A Water wiser company Culture: water-saving initiative launched at Skynamo

Posted on February 17, 2018 by - Blog

Skynamo launches an internal campaign to incentivise and enable employees to save water at home and at work during the Cape Town water crisis.

 

Cape Town is expected to become the first major city in the world to run out of water as we approach the day when our taps run dry: Day Zero. Whether this day comes or we manage to pull together as a city and drastically reduce water consumption to avoid it in time, a drier future for Cape Town is a definite reality. Businesses all over the Cape are reducing water usage in their day-to-day business and arranging for alternative sources of water in case the city’s taps run dry.

 

And Skynamo has joined the effort! Here at the Hive (our HQ) we have not only taken steps to reduce water consumption in the office, but have also enabled and incentivised employees to do so in their homes through a little friendly competition.

 

Weekly Water Warriors win water-saving rewards

The running of an internal competition to encourage water-wise behaviour – Water Warriors – is already underway. All Skynamo members are encouraged to enter the competition to win weekly prizes and a grand prize of a grey water system for the home at the end of the competition on 30th April 2018, which will make their home and daily routines less water reliant.

 

Every Monday morning, employees shares a photo of the reading of their water meter on the company’s WhatsApp group and everyone’s usage is recorded for the week. The following Monday, the next reading is compared with the previous reading to determine average water usage per person in the household. The person who uses the most water in the week is outed as the Knob of the week’ and will have to wear a doorknob on their head for an entire day. The winner is awarded the title of Water Warrior of the week and given a different water-saving prize each week, such as a waterless car cleaning kit.

 

Water-saving tips from the first week’s winner

Water Warrior winner holding prize of waterless car cleaning kit

 

Our first week’s Water Warrior won a waterless car cleaning kit by managing to get through the week on an average of 17.5 litres per day.

 

Some tips from the winner include:

  • Reduce washing by re-wearing clothes if still clean
  • Reduce water pressure when showering
  • Turn off the shower when lathering up
  • Shower over a bucket to collect all water
  • Use liquid soap instead of bar soap and lather up before turning on water to rinse
  • Shave and brush teeth over a plastic tupperware in the basin and then empty the tupperware into the bucket in the shower
  • Use water collected from the basin and shower to flush (only when absolutely necessary)
  • Prepare fewer water intensive meals (e.g. big pots of rice or pasta)
  • Use wet wipes to wash face at the end of the day
  • Use hand sanitiser instead of soap and water to wash hands

Meet each week's winners and see more water saving tips (3).jpg

 

Water-wise SWAGG for water-wise behaviour

Every employee participating in the competition has been given a ‘SWAGG pack’ that is filled with goodies that enable them to reduce water consumption at home:

 

 

Frugality begins at home

Water-frugal behaviour is encouraged at home but enforced at work through the following measures at the HQ:

 

  • The valves in all taps are throttled to reduce the quantity of water flow.
  • Our legendary coffee machine is put to further good use, watering the veggie garden outside with the post-grind waste – great for the plants!
  • Eco friendly take-away cups, to support our caffeine addiction – this reduces the use of the dishwasher
  • Waterless hand sanitizer and wet wipes in all common areas
  • Albex Noflush Toilet Water Neutraliser in all toilets

 

The ripple effect of a crisis

In addition to playing our part in helping reduce water consumption and avoid Day Zero, we hope our competition helps to raise awareness amongst employees of how much water we have wasted in the past by making us realise how little water we actually need to get by. No doubt, the water crisis is one that will leave an indelible impression on the citizens of Cape Town and a dramatic decrease in daily consumption long after the crisis dissipates.

 

What water-wise initiatives have you or your business adopted? Please share them with us, together we can #DefeatDayZero !

 

 

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