Photos from "Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently"

Here are just a few images from the event:  "Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently" at the British Chamber of Commerce in Denmark on January 15th, 2012.

All credits and photos: Hasse Ferrold

PHOTO HASSE FERROLD: Welcome and overview by Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director, European Environment Agency    http://www.eea.europa.eu/ 

PHOTO HASSE FERROLD: Photo right-left: André Jol,EEA
Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director, European Environment Agency 
Mariano Davies President www.BCCD.dk & CEO www.oxfordenglish.dk 
Ursula Mathar, VP for Sustainability and Environmental Protection, BMW Group 
Kim Weis Hansen, CEO, Swiss Clean Water Group
Not on photo:Henrik Sønderup, Technical Manager, Rambøll

PHOTO HASSE FERROLD: Panel Discussion

  PHOTO HASSE FERROLD: Kim Weis Hansen, CEO, Swiss Cleanwater Group   http://www.swiss-cleanwater-group.com/

  PHOTO HASSE FERROLD: Kim Weis Hansen, CEO, Swiss Cleanwater Group   http://www.swiss-cleanwater-group.com/

Recap: Flood risk assessment in urban areas and how to adapt

Today we will recap the presentation by Rambøll at the event "Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently", 15 January 2012.

Rambøll - Flood risk assessment in urban areas and how to adapt
by Henrik Sønderup

Rambøll have been doing a lot of interesting work and research on flood risk assessment after the heavy rains in Denmark on July 2nd, 2011.

Looking at various parameters Rambøll has been able to create an assessment of which areas of Frederiksberg, in Copenhagen, would require the most attention in case such floods repeated itself.
Basically this is calculating estimated annual costs due to flooding - and what is the likelihood of flooding in a specific location and what are the costs?

The first part of the question is easy for engineers to assess and answer, yet the second part of the question takes into account not only the financial costs of flooding but also the human costs. Damage costs are usually available from the insurance companies, or local authorities.

EUs flooding directive - climate adaption plans is established "to assess if all water courses and coast lines are at risk from flooding, to map the flood extent and assets and humans at risk in these areas and to take adequate and coordinated measures to reduce this flood risk."

By using integrated modelling to assess the risk of flooding Rambøll is able to make justifiable claims to where resources should be put to use in the case of a disaster. However, what are the socioeconomic consequences of floods? This can be examined on various levels; on a national level, on a city level even down to an individual business.

To round off the presentation, the concept of adapting urbanization to prepare for flooding, looked at how open spaces and recreational areas could become basins for potential flood water, and how old rivers such as "Ladegaards Å" which runs underground through Frederiksberg can be used to divert flood waters efficiently.

Review of the event: Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently

Swiss Cleanwater Group participated at the event entitled "Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently" organized by the British Chamber of Commerce in Denmark and the European Environment agency.

Different stakeholders presented their viewpoints on how we will need to deal with relevant water issues in the coming years.

Over the next couple of days we will bring a recap of the various presentations, today:

BMW Group: Corporate Sustainability and Water Management

Ursula Mathar, VP for Sustainability and
Environmental Protection, BMW Group

Ursula Mathar, VP for Sustainability and Environmental Protection, BMW Group discussed the driving factors to achieve sustainable mobility in the future. For BMW the 6 key factors that were focused on in their sustainability efforts were:

• Environment
• Urbanization
• Politics and Regulations
• Economic
• Culture
• Customer Expectations

From BMWs point of view, sustainability comes with being a premium brand. It is being driven not only by the first five factors above, but also customer expectations. On all levels sustainability is and integral part of the corporate number one strategy.

Ursula Mathar, then discussed "How can sustainability create innovation so we take it to the next level?". A very interesting viewpoint that places sustainability as a catalyst for creating innovation, and not innovation to create sustainability.

At the BMW Group there are 17 production sites globally - all of which are ISO14001 certified. Focusing on the water aspect of sustainability, BMW looks at how they can reduce water usage and how they process wastewater. At their plant in Landshut, they have implemented a new way of preparing plastics using O2 snow, rather than water and have "closed the circuit" so to say and are successfully reusing water.

At BMW, water consumption has fallen by 30% over the last 5 years per vehicle produced. That is a step in the right direction. At BMW the main water usage has come from the paint shop, which now has more effective ways of using water.

The Global Water Crisis

 

Most of us take water for granted on a daily basis. In the morning we wake up, wash our face, drink a cup of coffee, rinse fresh fruit, clean our dirty dishes, take a shower, brush our teeth and on some occasions we remember to drink a part of our daily recommendation of 2.5 Liters of water. We have not been awake for more than a couple of hours, and already we have completed some of our everyday tasks that we take for granted.

See: 11 million people without access to clean water in Mexico

Unfortunately, this scenario cannot be shared by everyone. Today there are over 880 million people lacking access to clean, healthy drinking water. That is roughly 1 out of every 8 people on the planet. An astonishing number, which will only increase as we continue to place heavy demands on our depleting planet. The increased industrial activity of the BRIC countries has not only increased the amount of pollution that our environment must deal with, but it also increases demand of its' people on the local water resources.

See also this article: Global Water Crisis

This increasing global challenge of providing clean, healthy drinking water is becoming a more pressing matter. Something needs to be done.

Fortunately, there are some technologies out there that will help future generations get access to clean water. Something we will look closer at in the coming days.