Greetings from the BWS team,  

Happy World Water Day! We celebrate our partners' commitments to conserve, protect and restore water on World Water Day. We also include some great resources at the end of this newsletter to help you participate in World Water Day and other water-related events coming up this spring.

Photo Credit: Grand Valley Water Users Association

Coors, Coca-Cola, Danone and Intel Combine to Keep Water Flowing in the Colorado River 

On a section of the Colorado River called the 15-Mile Reach, stream flows commonly dip dangerously low or cease flowing temporarily. This adversely affects water recreation and multiple endangered fish species. 

The Colorado Water Trust has convened a multitude of stakeholders for nearly a decade to craft a solution that can benefit the river while supporting a diverse range of stakeholder needs. BWS collaborated with key business partners to secure funding to help keep the 15-mile reach flowing through a series of water leasing agreements. Leaders like Matt Lafferty at Coors Seltzer and Jon Radtke at Coca-Cola see the need for corporate partnerships on projects like this as being part of the solution.  

“Coca-Cola looks for projects like the 15-Mile Reach—locally relevant projects in areas of significant water stress, such as the Upper Colorado River Basin, projects that are good for ecosystems and also good for the communities where our business operates,” says Jon Radtke, water sustainability program manager at Coca-Cola North America.

“We created Coors Seltzer with a mission to help restore America’s rivers, and that mission is rooted in Coors’ long history of sustainability,” said Matt Lafferty, marketing manager, Coors Seltzer. “We look forward to increasing our impact exponentially in the years to come and witnessing our ongoing impact through projects like the 15-Mile Reach.”

Elevation Outdoors profiled this impactful project in their February Newsletter.

Mohawk Waterways Project Collection

Mohawk Flooring Launches Waterways Project Collection with Change the Course

Mohawk Group is the first flooring company to balance the water footprint of an entire collection through Change the Course. The Waterways Project Collection will restore 350 gallons per square yard of flooring. Projects supported by Mohawk will restore 8 million gallons of water to rivers across the West, including the Deschutes River, Lower San Pedro River, and  Upper Rio Grande.

“We are thrilled to release this new collection, inspired by America’s waterways as part of our commitment to driving a positive environmental and social impact. Change the Course provided an impactful way to give back to rivers across the country,” says Ramie Vagal, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Mohawk Group. 

All collections under the Waterways project are free of "Red List" materials which are designated as some of the worst in class known to pose serious risks to human health and ecosystems. Additionally, the collections offset the carbon and water footprints through meaningful environmental and social partnerships. They are certified under the Living Product Challenge program by International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The Living Product Challenge requires a product to have a net-positive impact on resources. Living Products must have a larger handprint than footprint. Unlike footprints, which measure a product’s negative impact, handprints measure a product’s positive impact across its life cycle. The idea is to give back more than a product takes.

Arizona’s Groundwater is a Major Economic Driver for the State

Arizona State University’s Seidman Research Institute and Business For Water Stewardship (BWS) recently released a new, first-of-its-kind study evaluating the economic importance of groundwater across five key regions in Arizona. The findings are significant.

Arizona’s groundwater contributed an annual average of more than 43% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), or $1.2 trillion to the economy over a period of nine years. Arizona relies on groundwater for 40% of its water supply, and sustained access to groundwater remains essential for industrial, agricultural and municipal uses in Arizona. The report underscores how important it is to protect and manage Arizona groundwater to sustain economic development. To read the executive summary and see economic data on each of the five areas studied click here.

In the News

• 12/09/20 ASU study reveals groundwater generates 43 percent of state GDP - Arizona Chamber Business News  
• 2/25/21 The Climate Crisis May Threaten All That Depends on the Colorado River - Mother Jones

Worth the Read

• 2/24/21 A Wave of Change: The Role of Companies in Building a Water Secure World - “The cost of inaction on water security is five times the cost of action.” - CDP Worldwide  
• California’s Water Futures Market Explained - The Pacific Institute

Coming up!

• 3/22/21, World Water Day - Join the Virtual Conversation Here 
• 4/6/21 - 4/8/21, Water Now Alliance Tap Into Resilience Virtual Summit - Register Here 
• 4/8/21, Instagram Takeover! Business for Water Stewardship will be participating in a Water for Colorado Instagram takeover - Follow water4colorado