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THE UPCOMING US WATER
CONFERENCE SEASON IS IN FULL SWING, by KATHY SHANDLING (MaximsNewsNetwork)
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UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews
Network
/ 6
September 2011 - Within
the water/wastewater universe, the summer months are often associated with
three major conference programs – the annual AWWA conference &
exhibition that is held in June, the newly established Singapore International
Water Week (just four years old) that is scheduled in early July, and World
Water Week which takes place in Stockholm in mid-August. Each of these three
conference programs attracts thousands of attendees.
The
remaining months of the year are also marked by sizeable conference programs
including the annual WEFTEC Conference & Exhibition in October,
Pennwell’s PowerGen Asia in late September, the WaterSmart Innovations
Conference & Exhibition in October, and Pennwell’s PowerGen Middle East
in late October. And November will see the return of the second annual
American Water Summit after a highly successful inaugural conference launch in
CY2010.
This
year, there are four other distinct water-related events taking place in the
United States that deserve special recognition.
They are: a water/energy conference program produced by the Milwaukee
Water Council as part of their 5th annual water summit and in
coordination with ICMA’s 97th annual conference meeting, a
weeklong global water educational conference developed by the Project Wet
Foundation, a one day International Water Forum at the UN in coordination with
the opening week of the 66th General Assembly, and the 3rd
Annual Water Innovations Alliance Conference designed specifically to expand
awareness of new technologies and innovation.
Milwaukee
Water Council and Water Summit V
Milwaukee
Water Council’s annual water summit is entitled “Water Summit V: Achieving
Harmony with Water.” It will
take place in Milwaukee on September 19-20th.
The Milwaukee Water Council recognizes that the issue of water
transcends three distinct critical initiatives – the economic/jobs agenda,
the environmental agenda, and the energy agenda. As a result, this
thought-provoking conference will seek to address the need to create harmony
within three defined arenas that are a part of the energy-environment-economic
nexus. The three themes are:
1.)
the global water/energy nexus with a review
of the energy security issues given the mutual dependency of water and energy
along with the many variables impacting their demand and availability
2.)
the required balance when it comes to urban
watersheds in which innovations need to be carefully explored that will help
improve water quality and water utilization within urban watershed divisions
3.)
the sustainability of current urban
agriculture practices and their impact on the energy-environment-economic
nexus
Ultimately,
there must be a more proactive mode of thinking established rather than a
reactive approach when it comes to achieving harmony within the
energy-environment-economic nexus.
Speakers
at the Summit to include notable academics like Dr. David Garman who is the
Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Science and
recognized authors like David Zetland who wrote the book “The End of
Abundance: Economic Solutions to Water Scarcity.”
Other
noteworthy speakers are: the Commissioner for the Milwaukee Department of City
Development, the Executive Director of the Milwaukee Sewerage District, the
CEO of Integration Strategy Inc., a former Assistant Administrator for the US
EPA Office of Water, the Director of Operations for Imagine H20, and the
President/CEO of Badger Meter Inc.
The
Administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson, has
been invited to provide a morning keynote address as well as notable officials
attached to the White House and the US Department of Energy.
By
way of background, the Milwaukee Water Council was created by leaders from
both the business and education arena to help convene the region’s existing
water companies and research clusters. The Council develops education programs
and builds partnerships that cut across all sectors and geographic boundaries.
No other industry in Milwaukee has inspired this
kind of collaboration between sectors, or created such a dynamic and
infectious “buzz”.
The
enormous potential of the water industry also shines a spotlight on the
Milwaukee region both nationally and internationally. And the region has
quickly become recognized as a world hub for water research, education and
economic development.
It
is interesting to note that the city of Milwaukee has been inducted into the
UN Global Compact Cities Program. The UNGCP recognizes cities across the world
that offer a concentrated expertise in a particular subject.
