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Cool Water:Blue Is The New Green

JERRY YUDELSON • YUDELSON ASSOCIATES • TUCSON, ARIZONA

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Cool Water:Blue Is The New Green

JERRY YUDELSON • YUDELSON ASSOCIATES • TUCSON, ARIZONA

Our Watery Planet

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Key Take-Aways

Water is the next big (green) thing

International experience and technology can be adapted

Major opportunities: owners, designers, facility managers, contractors and the public

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Why Water Efficiency?

Water: 21st Century oil

Freshwater supply limited

Population/urban growth: large water footprint

Global warming hits water

Major droughts since 2006

Water efficiency leads to water/energy conservation

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Water Is the Oil of the 21st Century

Resource conflicts

Existing water sources fully allocated

Next urban/rural battleground

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Freshwater is inherently limited

No more water since Adam & Eve

Usable freshwater a tiny fraction

Much is too polluted to drink

Aquifer depletion for water supply

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Freshwater

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Water Footprint: Often Hidden

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Global Warming

Much of world supplied in summer with snowmelt

Changes in climate = smaller snowpack, larger spring runoff, more devastating floods, reduced summer stream flows, more drought events

Water pricing is going to be a huge issue

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Water/Energy Nexus

Hydropower still vital

Water supply requires energy

Energy supply requires water

Not enough water for future energy, or energy for future water!

Lake Lanier, Atlanta, GA

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Major Droughts Since 2006

In the U.S.

Atlanta

South Texas (Austin/San Antonio)

California

Murray-Darling, Australia’s Largest River

In Australia

Every major city

Murray-Darling basin

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Water Conservation vs. Water Efficiency

Conservation means less total use

Efficiency does not guarantee conservation

Behavior modification equally important

Some water conservation counter-productive

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Water Conservation vs. Water Efficiency

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Your Personal WaterConservation Audit

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Australia

20 million people

Most live near the coasts

Except for tropics, country is quite dry

Global warming has moved storm tracks south

Biggest drought in 117-year recorded history since 2005

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Australia

Coordinated response by national/state governments

$13 billion plan ($650 per person)

Water restrictions in all urban areas

Product innovations

WELS rating is mandatory for product sales since 2006

Product innovations

Rainforest in Tasmania, Australia

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Australia

Plumbing industry front and center

Large water utilities recycle water

Public is cooperating

Desalination is a viable option

Falcon water-free urinals

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Australia: Lessons Learned

In a crisis, everything’s on the table

Easier to do politically

System favors (big) long-term solutions

Don’t neglect public participation

New technology can be mandated

Exotic solutions can be tried and evaluated

Murray-Darling — Australia’s Largest River

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Germany

80 million people

A leader in confronting global warming

Focus on rainwater harvesting

New technologies emerging for gray water reuse

Top: Heidelberg, GermanyBottom: Water House, Pforzheim, Germany

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Pontos AquaCycle Gray Water System

filter unit

recycling chambers

sediment disposal

drinking water back-up

UV-disinfection

control unit

booster pump

recycled water tank

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Blue/Green Issues

Water shortages/droughts in many states

Financial/regulatory incentive programs

Green certification programs such as LEED

Low-impact development (LID)

Rising costs for water supply and sewage treatment

Stakeholder concerns; political and regulatory changes

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Inhibiting Forces

Water is still cheap in most areas

High water use lifestyles still preferred

Unintended consequences

Codes need to change

Lack of whole systems thinking

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Opportunities

“Green plumbing”

Building fixture retrofits

Irrigation controls

NEWater systems

New business/technical specialties

Use nonpotable sources

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Must design more water-efficient buildings

What will green & WaterSense® buildings look like in 2015?

Net zero water use

Onsite treatment/reuse

NEWater from many sources

Efficient systems

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Living Building Challenge

“LEED on Steroids”

• Concept: live off annual flows of energy and water

• Onsite blackwater treatment

• No offsite water supply

Omega Institute, NY

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What Should the Public Sector Do?

• Instill conservation ethic

• Price for conservation

• Incentivize retrofitso Technical assistance

• Regulate new buildings

• Find new supplieso Water reuse

o Desalination

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Where Does This Leave Business?

• A very dynamic future: much opportunity

• New technologies, systems, approaches

• New products coming to market

• Larger questions: water footprint

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The Future of Green is Blue, But…

• If you want to score, run to where the ball is going, not to where it is.

• Ask yourself: how green will the built environment be in 2015? What will be the New Normal?

• Water-efficient buildings will certainly do better!

Spain Wins FIFA World Cup 2010

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We CAN prevent future urban water crises, but we need to start today!   

When your house is on fire, it’s too late to dig a well.

— Benjamin Franklin

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Cool Water:Blue Is The New Green

JERRY YUDELSON • YUDELSON ASSOCIATES • TUCSON, ARIZONA

Our Watery Planet

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Thank you!

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