Intel Restoring Water To Local Communities

Photo Credit: Intel

Tech companies are growing ever concerned about their impact on the environment. Previously, we reported that Google is pursuing a lofty goal of being reliant on 24×7 renewable energy. Now, Intel is following suit through the use of different means.

The chipmaker is championing water conservation, which has seen it embark on a number of projects to reduce the effects of its facilities’ water consumption on surrounding areas. Intel says that climate change is a real problem that needs to be dealt with swiftly before things spiral out of control.

One way to accomplish this is by cutting back on its water consumption. in 2017, the company announced a goal to restore 100% of its global water use. And as of today, Intel has restored about 1 billion gallons of water to local watersheds in the U.S. alone. That equates to the quantity of water needed to support more than 9,000 homes for a year.

Its water management practices have enabled the company to return 80% of water back to communities, while the remaining 20% is consumed through evaporation or absorbed by plants. To advance its goal, Intel has funded 24 water restoration projects that will benefit watersheds in Arizona, California, Oregon and New Mexico in the U.S.

Recently, the company announced its first international project in Bengaluru, India. Said projects are implemented with the help of nonprofit partners, such as The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and National Forest Foundation, and include crop conversion, invasive species removal, irrigation improvements, stream and lake restoration as well as others.

So far, 13 projects are actively restoring water but there some that have yet to be completed. The company estimates that in a year or two, these systems will begin restoring water as well, which will allow the company to return 80% to 100% of its global water use. This is a commendable goal considering that 2 billion people around the world do not have access to a clean water supply.