Green Urban Development Report No.3 - Skanska

Tapping in to savingsEach and every one of us bears a responsibility to think and act sustainablywhen it comes to water management in our everyday lives. And now, companies,governments and institutions are giving us the tools to do so. Through smartwater meters and low-flow taps, we are the green plumbers of the future.We can all begreen plumbersMajor trends have a tendency to start atuniversities where ideas have a naturaltesting ground. The major green eventof the year at Stanford University isthe Conservation Cup which challengesstudents to compete with eachother to reduce water and energy consumption.In the 2010 Conservation Cup, reductions of 26%were made by the winners. Now, the rise of smart water metersup the ante through, for instance, a mobile app connected to asocial platform, which allows students to see their class mates’real-time water use 16) .A wireless water way of life in NYCSmart water meters are the latest trend in the Big Apple as well.In 2010, New York City reached half of its goal to install834,000 wireless water meters by January 2012. This is part ofthe citywide conversion to an Automated Meter Reading system,which will allow New York's citizens citizens to track theirwater use and bills online, and help them identify ways to savemoney, conserve water and detect leaks. And the effort is working– although the population has grown, the total water consumptionis lower today than it was 50 years ago 17) . Also in NewYork, Skanska managed the city’s major upgrade to its largestwastewater treatment plant, the Newton Creek Water Pollution14 Skanska Green Urban Development Report No.3/November 2011