Our journey towards sustainability

“Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was lent to you by your children.” Kenyan proverb

Yarra Valley Water's strategic intent is to lead the global water industry in serving the customer and the environment, supported by our high performing business culture and continuously improving efficiency.

As human beings, we have the ability to reshape the natural world. We have taken large amounts of material from the Earth’s crust, replaced the majority of native forests and grasslands with farms and cities, and generate ever growing amounts of waste.

In Victoria, the recent drought has shown us how much individuals, communities and organisations rely on the environment. It is with this recent knowledge of our vulnerability to drought and the impact that increased population is now having on the environment that we believe it is critical to change our ways.

As a water business, we realise that we need to respond now to the crisis in our environment. But we cannot do it alone. Everyone has a role to play in changing the wasteful way we use water, minerals, fules and other resources that nature provides us. We need to tread softly on the face of the planet that serves us all.

We are now well into our sustainability journey. This document Our Journey towards Sustainability (PDF 1.71 MB) contains the details of how we embarked on this journey in 2004. 

Environmental sustainability – what is it?

Sustainability is a key concept for the future of business and civilisation. Its meaning– to be able to continue indefinitely – relates to the physical environment, but the most enlightened definitions include both social and ethical dimensions.

‘Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

The laws of nature and The Natural Step

We have chosen The Natural Step sustainability principles or ‘system conditions’ to help us do this. These principles help us to scientifically define the carrying capacity of nature. Read more about the Natural Step.