Dow, Kraft, GE Create Solutions to Save Billions of Gallons of Water

Nearly 98 percent of the water on earth is saline, and about two-thirds of the remaining fresh water is frozen in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves less than one percent of total water resources on earth for human use. The problem of water scarcity has grown to a point where about one billion people in the developing world do not have access to safe drinking water. Water conservation has become a pressing need of the hour, and a few global corporations are leading the way in this endeavor.

Dow Chemical has managed to save over a billion gallons of water at its site in Freeport, Texas by implementing innovative solutions. The company is employing a Six Sigma-influenced technique to classify 80 cooling tower systems in a way that optimizes resource use in its operations. The resulting water savings are equal to the volume of water used by 40,000 people in a year.

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Vikas is a staff writer for the Sustainable Development news and editorial section on Justmeans. He is an MBA with 20 years of managerial and entrepreneurial experience and global travel. He is the author of "The Power of Money" (Scholars, 2003), a book that presents a revolutionary monetary economic theory on poverty alleviation in the developing world. Vikas is also the official writer for an international social project for developing nations "Decisions for Life" run in collaboration between the ILO, the University of Amsterdam and the Indian Institute of Management.