Wonderful on Tap

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Making a positive difference for our communities and environment  

 

Leaving a lasting legacy for our communities...

We’re proud to have been the Official Nature and Carbon Neutral partner of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

We watched, wondered. Cheered and clapped. Even turned on the water works. And although the hustle and bustle of Game go-ers has now left our region, our work to build a greener future and leave a sustainable legacy across the Midlands continues. 

What we have done so far

We provided water on tap at the Games

We showed the world Birmingham’s tap water is ‘best in glass’ by keeping visitors hydrated at the Games with our free water refill stations.                   

And by encouraging people to bring along their reusable bottles we saved…

Over 480,000 single-use plastic bottles* from going to landfill. 

*Based on 500ml bottles 

Creating 2,022 acres of Severn Trent Commonwealth Forest

We’re filling up our forests with bucket loads of trees (2,022 acres of forest, to be exact) to help offset the residual carbon generated by the Games.  

These forests are being planted with UK native trees which will encourage nature to thrive, by creating habitats for our wonderful wildlife.

Many of our forests are accessible by cycling, walking and public transport – so our local communities can enjoy them too.

This work will continue beyond the Games, so watch this space…because it’s only going to keep getting greener. 

We have now planted 72 Tiny Forests

Boosting nature and green space in urban areas is really important for our wellbeing, which is why we've planted 72 Tiny Forests across the West Midlands.

We teamed up with Earthwatch Europe, as well as local community groups and schools to create these beautiful leafy spaces that will make a real difference to our local environment and people who live there.

Each forest is be linked to one of the nations or territories who competed in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, leaving a legacy for our grandkids, grandkids to admire. 

 


"There are lots of different ways that Tree Keepers can get involved with their chosen Tiny Forest, and when these tasks are split between all the Tree Keepers, we predict each individual will only need to spend a couple of hours a month helping to care for the Tiny Forest."
Ricky Dallow, Forestry Creation Manager, Severn Trent

Funding the partnership

Customer bills have not and will not rise to fund this partnership project.

Any increase in customer bills is part of the annual pricing review which is controlled and agreed by Ofwat.

You can download our scheme of charges [PDF] for a full explanation of how household bills are calculated for 2022 to 2023.

Carbon offsetting

We will continue to work closely with the Forestry Commission for guidance, we are using the UK woodland code methodology to calculate and validate the offset of the residual carbon emissions of the Games in order to create a long-term legacy that would offset the games to make them carbon neutral.

Accreditation will be completed once all trees have been planted.

We're looking for suitable land to plant more wonderful forests across our region

If you are a landowner or farmer, do you have land that could help?

Caring for our customers

Whether it’s help understanding your bill, making sure we know how to support you during a supply interruption, or finding the right solution to help you pay what you can afford, we’re here to help you.