These terms describe a far more ambitious approach than just water conservation. They redefine a hotel’s relationship with the local water cycle.
Water Efficiency: This is the foundation. The goal is to minimize water consumption through technical measures (e.g., water-saving fixtures) and operational processes (e.g., towel reuse).
Water Neutrality (Net-Zero Water): A hotel is water-neutral when it completely balances the amount of fresh water it draws from the municipal grid with alternative water sources (e.g., treated greywater, harvested rainwater) and off-site measures (e.g., groundwater recharge). It relieves local water resources rather than straining them.
Water Positivity (Net-Positive Water): This is the ultimate goal. A hotel is water-positive when it returns more water to the local cycle or improves its quality more than it consumes. It becomes an active “producer” of clean water for the region.
How a hotel can become water-positive:
- Maximum Circularity: Consistent on-site recycling of greywater and blackwater.
- Rainwater Harvesting: Collecting rainwater from roofs and parking lots to use for toilet flushing, garden irrigation, or even as process water.
- Off-site Projects (Water Stewardship): Investing in projects outside the hotel property that improve local water availability and quality, e.g., by rewetting peatlands, renaturing river courses, or supporting farmers in switching to water-saving irrigation methods.
