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  Showing how safe the water is, Franscois du Buisson, Brightwater Commons' marketing manager, takes a dip in one of the four reservoirs in pump room 2 that have been installed to introduce run off and rain water back into the centre's irrigation system.  Karen Van Helsdingen, CEO of OrganiCarbon and Clive Saunders, Operations Manager for Brightwater Commons, at the three metre deep sump in which water collects, after being diverted from the storm water drain, before being pumped to the reservoirs. |
Brightwater Commons saves water resourcesThe increasing burden our way of life is placing on resources and the negative effect our consumption patterns are having on the environment is swiftly leading to the destruction of our world. WaterIn OrganiCarbon's evaluation of the centre it was found that Brightwater uses about 100,000,000 litres of water annually. By installing a water reticulation and a water storage system, to harness run off and rain water back into the irrigation system, substantial savings could be made both benefitting the environment and the centre's bottom line. This in addition to systems that were already in place that support the green cause, namely the bio filters installed for the filtration of the wet areas. These Sud-Chemie bio filters create a lot of environmental value for the centre as it ensures a natural environment without chemicals for the river eco-system running through the centre. OrganiCarbon's appraisal showed the ideal area for storage tanks for the reticulation system would be located in the same environment as the bio filters and four reservoirs with a total capacity of 230 000l was duly installed in this area at the beginning of January. "While implementing the system cost a substantial amount it will create a massive saving in water consumption estimated at about 48 764kl, which is equivalent to about 975 000 filled 50l drums, of water per annum. This is not to mention the cost effectiveness in the long run. Depending on rain fall the saving for Brightwater Commons could be as much as R860 000 per year," says OrganiCarbon's CEO, Karen Van Helsdingen. "This water reticulation and water storage project was installed in only two weeks and got off to a great start, with all four reservoirs filling to maximum capacity within only several days after its completion," adds Clive Saunders, Operations Manager for Brightwater Commons. Water from the reservoirs has already been used for irrigation and to fill the river system, immediately proving its worth. As only rain water and backwash water from the river system goes into the storage tanks, via a filter, the water is also completely safe for its current use. Explaining more about the system Van Helsdingen says, run off rain water and backwash water from the river system previously entered a storm water drain which carried the water to a culvert in pump room 2 and then into the municipal waste water system. "As there was sufficient space available in this pump room for the four reservoirs and its proximity to the storm water drain made the installation of the water storage project relatively simple," she adds. In essence water from the storm water drain is now diverted to a three metre deep sump which houses three pumps of different capacities that pump water from the sump to the first two reservoirs. "Three pumps were installed instead of one pump to prevent the pump from entering a continuous stop/start cycle which will have a negative long term effect on the pump and on electricity usage. In the case of a cloudburst and large amounts of water entering the sump the largest pump will kick into operation to pump water to the first two reservoirs. If there is less water then one of the smaller pumps will do the job, thus saving on energy costs," adds Saunders. The reservoirs have also been installed in such a way that when the first two are full water will automatically run into the other two without needing to be pumped to these tanks, again saving on electricity. In the case were the reservoirs are full, water can be diverted from the sump back into the storm water drain and into the municipal waste water system. A 5.5kw pump, pumps the water from the tanks to the irrigation hub system. Although Brightwater Commons has evolved from being a water front entertainment destination to a shopping centre with open spaces and an environmental feel, water is still an integral part of its make-up. "The above project was thus essential to the centre's sustainability allowing us to preserve and utilise our water resources to the best of our ability," adds Saunders. Waste Management"During our CO2 assessment of Brightwater it was found that an additional CO2 footprint was created with the transport of un-compacted waste from one of the major tenants to the nearest waste collection point in the centre. By installing a waste collection point closer to this major the CO2 footprint for waste transportation has been reduced drastically with as much as a 50% saving forecast," says OrganiCarbons CEO. Other waste collection points on site have also been upgraded to assist and improve the centre and tenant's effectiveness in disposing of waste in an environmentally responsible manor. By introducing waste separation at source, which many of the tenants are already enthusiastically supporting, substantial savings are already being made on the waste removal bill of the centre. However, in the long term a total saving of 45% on this bill could be achieved with total commitment from tenants, which is what management at Brightwater Commons is striving towards. RecyclingIn support of the above and to encourage a habit of recycling, not only amongst the centre's tenants, but also residents in the area, A-Z Philosophy implemented an innovative campaign, "The Green solution to your lifestyle blues" promotion in October last year. The goal was to persuade tenants and residents to take up the green challenge and recycle, which proved to be a resounding success. Nearly 50 000kg of recyclable waste was deposited at the Commons from October 20 to December 31, 2008 with one member of the community, Ms Dee Cleaver being rewarded with R100 000 for stashing her trash showing the centre's commitment to a greener future. To encourage tenants to participate the centre also gave away R30 000 to the store that embraced the initiative and started separating waste and recycling. Having previously not recycled, The Bright Water Spur enthusiastically showed its support and was rewarded with the R30 000 prize. Speaking after receiving the cheque, Spur's Robin Quinn said, "This campaign got us to change our mindset and once we got started it became quite easy. We are also more aware of products that can't be recycled and are looking at substitutes. "Hats off to Brightwater's management for this initiative and we will be working with OrganiCarbon in the future to find other ways in which we can be more environmentally friendly." TreesAs a further example of Brightwater's commitment to a sustainable management style it was concluded that over 100 trees had to be planted to offset the CO2 emissions produced just by centre management staff and service providers during last year travelling to and from work. These indigenous trees were planted in phases with the final trees being planted in mid-January 2009. The trees have all been properly tagged with details recorded to enable auditing and verification of which tree is offsetting which staff members' CO2 emissions to show accountability. This is over-and-above Brightwater Commons' general subsistence landscaping programme, which forms an integral part of the centre's green characteristic. "These projects are evidence of Brightwater Commons' pro-active approach to the environmental challenges facing the world and its commitment to Be Seen to be Green and Be Green," concludes Cheryl Adamson of A-Z Philosophy. Regards, The Marketing Team. © The Brightwater Commons | Printed from www.brightwatercommons.co.za/archive/09_happy_new_year.html |
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