Recap: Swiss Cleanwater Group at "Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently"

Sustainable Water Treatment by Swiss Cleanwater Group

Kim Weis Hansen, CEO Swiss Cleanwater Group
15 January 2013

Swiss Cleanwater Group contributed with the more technological approach towards a solution that could help provide millions with clean drinking water, whilst not needing vast amounts of chemicals or energy.

From the previous presentations at the seminar, it was clear that solutions such as desalination and reverse osmosis were frequently used, not by free will, but more because of lacking alternatives.

Kim Weis Hansen, CEO. Photos: Hasse Ferrold

Below you can see the slides of the time-limited 15 minute presentation:

We cannot survive without water... food we can do without for a couple of weeks, but water is something we must have.

There are no substitutes for water, you cannot switch water with cola or something different. Water is a resource.

Its not only us humans that need QUALITY water - its also so many other things that make everything in a world function.

We have less and less access to clean drinking water due to all types of water pollution.

If this is the total water supply....

Then less than this droplet is what we can drink.

...and these factors are just an eye-opener to why water problems are becoming bigger.

In our area in San Diego, the water prices have risen by 65%!!! We should think we were dealing with oil...

Other water treatment uses too many chemicals and too much energy.

Here are some of the common systems on the market that are used for water treatment.

We wanted to create a solution that could fill the gap of an environmentally friendly solution.

Output-wise this is where we would place the Swiss Cleanwater Machine.

These are just some of the benefits of Swiss Cleanwater Machines - see all here:
http://www.swiss-cleanwater-group.com/en/the-scg-advantage.html

A quick overview of one of the three available machines.

This is what our core competency is.

One of our NGO cases from Ethiopia

A mobile water treatment case from Germany. See here for Mobile Water Treatment.

Its a global challenge we all need to face.

This is one of our patented water kiosks.

...perfect for disaster water treatment, and can be powered by solar power.

Remember the name ;-) we are here to stay...

You want to know more or find out how you can get clean water?

The objective of the presentation was to show the various stakeholders present that it is possible to provide clean drinking water, through a new way of treating water.

The presentation did not go into technical details as this was not the right audience for that, if you are looking for a deeper explanation of how a Swiss Cleanwater Machine works, then you can read about it here: http://www.swiss-cleanwater-group.com/en/purification-of-water.html

You can also see a short video clip explanation on that page.

Water efficiency - providing the context and offering solutions

Panel debate on water efficiency at the European Environmental Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark

Date: Jan 15, 2012

Professor Jacqueline McGlade
Executive Director, EEA

The following points were presented by Professor Jacqueline McGlade:

We just came out of the year of water so it is a great time to reflect on the previous year.

Is it about efficiency or savings?
Efficiency is technology, savings is human behaviour. In the end we want to achieve the same things.

Report: Climate Impact report from EEA
The need for efficiency is clear. Countries need to manage their water and decide to which use what should be put. Public, industry and secure water for ecosystems.

You can download the report here from the EEA:
http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/climate-impacts-and-vulnerability-2012

Some time you do not want to be too efficient. In the beverage industry, they are afraid of the poorly increasing water which means further complications in their manufacturing processes. Its about using the right water, not using the least amount of water.

The European Environmental Agency has focused on thematic areas which are:

• European waters - assessment of status and pressures 
• Towards efficient use of water resources in Europe 
• European waters in the context of vulnerability
• European waters current status and future challenges - a synthesis

A quick explanation

Status assessment
What is actually in this water?

Water efficiency
Using different criteria to try to understand how different organizations could use water. How do we fill the gaps?

Water vulnerability
This is more regarding the climate and the changes experienced.

A quarter of water in Europe is used for irrigation. Using water in an efficient manner such as means of delivering water.

A lot of Europe does not have water pricing. That is going to be the next revolution where the rest of Europe will move towards more structure water pricing. It is extremely important to be getting the price right.

EIP
Fostering innovation in industry regarding water sections. See more here: http://ec.europa.eu/cip/eip/index_en.htm

Key Messages from presentation
- Good water management needs water and energy efficiency
- Full stakeholder participation is needed
- A fair and transparent structure of water pricing needs to be established
- Will act as incentives to industry to provide technological innovation