Earth Day and Beyond: How Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions is Making a Difference
Earth Day began in 1970 as a means of making our environment a national issue. It spurred 20 million Americans into action and motivated Congress to create the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
More than 50 years later, we can’t let the shine wear off this important tradition or allow our planet’s future to be reduced to just one day of observance. The stakes are too high.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows the Earth’s temperature has increased faster since 1970 than any 50-year period in the last 2,000 years, which could have immense consequences. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement saying, “humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast. … our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”
While individuals and businesses are increasingly focused on sustainability, we need action to support those intentions. Kantar research shows an overwhelming 97% of consumers say they want to become more sustainable, yet only 13% are making changes to do so.
At Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions, we understand the importance of preserving our planet — our teams and tools can make a difference in fighting against global issues like climate change and water scarcity. We are aligned with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they can influence a brighter future for our planet.
Our strategies and innovative solutions have already made an impact around the globe. Here are two ways our efforts support sustainability and keep the focus of Earth Day at the forefront.
Conserving oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development
Phosphorus is essential to sustaining life underwater and acts as a nutrient when discharged into the environment, but when too much is discharged it leads to unnatural algae growth and impairs biodiversity.
One of the ethanol plants we manage was using phosphorus-based treatments for its cooling tower’s mild steel corrosion control and reverse osmosis antiscalant. The cooling tower blowdown was the most significant source of phosphorus, so we recommended converting its treatment program to an E.C.O.Film, non-phosphorus and non-zinc treatment.
E.C.O.Film generates a protective matrix, which offers stronger protection against corrosion than traditional phosphate programs and does not represent comparable fouling potential. This conversion led to a 75% reduction in phosphorus release for the plant.
Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water
One of our biggest global threats is water scarcity. According to the World Wildlife Fund, 2.7 billion people face scarcity of water at least one month per year. Our technology and solutions provide more access to water for more people and help preserve this precious resource for future generations.
Norfolk is one of the driest counties in the United Kingdom and with a population that is growing quickly, utility Anglian Water needed to ensure it could meet demand. We used a ZeeWeed*Ultrafiltration (UF) system to help Anglian Water implement a new water intake downstream where the River Tud joins the River Wensum and offers higher water levels. The largest water filtration system in Europe enabled Anglian Water to treat the high turbidity water to necessary standards without having to allow settling first.
A wide variety of climate-related threats have challenged our customers across the world, but we’re up to the task. We work to innovate new solutions every day and invest in our planet so that Earth Day doesn’t have to become a solemn reminder of what we face, but rather inspiration to use the tools available to move forward and create a more sustainable future.
*Trademark of Veolia; May be registered in one or more countries.
