5 Reasons The Thirst For Water Technology Will Grow In 2014

Certain companies, such as beer makers Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors, have invested in serious conservation measures for years. Yet periods of drought and concerns over the energy-food-water nexus have made water a far greater topic of concern in board rooms and city halls.

Ideas for improving access are at the center of some notable corporate social responsibility initiatives. In October, for example, a coalition of companies led by Coca-Cola pledged to deliver up to 2,000 off-grid water purification systems to developing regions.

Like energy, water is a universal issue: every facility, product, community and person is touched by it somehow. As the United Nations notes: “Water scarcity is both a natural and a human-made phenomenon. There is enough freshwater on the planet for 7 billion people but it is distributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and unsustainably managed.”

Reversing that trend will take a serious annual investment: almost $840 billion, or $1.8 trillion over the next 20 years, estimates the U.N. University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-UIWEH). The good news is that this could deliver almost $3 trillion in economic, environmental and social benefits.

“As we approach some planetary tipping points, and resulting irreversible changes, innovative perspectives and paradigm shifts are necessary,” said Nikhil Seth, director of the division of sustainable development at the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Which tipping points will matter most to your business? Here are five factors driving the urgent need for better global water efficiency.

Read the full article at GreenBiz.com

Source URL: https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/12/17/5-reasons-our-thirst-water-technology-will-grow-2014

Author: Heather Clancy

Shari’s Partners With Meals On Wheels

Shari’s Cafe & Pies today announced that its October Fundraiser raised over $25,000 for Meals-on-Wheels Centers around the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
The promotion provided a incentive of a Free Slice of Pie to any guest who donated a Dollar or more to their local Meals on Wheels Centers. The promotion raised funds for the Meals-On-Wheels organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest, wherever Shari’s has a location.
“Many of our guests are seniors, so making a donation to Meals-On-Wheels was a natural choice for us,” said Michael Kiriazis, Vice President of Marketing for Sharis. “Our award-winning pies are second-to-none. We knew if we tied a slice of pie to a donation with a strong charitable cause, that our guests would support the promotion.”
“Shari’s is an outstanding partner,: Joan Smith, Executive Director of Loaves & Fishes stated. “The generous $25,000 donation will be used to feed home-bound seniors and sustain some of our key programs.”
This is just one of the many charitable promotions Shari’s organizes throughout the year. Over the past 10 years, Shari’s has donated over $2 million to the NW Charities.
Contact: Michael Kiriazis
Vice President of Marketing
503-605-4151
MKiriazis@54.187.183.174