Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from water use
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Hello all,
I am involved in a project to identify greenhouse gas emissions resulting from water use at the University of Georgia. Processes related to water supply and consumption, such as heating and treatment, necessitate fuel inputs. Most of this energy use is already accounted for in energy/carbon footprint audits, but our goal is to take this information one step further by fully understanding the amounts of energy embodied in our water supply. From there, we can look at the most energy effective water conservation methods. Not much research has been done regarding this matter and we are informed by just a handful of case studies. Is anybody involved in/know of similar research?
Regards,
Chris
Becky,
Thanks for the info - the ICLEI Community Protocol looks like it will be a very useful resource. This initiative to start a dialogue on the subject of integrated carbon and water footprints was brought to my attention today - I would imagine that it is of interest to you. Apparently there are quite a few people/organizations actively working on the matter, so hopefully we can expect some exciting new developments in the near future. Thanks again for the input, I will be sure to update this thread with our results.
Chris
Chris, glad to hear the ICLEI protocol may be helpful. I look forward to hearing about your results and findings once they are posted. Thanks for sharing that link to developing an integrated carbon and water footprints, very interesting and much appreciated.
Best,
Becky
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Hi Chris,
I'm not aware of specific research, but the ICLEI US Community Protocol for GHG Emissions provides some helpful guidance on water and wastewater emissions, including the embodied energy emissions for both water and wastewater services that you could probably scale down to the university campus level, as a place to start.
The water-energy nexus, embodied energy in water, and net zero water planning are emerging topics that are not very well documented or researched as you point out. Our organization, Brendle Group, has been working to identify these gaps and support the development of resources to move this conversation forward. Any additional thoughts/ideas you have about gaps in resources and information to address the water-energy nexus and water planning would be really helpful for this effort.
Best,
Becky
Becky Fedak
bfedak@brendlegroup.com
(970) 207-0058
www.BrendleGroup.com
P.S. To clear up any confusion, I am posting this reply under my colleague Dave's AASHE account