites have certified to International Water Stewardship Standards.
Businesses can find out more information on the Water Conservation for business hub at www.water.ie