As
of 2011, only 14 cities around the world are part of the UNGCP Program – two
are located in the United States. Those cities are Milwaukee and San
Francisco. The city of Milwaukee has been designated as a Global Compact City
because of its expertise in freshwater technology.
Milwaukee was selected as a result of the dedicated efforts of the
Milwaukee Water Council in partnership with the city staff.
To
learn more about the Milwaukee Water Council and their upcoming annual water
summit, visit www.thewatercouncil.com/temp2/water-summit/.
Project Wet
Foundation and Sustaining the Blue Planet
The
Project Wet Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the
mission of reaching out to children, parents, teachers, and community members
of the world via water education. Established in 1984, Project Wet publishes
water resource materials, provides training workshops on diverse water topics,
organizers community water events, and builds a worldwide network of
educators, water resource professionals, and scientists.
Project
WET materials, workshops, and events are all developed to reflect the
Foundation’s core beliefs:
·
Water
connects us all: Water moves through living and
nonliving systems and binds them together in a complex web of life.
·
Water
for all water users: Water of sufficient quality and
quantity is vital for all water users (energy producers, farmers and ranchers,
fish and wildlife, manufacturers, recreationists, rural and urban dwellers).
·
Managing
water sustainably: Water resources management is
crucial for providing tomorrow’s children with social and economic stability
in a healthy and sustainable environment.
Project
WET is committed to water resources education and has established a proven
methodology and voice through its robust worldwide network of partners. And Project
WET’s experience has allowed it to evolve, from providing awareness of water
resources to empowering students to take action in their communities to help
solve local water-resource issues.
Project
WET is now active in more than 50 countries on five continents. Its materials
have been translated into numerous languages.
As
part of their mission to better educate children and others on water issues,
Project WET is organizing a weeklong conference program in Bozeman, Montana
that is entitled “ Sustaining the Blue Planet: Global Water Education
Conference.” The program will
take place on September 13-16th.
The
multi-day program is being positioned as the first
conference to focus exclusively on water education and its role in solving the
world's pressing water issues. The
conference program will comprise of five conference tracks with a full array
of speakers and the much-anticipated launch of Project WET's Curriculum & Activity Guide 2.0. There
will also be pre- and post-conference workshops, pre-conference field
experiences, and dedicated networking opportunities.
The
various conference tracks include: corporate sustainability, innovations in
water education, technology & water education, water/sanitation/hygiene,
and priority water topics.
Presenters
at the conference will hail from more than 20 countries and represent
international organizations like UNESCO and UN Habitat, multinational
corporations including Intel, Microsoft, Google, Nestlé Waters and Abbott,
and government agencies such as USAID, NOAA and NASA
Notable
speakers are: NASA Educator Astronaut Richard R. Arnold II, Harvard Professor
Dr. Frank Hu of the School of Public Health, Joe Kitts of USAID, Teddy
Tindamanyire of the Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment, and James
Bernard of Microsoft.
To
learn more about Project Wet and the upcoming Blue Planet conference program,
visit www.projectwet.org/project-wet-conferences/sustaining-the-blue-planet/.
The
Chronicles Group and the International Water Forum at the United Nations
The
Chronicles Group, a non-profit corporation, was launched in 2000 for the
purpose of educating the public through media about the profound issues that
impact the survival of the planet.
The
Chronicles Group is dedicated to providing visual but educational records for
the general public viewing of critical issues facing the 21st
century – issues like the access of safe affordable and sustainable drinking
water supplies.
In
2004, production commenced on the initial “Running Dry” documentary. The
film was released throughout the world in February 2005. Two major screenings
held in Washington, DC for US Congressional members and staff contributed to
the passage of landmark legislation in late 2005 known as the “Paul Simon
Water for the Poor Act”.
A
sequel to Running Dry was completed in 2008 and is entitled “The American
Southwest: Are We Running Dry?”
An
upcoming one day International Water Forum at the UN is the vision of the
founder/president of the Chronicles Group, Jim Thebault.
