Earlier this month, over 65
leaders from the Coca-Cola system gathered in Denver, CO for our annual Water
Sustainability meeting. This much-anticipated event took a special twist
this year, with community and non-profit partners also attending and taking
part in brainstorming sessions.
A number of important partners including the World Wildlife Fund, National Forest Foundation, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, US EPA, US Forest Service, Trout Unlimited and many others joined us for the event, adding tremendous value. They provided context to our discussion of future sustainability projects, as well as feedback to improve existing work.
“Coca-Cola’s annual Water
Sustainability meeting truly brings together a great cross section of
practitioners from inside and outside of the Coca-Cola System. WWF is
excited to be partnering with Coca-Cola as they use their unique resources and
capabilities to help protect the health of the planet,” said WWF’s Judith
Hochhauser Schneider. “Through open collaboration, we are all able to
achieve what no one entity could do alone.”
At the meeting, project leads from Colorado State University (CSU) also presented best practices from their local,Coca-Cola collaborative sustainability work. Topics included a Xeriscaping
project and business school student eco-practicums. Also, an agricultural
replenishment project, which is focused on implementing sustainable irrigation
techniques along the South Platte River.
As part of the meeting’s larger eco-facility tour at the Denver production plant, attendees visited the Xeriscaping site to learn more about the water replenishment benefits associated with the innovating project.
“CSU’s joining withCoca-Cola to
Xeriscape the Denver production plant’s front landscape will drastically reduce
water use on the property. We are optimizing irrigation by selecting and
designing landscaping with native and regionally appropriate plant material,”
said Zach Johnson of CSU’s Landscape Design & Contracting and Landscape
Business Programs.
Notably, meeting attendees also
took an afternoon volunteer workday to help repair a portion of the South
Platte River watershed still suffering from the effects of the 12-year-old
Hayman Fire. These “Friends of the Forest” efforts were a continuation of
Coca-Cola’s $150,000 donation to the restoration of the local watershed damaged
by the Hayman Fire in 2012.
“Coca-Cola is deeply committed to water stewardship,” said Bruce Karas,Coca-Cola VP of Environment and
Sustainability. “We constantly strive to safely return to nature the amount of
water used in our beverages and their production, and this event will bring us
one step closer to achieving that goal. We are pleased to play a part in
restoring this critical South Platte River watershed, which provides clean
water to millions of Colorado residents.”
While the meeting primarily focused on water stewardship, topics including energy efficiency, recycling and sustainable agriculture were also discussed. All ideas from the meeting will be used to furtherCoca-Cola ’s environmental sustainability programs.
Jon Radtke is aCoca-Cola Water Sustainability
Program Manager.
A number of important partners including the World Wildlife Fund, National Forest Foundation, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, US EPA, US Forest Service, Trout Unlimited and many others joined us for the event, adding tremendous value. They provided context to our discussion of future sustainability projects, as well as feedback to improve existing work.

Meeting attendees participate in volunteer activities to repair
a portion of the South Platte River watershed still suffering from the effects
of the 12-year-old Hayman Fire.
At the meeting, project leads from Colorado State University (CSU) also presented best practices from their local,
As part of the meeting’s larger eco-facility tour at the Denver production plant, attendees visited the Xeriscaping site to learn more about the water replenishment benefits associated with the innovating project.
“CSU’s joining with

Meeting attendees tend to outdoor volunteer work as part of their sustainability efforts.
“Coca-Cola is deeply committed to water stewardship,” said Bruce Karas,
While the meeting primarily focused on water stewardship, topics including energy efficiency, recycling and sustainable agriculture were also discussed. All ideas from the meeting will be used to further
Jon Radtke is a
COCA-COLA ON SOCIAL