June 2016 News
Reduced rate for AWS Introductory Membership
“AWS Introductory Membership” is valid up to the end of 2016 and allows organizations joining AWS to participate in the design of the next phase of AWS. To encourage maximum participation in this design and decision-making process we are now offering AWS Introductory Membership at a 50% reduced rate. To take advantage of this opportunity please complete and submit the application form.
To see who has already joined AWS please visit our members page.
AWS Technical Committee members appointed
The initial members of the AWS interim Technical Committee have been appointed and their first meeting held. Primarily drawn from AWS members the Technical Committee is responsible for providing balanced stakeholder oversight of matters relating to the integrity and quality control of the AWS water stewardship system. The initial members of the committee are
- Dr. Bai Xue, China National Institute of Standardization
- Sanjib Bezbaroa, ITC
- Brigitte Dittrich-Krämer, BASF
- Tyler Farrow, Water Witness International
- Carlo Galli, Nestlé
- John Langford, University of Melbourne
- Dale Phenicie, Council for Great Lakes Industry
- Laura Sheahen, Ecolab
- Nicole Tanner, WWF
- Fallight Xu, TÜV Rheinland
Peru project launched
We have now concluded contractual arrangements for the project “AWS Water Stewardship: Supporting the Sustainability and Competitiveness of Peruvian Asparagus”. This project seeks to address water as a major risk factor to the asparagus sector through multi-stakeholder collaboration driven by the implementation of AWS water stewardship with growers in La Libertad. The project brings together major value chain stakeholders. Founding partners include AWS, Centro de Investigación of Universidad del Pacífico, Marks & Spencer, Coop (Switzerland), Barfoots, IFC/2030 Water Resources Group, DanPer and SGS. The partners are actively seeking to engage other producers, retailers and policy-makers in the project to increase uptake of AWS water stewardship in the Peruvian asparagus sector. For more information, please download a short summary of the project at http://www.allianceforwaterstewardship.org/assets/documents/Peru_asparagus_summary_June16.pdf
Funding for the project comes from the the Swiss State Secretariat for Ecomomic Affairs (SECO) through its “SECOMEPTIVO ” program, aiming to boost the competitiveness of Peruvian the economy.
Draft program available for Global Water Stewardship Forum
Registration for Global Water Stewardship Forum is now open. The Forum is taking place in Edinburgh on November 1 and 2 and will bring together pioneering water stewardship practitioners and promoters from around the world, providing a unique opportunity to advance the understanding and impact of AWS Water Stewardship, and to contribute to the further development of the global AWS Water Stewardship System. To see what’s in store in Edinburgh please visit the Forum website at http://www.awsforum2016.org/ Participation is limited to 100 so early registration is advised.
Meanwhile the program for the Asia Pacific Water Stewardship Forum is taking shape. This event will take place in New Delhi on 13thSeptember as part of the International River Symposium. We are convening this event with the newly-established India Water Stewardship Network (IWSN) and Water Stewardship Australia (WSA). We expect that this will be another significant milestone in developing water stewardship in the region, particularly in South Asia. More information is available at http://riversymposium.com/program/#specialsessions. An early draft agenda can be seen on our website at http://www.allianceforwaterstewardship.org/events.html
Although we are not convening any sessions this year at Stockholm World Water Week, several of the AWS team will be there so please get in touch to arrange a meeting there.
Upcoming training
- Lima, Peru: 12-14 July
- Lahore, Pakistan, 18-21 July
- Pretoria, South Africa, 10-12 August
News from South Asia
At the meeting of the India Water Stewardship Network (IWSN) in Delhi on June 9th members approved a terms of reference and began mapping out a pathway to expand the group while maintaining the core principles of credible water stewardship on which it was founded. The approved Terms of Reference are available at http://www.allianceforwaterstewardship.org/assets/documents/IWSN_ToR_June16.pdf. One of the key milestones of the IWSN will be the above-mentioned Asia-Pacific Water Stewardship Forum. Initial members of the IWSN are AWS, CDP, CIPT, CRB, HUF, IWMI, ITC, Netherlands’ Embassy and WWF-India, with the 2030 Water Resources Group as an observer.
We are also initiating efforts to establish a water stewardship network in Pakistan. More information on this will be available soon. Training is scheduled for July 18-21 in Lahore.
News from Africa
The final report on the water stewardship project in the Western Cape of South Africa has been launched. AWS was a partner to this project alongside WWF-South Africa, GIZ, Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency M&S and Woolworths. Please visit the WWF-South Africa’s website to view the report: http://www.wwf.org.za/media_room/publications/?17763/Breede-Catchment-Water-Stewardship-Programme
Successful training was held in Arusha, Tanzania. The event aimed to catalyse improved collaboration between business, government and civil society to improve water security across East Africa. Following a multi-stakeholder Leadership Forum there were be three days of AWS training, co-delivered by AWS and Water Witness International. Training included a field visit to AWS member Diageo’s Serengeti Breweries Ltd site in Moshi. This site has pioneered implementation of the AWS Standard in northern Tanzania and will provide participants with hands on learning on its application.
News from North America
AWS-North America and Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) co-hosted AWS three levels of AWS training at the Global Water Center, April 26-28, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AWS-Certificates of completion were awarded to attendees who completed all three modules. The Milwaukee training was the first of three AWS training sessions planned for 2016. AWS-North America is working to solidify training in California and Washington, DC for later in the year.
AWS-North America hired its first intern this spring, Dylan Waldhuetter, a first year graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences. Dylan is assisting the building owner of The Global Water Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with implementing the AWS Standard at that site. This 98,000 square foot, Class A office building is the first commercial building in the world to implement the AWS Standard. It rests at the confluence of three major Lake Michigan tributaries making it an exciting opportunity for the AWS Standard in the water rich Milwaukee region. It will demonstrate that water stewardship is just as important in water abundant areas as water scarce ones. The building sits on the banks of the Menomonee River in land that before European settlement was used for growing and harvesting wild rice by Native Americans. Since settlement, this land has been heavily industrialized and polluted but recent efforts over the past 10 years have rehabilitated the river and neighborhoods along the Menomonee. Stormwater runoff is still a major pollutant for Lake Michigan tributaries which contributes to conditions in the estuary that make it one of the U.S. EPA’s Areas of Concern. Implementation at The Global Water Center will play a critical role in encouraging more private sector use of the AWS Standard along the Menomonee River and ensure full community participation in stewardship of the area’s freshwater resources. To learn more about The Global Water center, visit here.
Follow AWS-North America on Twitter (@WaterStewardNA) or find up-to-date information on future AWS training sessions at www.awsnorthamerica.com.
Upcoming events
- Asia-Pacific Water Stewardship Forum, New Delhi, September 13th Click here for details
- Global Water Stewardship Forum, Edinburgh, November 1st and 2nd See Forum website for details
News from Asia Pacific
Water Stewardship Australia (WSA) organized a seminar in June for participants from the textile sector. The event was held in Melbourne and explored the water challenges facing the sector and water stewardship’s role in enabling collaborative responses to these challenges.
As well as presenting virtually at this seminar, our regional director Zhenzhen Xu attended the meeting of the Better Cotton Initiative in Hong Kong, introducing AWS Standard to BCI implementing partners. BCI is a member of AWS.
For more news from Asia-Pacific please visit http://waterstewardship.org.au/news/
