As California’s devastating drought enters its fourth year and local organizations are appealing to residents to rein in their water use, a diverse coalition of companies with skin in the game — food and beverage giants General Mills, Driscoll’s and Coca-Cola North America, and home builder KB Home— are coming together to launch a new campaign urging companies to enact more aggressive measures to maximize California's local and state water resources. The group will launch the so-called “Connect the Drops” campaign, coordinated by the nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization Ceres, during a teleconference later this morning (details below).
Along with a representative from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the companies will highlight the economic risks of the state’s water scarcity challenges and the urgency for bold, innovative water management policies and solutions. Company executives will also discuss the impact of actions they are taking to conserve water resources — including public/private partnerships and on-the-ground water-saving innovations — and their plans for engaging with their supply chains, customers, employees and policymakers on long-lasting, collaborative solutions.
Teleconference details
WHO:
Felicia Marcus, Chair, California State Water Resources Control Board
Ellen Silva, Senior Manager of Global Sustainability, General Mills
Kelley Bell, Vice President of Social & Environmental Impact, Driscoll’s
Jon Radtke, Manager of Sustainable Water Programs for Coca-Cola North America
Larry Gotlieb, Vice President Government and Public Affairs, KB Home
Kirsten James, Senior Manager Water and Climate Policy, CeresWHEN:
Thursday, March 5, 2015
11:00 AM PTDIAL IN:
1-800-944-8766, access code: 17073
While NASA recently estimated 11 trillion gallons of water — roughly 1.5 times the maximum volume of the largest U.S. reservoir — are needed to recover from California's continuing drought, water scarcity is a global concern, topping the list of the World Economic Forum’s 2015 Global Risks report, and businesses in a variety of industries are banding together to ensure a water-stable future.