The most successful businesses find underserved markets and fill those niches. In the process, they may overlook influencing market factors like the environment and sustainably-minded consumers. Once more entrepreneurs learn about water conservation for businesses, planetary droughts could become less detrimental. These are a few ways people learn how to save water while supporting their business’ success.
How Commercialization Hurts Water Conservation Progress
The first step in understanding water conservation for businesses is reflecting on the ongoing damage. These are a few ways commercialization uses too much of this limited natural resource.
1. Agriculture Drains Water Supplies
Plants and animals can’t thrive without water, but commercialized farms often use too much of it. The agriculture industry uses 70% of the world’s water supply for purposes like managing livestock and growing industrial crops.
Outdated watering systems provide more of the limited resource than farms may need in a single day, ultimately taking it from other areas in need just to cause unused water runoff.
2. Manufacturing Uses Water for Mass Production
Manufacturing facilities receive materials from agricultural or general supply partners and use water to turn them into products. Materials like textiles receive chemical bath treatments, while non-textiles undergo their own washing and cooling processes.
As more company owners learn how to save water, they must reflect on their manufacturing steps. Excess water and chemical water runoff are significant drains on the environment in a world reliant on mass production.
3. Shipping CO2 Emissions Affect the Water Cycle
Companies don’t need to directly use water to hurt water conservation efforts. Their use of traditional shipping methods affects the water cycle through carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In 2022, the commercial shipping industry emitted over 709 million metric tons of CO2 globally.
The additional greenhouse gasses contributed to the warming climate, intensifying droughts and extreme storms in global regions. Without excess gaseous pollution, the water cycle could return to restored rainfall levels in drought-prone areas. It’s another aspect of conservation for businesses crucial to improving planetary conditions.
How to Save Water as a Business
Owners of small and big businesses can make a positive impact on water conservation efforts. These are a few ways to get started.
1. Implement Smart Irrigation Systems
Traditional irrigation systems work on either manual or timed systems. Although both can be helpful, they do not support conservation for businesses. They contribute to water waste by supplying water longer than agricultural farms need it. Traditional irrigation may also operate during periods of heavy rain.
Smart systems are a significant improvement for farms. They also have built-in timers but provide technical support through sensors. The specialized technology senses active rainfall to stop its programmed cycle when thunderstorms begin. Stopping unnecessary watering supports the local environment by leaving water sources to refill during rain showers.
Some systems may also have optional rainwater collection systems. They could draw from the rainwater before turning to natural water sources, doubling the conservation efforts of commercial businesses in agriculture.
2. Install Low-Flow Plumbing
The plumbing in any sized business can support the environment by becoming low-flow. Installing the differently made piping and fixtures reduces the water used whenever someone flushes the toilet or uses a sink.
This conservation idea works for every property type, like management offices and commercial buildings. The plumbing will use fewer gallons per minute without reducing the property’s water pressure. Modern fixtures and plumbing help companies make a positive environmental difference as management teams learn how to save water.
3. Insulate Existing Piping
Residential hot water systems often have insulation around hot water pipes, but commercial properties may not. For example, every time someone uses hot water to wash their hands, the heating system has to warm more water than it would if previously warmed water stayed the same temperature in the plumbing.
Piping insulation is easy to install and doesn’t take long. It’s a simple way for businesses to reduce their long-term water usage without disrupting their operations.
4. Look Into Cooling Towers
Industrial air conditioning systems use cooling towers to remove heat from the internal air. When air passes over the cold water, it drops in temperature quickly. It might be an environmentally effective solution if the water tanks didn’t experience evaporation, blowdown and drift.
Those three processes eventually require cooling tower refills. Traditional systems use fresh water to do this, but environmentally friendly cooling towers have modified recovery technologies. They may refill from stormwater collection units instead of drinking water sources.
Some eco-friendly cooling towers also improve conservation for businesses by reducing drift and blowdown. Drift occurs when exhaust air carries water droplets from the tower into the ventilation system. Blowdown is the necessary process of draining the tower’s piping to clean dissolved materials from the circulation system.
Chemical solutions can turn the cooling tower water into a liquid that evaporates less quickly. Since the chemicals would remain in the tower and break down over time, they wouldn’t harm the local environment.
Conductivity meters monitor how much water remains during blowdown removals. It indicates when to stop instead of draining the entire tower reservoir. Saving some of the water requires less when it’s time to refill.
5. Use Water-Efficient Technologies
Commercial buildings can also upgrade to water-efficient technologies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a WaterSense certification when products meet the agency’s water efficiency standards. They save at least 20% less water than traditional models, so they’re a guaranteed environmental benefit for commercial and residential consumers.
Technologies like aerated faucets, pre-rinse spray valves and low-flow toilets are the start of options available for businesses. Depending on on-site work, additional WaterSense-certified upgrades would reduce a company’s water usage in agricultural, manufacturing or other operations.
Learn More About Water Conservation for Businesses
Once business owners know how to save water, they can make positive changes for their company and the environment. Reflecting on current water waste will determine the most effective solutions for individual businesses. Every effort helps conserve this limited resource without compromising the demands of a company’s consumer base