Replenish
View Watersheds Slideshow
In 2006, the Global
Water Challenge (GWC) was founded with start-up support from The
Coca-Cola Company. The GWC works to consolidate efforts
and mobilize the international community to meet the world's water
challenges. Its mission is to generate a global movement to meet the
urgent need for safe water and sanitation by spurring awareness and
investment in innovative solutions that work. One of the first GWC
programs is "Water for Schools," a program that provides
safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education to thousands
of students in Western Kenya. Learn more about the SWASH+
program.
The CEO Water Mandate, represents a call to action for companies seeking
to address water sustainability in their operations and supply chains.
It shares some tangible steps for action. As members of the CEO Water
Mandate, we support its focus on:
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• Water in Direct Operation
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• Public Policy |
| • Supply Chain and Watershed Management |
• Community Engagement |
| • Collective Actio |
• Transparency |
For the transparency requirement, we have worked to report on our efforts in all areas of the Mandate's focus in our 2008/2009 Sustainability Review and on our Company website. For information on the CEO Water Mandate, visit www.unglobalcompact.org.
Our Role in Public Policy
We believe that we can play a powerful role in helping to advance
key public policy issues by using our leadership voice. On May 2007,
we signed a letter in conjunction with several signatories of the
CEO Water Mandate urging the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) countries
-- in advance of the upcoming annual summit in Japan -- to achieve
the commitments of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The letter
called on the leaders of the G8 to live up to government's responsibility
and commitments to make the emerging water crisis a global priority.
The letter also stated that we see water as not just an environmental
issue but also as a poverty and development issue, an economic issue
and therefore, a business issue. Additionally, our government relations
department lobbied in support of the "Water for the Poor Act" with
the U.S. Congress.
Community Engagement
On a local level, we are partnering with the Environmental Law Institute
(ELI) to build
the capacity of our Company's staff and bottling partners to
more effectively engage
with community stakeholders in their water resource management activities.
Specifically,
the project partners are creating tailored written materials and conducting
a series
of capacity-building workshops to provide comprehensive training on
stakeholder
engagement in water resources management.
We realize the need for collective action in communities and plan
to roll out the
workshops globally in the years to come.
Our efforts to promote sustainable water management in 17 countries
in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East were recognized
in 2008 with USAID's Global Development Alliance's "Alliance
of the Year" award. One of the projects includes building
infrastructure to provide better access to water and sanitation
for schools in Guatemala.
Watersheds
The Coca-Cola Company's Watershed Program focuses on
developing proactive, comprehensive and achievable solutions to water
resource sustainability. A watershed is, simply, a geographic region
whose boundaries are defined by the land and water bodies that feed
any precipitation, like rain or snow, into a common collection area.
Working with WWF, we are helping to measurably conserve seven of
the world's most critical freshwater river basins. Browse through
the slideshow below to learn more about our work or download the fact
sheet.
Southeastern U.S. Rivers and Streams
A globally significant center of freshwater biodiversity
The Southeastern U.S. Rivers and Streams work focuses on the
Tennessee, Cumberland and Mobile River basins. Water reuse
practices have become a focus, with pilot projects underway
in several areas. In addition, more than 1,500 rain barrels
from Coca-Cola have been distributed to capture
water run off during rain events, which has initiated a national
launch to local watershed groups and bottlers.
Lakes Niassa (Malawi) and Chiuta
Possibly the most unique -- and as yet unspoiled
-- freshwater ecosystem on the planet
The work in this Coastal East Africa region centers on securing
the livelihoods of local communities and conserving the unique
biological diversity of Lake Niassa (Malawi). Work includes
the establishment of reserves in each lake, training and accrediting
community rangers to patrol the area, and certifying community
fishing councils to oversee fishing licenses and registrations.
Mekong
The freshwater source of 60 million people in southeast
Asia and home to more fish species than any river other than
the Amazon
The partnership work in the Mekong is centered on influencing
national policies for freshwater resource conservation through
community management and local sustainable agricultural practices,
targeted on two sub-basins -- one in Thailand (Chi River Subcatchment),
the other in Vietnam (Plain of Reeds). Projects include constructing
local village nurseries, planting trees for erosion control
and advocating reform of wetlands policy.
Yangtze
The lifeblood of central China, supporting over 400
million people and countless fish and wildlife species
The partnership goal in the Yangtze is to inspire better governance
and sustainable river management practices across the basin.
One partnership initiative is focused on training local residents
on a scorecard that raises awareness and actively engages
participants in tracking environmental indicators over time;
another is aimed at developing low cost pollution control
measures.
Mesoamerican Reef Catchments
The cloud forests of the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere
Reserve of Guatemala, source of water for dozens of local
communities and a vital link in the ridges-to-reef ecosystem
that supports the spectacular Mesoamerican Reefs
Demonstrating private investment benefits in freshwater conservation
and river basin management is the emphasis of partnership
initiatives in the river basins above the Mesoamerican Reef.
To encourage water quality maintenance, the partnership helped
create the Water Fund, which is supported by projects including
reduction of household firewood consumption and fire control
and prevention.
Danube
The freshwater hub of Europe
The Danube is known as Europe's lifeline and the world's most
international river basin. The partnership work is helping
to restore wetlands in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, providing
critical habitat for the Danube's rich flora and fauna, restoring
sturgeon migration across the Iron Gate Dams, and promoting
and supporting solid river basin management through best practices
exchange.
Rio Grande/Rio Bravo
An iconic river of the American southwest (the fastest
growing region in the U.S.) and northern Mexico -- and the
freshwater source for 10 million people
The Rio Grande (Rio Bravo in Mexico) flows 1,885 miles and
serves as a natural boundary between the U.S. and Mexico.
The partnership is working to improve environmental flows
at seven key sites along the Rio Grande and its primary tributary,
the Rio Conchos. Projects underway include control of thirsty
invasive plant species and voluntary transfers of water rights.
Because we depend on local water supplies, understanding watersheds and how they work is extremely important to our business. We have developed plant-level training and management tools to help local employees and our bottling partners understand watershed issues and engage with communities, governments and conservation organizations to manage them.
Find out how we are working with USAID
to improve the sustainability of watersheds.
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