AWS Makes Water Positive Commitment to Return More Water to Communities Than It Uses by 2030


Posted January 2, 2023 by Meenakshi2010

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is imitating the footsteps of its cloud infrastructure competitors, Google and Microsoft, by pledging to be a water-positive business by 2030

 
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is imitating the footsteps of its cloud infrastructure competitors, Google and Microsoft, by pledging to be a water-positive business by 2030.

Accordingly, AWS says its direct operations are already well on their way to accomplishing its goal of restoring more water to local communities and environments.

The corporation has embraced the Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) metric to quantify how much water its server farms utilize, and promises to have a worldwide WUE value of 0.25 liters of water every kilowatt-hour.

In a statement, AWS stated it would report on its WUE metrics. It also said it would enable others to reduce water consumption. It also said it would enable advancements in upcoming and existing replenishment projects every year.

To this point, AWS claimed it is “constantly innovating” its infrastructure to suppress the quantity of water it uses. Also, it is implementing internet of things (IoT) technology to evaluate how much water its activities require in real-time.

According to the company, 95 percent of its data centers rely on free-air cooling, which allows them to reuse water multiple times throughout the year. Its facilities also have on-site water treatment systems.

The company also says it’s the first data centers operator in Northern Virginia to get clearance to utilise recycled water in its direct evaporative cooling systems. As part of its goal to become water positive, Amazon Web Services uses recycled water as a coolant in 20 data centers around the world. The company also has plans to expand its use of recycled water in more resources." the AWS statement added.

AWS continues to support the nonprofit WaterAid in India's water replenishment projects. A number of these projects have been implemented in Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad, Telangana, including rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and piped water installations.

This alliance has resulted in almost 650 million liters of water delivered yearly to households and schools via 420 water point installations, 126 rainwater collection projects, and 120 ground water constructions.

WaterAid also personally involved more than 30,000 community members in a water management education program, teaching communities practical techniques to preserve clean water, employ rainwater harvesting, and undertake water assessments. Together, the water delivery, replenishment, and conservation projects have already served more than 75,000 individuals throughout Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

As a water-positive company, we are committed to helping solve this rapidly growing problem," said AWS CEO Adam Selipsky.

What does the term water-positive mean?

Water positive, or water+, is a terminology that is still open to explanation, but it generally implies moving beyond having a net zero effect on water resources into ensuring that activities have a positive consequence.

Because the quantity of water inside the global water system is essentially constant, this might seem to be an odd objective. In reality, it is about assuring the return and restoration of the sorts of environments that allow for a healthy flow of clean and accessible water to a community - it is about regenerating waterways and the ecosystems that maintain them.

Although there is a direct problem relating survival of the human race, availability of food, and more, freshwater is an issue that no company can possibly ignore. Water is a substantial issue for many firms and is frequently overlooked at managerial peril. Increasingly, investors are seeking to ensure that firms have good water strategies, water management, and water governance in place.

What additional water-related actions is AWS taking?

The water shortage worldwide is a major issue, and AWS is committed to doing everything we can to help resolve this rapidly growing problem," explained Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS.

It is estimated that half of the world's population will live in water-stressed regions within the next few years. Therefore, to guarantee all individuals possess access to water, we all need to devise creative strategies to safely store and utilize this vital resource. Although we are happy with the goals we have achieved, we recognize there is much more we can still do. We are dedicated to leading on water sustainability in our cloud operations and providing more water than we consume in the areas wherever we operate.

We are certain that this is the best decision for the environment and our customers."

AWS has been pushing four important tactics in pursuit of being water+ by 2030: increasing water efficiency, utilising sustainable water sources, returning water for community usage, and promoting water replenishment programs.

Water efficiency: AWS is continually evolving throughout its infrastructure to decrease water use. It accomplishes its industry-leading usage of water by leveraging modern cloud services, such as Internet of Things (IoT) technology, to monitor real-time water consumption and find and correct leaks.

Sustainable supplies: AWS employs sustainable water sources, such as reclaimed water and rainwater collecting, whenever feasible.

Community water reuse: Although the water in the data centers is utilised to the fullest extent possible, the spent liquid is still safe to use in a variety of ways. AWS is discovering additional methods to return it to communities.

Water replenishment: To achieve its water+ promise, AWS is making an investment in water replenishment efforts in the locations wherever it operates. AWS is making a significant investment in water replenishment initiatives in the locations where it serves to realise its water+ promise. Replenishment schemes boost water availability, availability, and overall ability by restoring watersheds and supplying fresh water, sewerage, and sanitary facilities to water-stressed communities. AWS has launched refilling systems in Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, supplying 1.6 billion liters of fresh water to all of those locations each year.

Today's donation adds to Amazon's commitment of $10 million to Water.org to allow the launch of the Water & Climate Fund, which will bring climate-resilient water and sanitation solutions to 100 million people throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This gift will directly empower 1 million people with water access by 2025, providing 3 billion litres of water each year to those in water-constrained places.

It is our shared opinion that addressing the world water crisis can be achieved via our relationship with Amazon. We congratulate AWS for vowing to return more water than it uses by establishing Water+ by 2030,” commented Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org. “We are happy to extend our connection with Amazon and AWS to offer even more healthy drinking water to families in need,” said Gary White, CEO, and co-founder of Water.org. The company distributes more than 805 million liters of clean water each year to communities around the globe.

In her remarks, Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of the WaterReuse Association, acknowledged AWS's commitment to becoming water positive by 2030. She also acknowledged AWS's taking steps to implement water recycling as an imperative element of its objective to protect water supplies and the ecosystem, while also driving economic growth.

As an industry leader, AWS's use of reclaimed water to cool 20 data centers already displays significant creativity. We look forward to getting engaged with Amazon to implement water reuse for the benefit of their buildings and for the communities within which they operate.”

“AWS's aim to be water positive by 2030 indicates a strong commitment to water management and sustainability,” said Mary Wenzel, managing director of corporate engagement at The Nature Conservancy.

“AWS's sponsorship of our project has helped increase water security for both people and animals in water-stressed regions in South Africa and Brazil. We are looking forward to collaborating with AWS to assist enhance both quantity and quality by protecting and restoring watersheds throughout the world."
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Tags cloud infrastructure competitors , nonprofit wateraid in india , waterreuse association , water management and sustainability
Last Updated January 2, 2023