SDG: 12
Sustainable public procurement (SPP) is the act of purchasing products and services with the lowest environmental and highest positive social impacts, throughout the life-cycle of products and services. [1][3] This includes considering a wide range of characteristics of the products and services procured, such as: the use of non-toxic substances, renewable materials, energy and water consumption during use, as well as disposal, reuse and recycling options at the end of life.
This Solution is tailored to Local Governments who have ownership and/or regulatory authority over the municipal water supply system. In this Solution, the Local Government takes a comprehensive approach to increase its energy-efficiency throughout the different phases of the system`s project and useful life, from policy setting, planning, project design, and project evaluation to operation, maintenance and monitoring.
Water is a vital, limited and variable resource which is under increasing demand. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) (glossary) is a process which seeks to secure access to clean water, to satisfy current and future needs, in an economically efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable way. It includes: good governance principles and taking advantage of scientific knowledge to support policy and decision-making; coordination of the different LG departments and engagement of a wide range of stakeholders; integration of different water uses within the watershed, upstream and downstream (including with wastewater management); the integration of future needs into current planning processes; and as a next generation of integration the water – energy nexus. This Solution focuses on the processes which the Local Governments (LGs) can implement to contribute to IWRM, within their territory and beyond.
Over 80% of Local Governments (LGs) worldwide are responsible for residential solid waste collection within their territory [1]. However, solid waste management is a great challenge from an organizational, technical, and financial perspective, and municipalities are often overburdened by the task. This solution focuses on the processes which the LGs can undertake to promote sustainable waste management in their communities through a long-term approach.
Waste incineration with energy recovery, usually named Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is a widely applied technique in developed countries – especially in the European Union, Japan, and the USA. WtE plants process the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and similar wastes that remains after waste prevention, re-use and recycling. WtE plants treat waste hygienically, reduce its volume by about 90%, and enable the recovery of energy contained in the waste through the generation of electricity and /or thermal energy (steam or hot water). The electricity is fed into the power grid to supply the end-users; depending on local infrastructure, the hot water can be used for District Energy network to heat (or cool) homes, hospitals, offices etc.; and the steam can be used by nearby industries for their production processes.
The Local Government implements a set of integrated measures to deploy solar hot water in private buildings and facilities in the community within its jurisdiction. The local government uses its regulatory power as the main leverage to approve or amend a municipal building code that requires (new) buildings to use solar hot water (SHW) systems – Solar Ordinance.
This solution is tailored to local governments that have a mandate to approve and enforce municipal building regulations or bylaws that require and/or incentivize the use of SUDS and rain water harvest in private buildings and facilities in the city. It is applicable to new settlements as well as existing residential, commercial and institutional buildings and facilities.
This solution caters to local governments that have the mandate to manage stormwater in a city. It addresses the management of rainfall and runoff from public open spaces and transport infrastructure. The management of runoff from residential, commercial and institutional buildings are covered in a separate Solution as a different approach is required for areas under private ownership.
Construction and land development within a built-up area or existing community, including building on vacant or underutilized spots and reuse of old or blighted sites and buildings. Type of urban intensification (see Urban Planning Vocab – NOTE: being developed)
This Solution was tailored to Local Governments who have ownership and/or regulatory authority over the municipal water supply system. In this Solution, the Local Government takes a comprehensive approach throughout the different phases of the system’s project and useful life to decrease water-loss, both due to leakage and ruptures and to unaccounted consumption, from policy setting, project design, and project evaluation criteria to operation, monitoring, and maintenance of the system.
Sludge is the solid waste material, primarily organic in nature which settles out in the residential/municipal wastewater treatment process. When the dewatered and dried sludge undergoes anaerobic digestion, it generates biogas (mostly Methane) which can be collected and used as a source of renewable energy.
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) is an innovative business model where energy service companies sell or lease solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, usually solar home systems (SHS), to customers in exchange for regular payments via mobile money, cash or scratch cards [1]. Due to the range of packages available, customers can choose from starter kits that supply a few lights and charge cell phones, to larger systems that can power TVs, radios, stoves and small fridges [1][2]. In some cases, if a customer cannot make payments, the energy service provider is able to switch off the system remotely, and switch them on again once payment is made [2