Cities of the Future: Songdo, South Korea – Water Conservation (by CISCO – the network)

Across the globe, clean water resources are shrinking as the world's population expands. Communities must find new ways to conserve water. In Songdo, South Korea, a new city built from scratch, developers have come up with innovative solutions. Peter Lee, Sustainable Design Specialist, Cosentini Korea: We didn't just look 10 years ahead; we looked at 50 years, a hundred years from now.  And saving water is one of the key elements that we tried to pursue, in terms of sustainability. Stan Gale, Chairman, Gale International:We trap the rainfall that comes into Songdo. We store it in containers, and then we use that gray water for all of the irrigation. Scott Summers, Vice President, Gale International:That gray water is used back into the city for commercial buildings, to flush our toilets, and it's used for washing down the streets. Peter Lee:  Each site has a district gray water storage tank, so it can actually reduce your water and sewage costs. Lee Jong-Cheol, Commissioner, Incheon Free Economic Zone:  Wastewater is also processedand re-used inparksand industrial facilities. Stan Gale: Another area for water conservation is we have a mile and three quarters long canal. It has millions and millions of gallons of water in it, but the seawater is plentiful. We take the mud and sand out of the ocean water and the canal is recirculated with clean ocean water. Lee Jong-Cheol:  We're building an environmentally friendly system that is unique to any other in the world. Songdo's innovations will help the city reach its goal of using at least 30 percent less water in its commercial buildings. As growing demand strains the world's natural resources, Songdo serves as a model for water conservation everywhere.

Learn more at http://thenetwork.cisco.com/songdo