A year about water

Water is one of, if not the most essential resource to life on earth. It enables everything else we want to do in life. As Henk Ovink says, “if we take care of the water, the water takes care of us.”

We are one of the two primary organizers of W12+ Programs, a movement that catalyzes, connects, and incubates urban water solutions globally. W12+ focuses on cross-sector approaches to water issues to drive in solutions for a waterwise future for all.

2020 has been a busy year for EcoCiv’s water team. 

Through our W12+ partnership, we:

• Held the “Cities Facing Escalating Water Shortages” conference at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town South Africa in January 2020. We welcome over 150 delegates from over 13 countries for a multi-day facilitated program. 
• Released the W12+ Framework that guided our initial approach to the pervasive issue of urban water security. This report set the tone for our preliminary approach to water solutions.
• Held W12+ Online: Urban Water Security in Uncertain Times in May 2020
• Worked to complete 30+ case studies of innovative, replicable water solutions representing 20+ countries for the W12+ Blueprint.
• Secured exciting partnerships for the W12+ Blueprint (stay tuned for more information coming soon!)
• Held the W12+ Drive-In in Cape Town, South Africa and virtually around the world! The W12+ Drive-In was the first hybrid water conference, “Driving in a Waterwise Future for all.”

W12+ fills a unique gap in the water space. 

• We work primarily in urban settings, as the nexus of climate change and rapid urbanization is creating particularly challenging realities. 
• We focus on solutions, capacity building, empowerment, and peer-to-peer engagement. 
• We work to empower leaders in the water industry to be more effective by providing a platform to share solutions, connect about shared challenges, and learn from experiences of similar cities and leaders. 
• Our approach is multifaceted, dynamic, and adaptable — ever-changing as the water crisis and available solutions need us to be. 

We are proud to work on these “wicked” challenges of urban water insecurity. We believe that providing clean water to all people and for the environment is a keystone piece of creating an ecological civilization.