PM Network - June 2009

thebuzz

Michael Gell, Ph.D., managing director of Xanfeon Energy and Environmental Services, a consultancy in Suffolk, England.

Armed with that information, project managers can develop an action plan to prioritize short-, medium- and long-term efforts. “This should include proposals with timescales and ROI analysis detailing how the business water footprint will be reduced,” he says.

Dr. Gell suggests beginning with smaller projects—such as fixing leaks—that require little capital investment and are easy to implement.

“Use these projects as a learning process, and a way to encourage input within the company from green-minded employees who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about environmental issues, but whose knowledge is not currently being utilized,” he says.

Broader-scale efforts, such as installing systems to recycle and treat water for reuse, will have a bigger impact, but they also have a much longer ROI and require serious commitment and powerful champions, adds Mr. Groseclose.

Right now, the high price tag on the more sophisticated water-management megaprojects deters most companies from considering them, he says, “but as the cost of water goes up, they may rethink it.”

320
Number of
rainwater-harvesting
projects launched by
Coca-Cola across
17 states in India

PROVE IT

As with any project, companies also need to measure and track their results.

“You can use the data to benchmark yourself against other companies and see how well you are doing,” says Dr. Gell.

The Center for Sustainable Innovation recently
released its Corporate Water Gauge, which lets
organizations measure and report facility-based
levels of water use against local precipitation and
population data. The new tool aims to “make
triple bottom-line measurement and reporting a
reality,” says Mark McElroy, Ph.D., executive
director of the Thetford Center,
Vermont, USA-based group.

Companies are still primarily focused on the price tag of water-management projects, of course, but Mr. Groseclose sees a change coming.

“The sustainable design and construction movement is creating a paradigm shift in the way design, construction and building owners look at project delivery, and the maintenance and operation of buildings,” he says. “Rather than look solely at project first costs, life cycle costs are being considered as project drivers. Our clients may not see an ROI in three to five years, but there is a long-term payoff in their bottom line, the health and safety of their employees, and the environment.”