Launch of Global Green Utility Network Hero Image

Launch of Global Green Utility Network

Winter 2016 • International


The World Resources Institute (WRI) will work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Vitens Evides International (VEI), an alliance of water utilities started by the two leading Dutch water utilities, to develop a global alliance of water utilities that will implement and scale up green-gray water infrastructures around the world.

The objective is to attract one billion dollars of investment funds to upgrade water utilities in ways that integrate natural watershed systems into existing systems that ultimately benefit 100 million people. It is based on an understanding that in coming years, increasing demands on the world’s water supply systems for agriculture and cities will require upgrades that greatly exceed the costs of conventional systems that rely on complex water treatment technologies. Putting more emphasis on ecologically responsible management of natural systems will help meet growing needs but also prove beneficial in the global responses to climate change and the protection of global environmental resources.

The initiative will build on a Water Operating Partnership between VEI and partner utilities in 26 countries in South American, Africa and Asia. WRI has engaged with large multi-lateral funding institutions to discuss future funding, including the European Investment Bank (IEB) and the Foreign Ministry of Netherlands.

Blackstone Ranch Institute provided an initial seed grant to the initiative.

World Resources Institute

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives. Their mission is to move...

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