Scheduled
to be held concurrently with the opening week of the 66th session
of the UN General Assembly, the International Water Forum will convene
politicians, academics, NGO’s, private sector representatives, and members
of the UN community.
The
one day Forum will take place on September 16th on the campus of
the UN Headquarters in New York City. It is being organized by The Chronicles
Group in partnership with the Energy and Water Institute of New York and in
cooperation with UNITAR, the World Water Organization, and WaterAid America.
The core
objective of the Forum – to ensure that the evolving global water challenge
remains a critical issue within the UN community.
The Forum also seeks to catalyze the launch of a focused
well-orchestrated worldwide education campaign to improve the awareness of the
general public about the severity of water shortages, climate change,
drought, groundwater and aquifer depletion, and the impact on water when it
comes to agriculture, food supply, industrial expansion, and population
growth.
The
Forum will feature in-depth discussions about potential solutions to the
myriad water issues facing developed and developing countries alike. The one
day program will include presentations by notable leaders like Patricia Mulroy
(the General Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority), David Nahai (the
former General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power), Dr.
Katherine Bliss (the director of the CSIS project on Global Water Policy),
David Winder (CEO, WaterAid America), and Mary Ann Dickinson (President/CEO,
Alliance for Water Efficiency).
The
Forum will also include a full afternoon workshop session focused on the
successful development and implementation of a public education campaign to
raise global awareness of the ongoing water/wastewater challenges facing the
world. Ultimate objective – to
implement a comprehensive water education campaign that will produce
measurable results.
To
learn more about the Chronicles Group and the International Water Forum, visit
www.chroniclesgroup.org/watersummit/home.html
Water
Innovations Alliance and their 3rd Annual Conference
The
Water Innovations Alliance is the public policy voice of the world's water
researchers, technologists and innovators. The Alliance's core role is to
advocate policies that promote the aggressive development of water
technologies and innovations across all sectors and users of water by creating
new market opportunities, increasing funding, strengthening research and
development programs, removing regulatory and market barriers and improving
education, communication and outreach efforts.
The
Alliance also seeks to encourage federal and state policies that support
development, reduce trade barriers, and improve market conditions for the U.S.
water technologies market.
Via
an annual conference program, the Alliance provides a platform to improve
awareness and collaboration between large companies, engineering firms,
universities, utilities, start-ups, NGOs and governments -- exposing all key
stakeholders to new water technologies and innovations. The
conference serves to shine a spotlight on all advancements within the
water/wastewater technology sector and provide examples of best practices
across the full spectrum of the sector.
The
Alliance is hosting their 3rd Annual Conference.
The multi-day conference program will take place in Boston on September
27-28th.
Highlights
for the upcoming conference program include presentations from thought-leaders
who are proactively pioneering the development and implementation of
innovative water technologies. Lead
presenters for the CY2011 conference include: Alan Hinchman (Global Industry
Manager for Water, GE Intelligent Platforms, Paul Gagliardo (Manager for
Innovation Development, American Water, William Wescott (VP, Innovations,
Veolia Environnement), Doug McCall (Director for Business Development, Sensus),
and Carrie Freeman (Director of Sustainable Business Innovation, Intel).
One
session of the conference program will showcase the only large-scale
participatory watershed stewardship simulation of its kind. It will help
participants learn how to better manage one of the world’s most undervalued
natural resource – water. During this ground breaking simulation, players
make decisions about their livelihoods and regulatory authority over a 20-year
period. And players learn to recognize the need to share information in
order to optimize their economic and environmental progress. As they
share information, they players then begin to form collaborative teams; and in
through collaboration, they forge innovative solutions.
There
will also be sessions focused on innovative funding solutions.
And
former Congressman Bart Gordon (Tennessee Representative) will also serve as
one of the keynote speakers.
To
learn more about the Water Innovation Alliance and the upcoming annual
conference program, visit www.waterinnovations.org/conferences_home.php.
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