The Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme
The IWA Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme aims to inspire utilities and all their stakeholders to transition to be increasingly Climate Smart and to embrace the cultural shift on three interconnected pillars for action: adaptation, mitigation, and leadership.
The IWA Climate Smart Utilities initiative invites utilities who are already taking any kind of climate smart action to apply to the IWA Climate Smart Recognition Programme, as part of the three iterative steps of the recognition journey:
- Increasing Awareness, which IWA currently supports through inviting utilities and IWA members at wide to endorse the Climate Smart Utilities Vision. IWA also offers an array of webinars, publications, and a resource web platform.
- Taking Action, which IWA inspires through the description of an ideal Climate Smart utility, as presented in the Application Guidance. IWA also offers a peer-to-peer exchange through the Community of Practice meetings and web platform.
- Celebrating and sharing the work in progress at the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022, where applying utilities will share their success stories and challenges. This contributes to increase awareness of key stakeholders of the transition, and to inspire action in utilities, looping back to steps 1 and 2 of the journey.
Submissions will be assessed by an independent panel to qualify the inspirational components of the stories shared, as well as to provide direct feedback to the utility on the actions taken, planned, or still to be addressed.
The first Recognition Programme event to celebrate Climate Smart Utilities will take place at the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition, in Copenhagen in September 2022. This first edition is brought to the water community thanks to the support of Xylem. To be considered for recognition at this first event, utilities are invited to submit an application before June 30, 2022, either online or offline through this form. When preparing their applications, utilities will be guided to self-reflect on their progress on the ‘Climate-Smart’ journey by comparing themselves against the different aspects of what makes an ideal Climate-Smart Utility that are set out in the application guidance.
Join the Recognition Programme!
There are many incentives for utilities to apply for the recognition programme and be recognised as Climate Smart leaders globally.
As part of the Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme, successful utilities will:
- Receive an IWA certificate to showcase that the Utility is on the IWA Climate Smart journey
- Be able to exchange leading international knowledge with other applying utilities
- Showcase the Climate Smart Strategy, or a specific project, during the WWCE. Complimentary Congress attendance will be granted to one staff or board member from the utility.
- Receive a travel grant to participate at the Congress (if selected amongst the top 10 utilities who can best contribute to the IWA Climate Smart community)
- Be featured on IWA’s Climate Smart website, IWA’s website, social media channels and newsletters with an overall outreach of +1M users.
- Have a one-on-one feedback session with the independent panel evaluating the application, to exchange ideas on what to improve or reflect on.
Timeline
How to Apply
Applications to join the Recognition Programme can be made online or offline using the application form and returning it to carlos.diaz@iwahq.org
Utilities will be notified by 15 July 15 2022 if they will be recognised for Climate Smart journey during the recognition event at the World Water Congress in Copenhagen, 11-15 September 2022.
Those who applied for travel support to Copenhagen would be notified by 22 July 2022.
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