GE is Helping Nestle to Save Millions of Gallons of Water

On the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act (CWA), it is fitting that we take a look at a stellar example of a business that with the help of GE, is saving more than seven million gallons of water per year. The CWA was passed 40 years ago on October 18th, 1972, it establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into U.S. waters. US corporations are increasingly looking to sustainable water management standards that go far beyond the statutes of the CWA.

GE, a leader in an advanced water-treatment chemical technology, is helping industry reduce their water consumption and discharge. Thanks to this technology Nestle USA’s Pizza Division has reduced its water usage and sewer discharge by 7.4 million gallons per year at its factory in Little Chute, Wisconsin.

World Water Week 2011: The Business of Water Management Requires Collaboration

World Water Week is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organized by Stockholm International Water Institute, it brings together the world’s experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions.

World Water Week opened in Stockholm on Monday August 22nd with calls for better urban water management to ensure food and water security. Around 2,500 experts from some 130 countries are attending the 21st edition of World Water Week in Stockholm. They are working on preparations for the United Nation’s conference on sustainable development set to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The group expects to publish a declaration at the end of this week (August 26).

Blue Planet Academy Green Certificate Programs

The Blue Planet Academy offers green certificate programs. Here are summaries of five programs:

International Conference on Sustainable Water Resources Management

The sixth International Conference on Water Resources Management will present recent technological and scientific developments associated with the management of surface and sub-surface water resources. The conference will be held on May 23-25, 2011 in Riverside, California, USA.

The conference will bring together engineers, scientists and other professionals from many different countries, involved in research and development activities in a wide range of water resources and management topics.

The Wessex Institute of Technology has successfully held many water related conferences around the world and Water Resources Management is one of the most important conferences in the series.

for more information go to: Water Resources Management 2011

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

CIWEM'S Water & Environment Conference 2011

CIWEM holds an annual conference addressing the multidisciplinary issues of the global water and environment sector. This year it is focused on the issue of the “Big Society” and the implications for the environment sector. The conference will be held at Olympia Conference Centre in London, England on the 6th-7th of April 2011

The current trend toward austerity is a major global challenge. Funding for projects will be more restricted, demanding novel and innovative solutions. We are facing a new financial reality which will focus our efforts towards achieving our aims for sustainability and environmental gains with decreasing funding.

The UK coalition government has launched a "Big Society" programme intended to "take power away from politicians and give it to the people," (see programme). The programme includes giving communities more power, transferring power from central to local government using 'third sector' resources to deliver government programmes and giving wider public access to government data. This programme will create opportunities and challenges for the environment sector and society as a whole.

In April 2011, CIWEM will hold a two-day Annual Conference that will address multidisciplinary issues across all areas of the global water and environment sector and will also focus on the issue of the "Big Society" and the implications for the environment sector.

The aim of the conference is to challenge and inspire the water and environmental community by sharing knowledge and best practice, which is at the heart of meeting key global challenges. There will be a mix of keynote speakers, offered papers, exhibitions and networking opportunities that will make this the key event for water and environment professionals.

Outputs from the conference freely available on the CIWEM website after the event.

Confirmed keynote speakers include:

Richard Benyon MP, Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries

Tony Juniper, campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser, environmentalist and former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth

Dr Mike Clarke, Chief Executive of RSPB

John Edmonds, Aldersgate Group Lead on Environmental Skills, Non-Executive Director of Carbon Trust, Former General Secretary of the GMB Trade Union and Chair of the Inland Waterways Advisory Council (IWAC)

Phil Rothwell, Head of Strategy and Engagement, Environment Agency

For more information on conference speakers see the Speaker Programme.

To see details on Water & Environment 2010, see the Conference Outputs page for the presentations and delegate notes.

For more information go to Water and Environment 2011. For information on sponsorship contact Lauren Goozee.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Webinar on Sustainable Strategies for Corporate Water Management

Earthscan is offering a free webinar on how to assess water usage and develop more successful sustainable business strategies for consumption. The Webinar will be broadcast on Thursday 24th March 2011 17:00 (UK time – GMT +1), 12:00 (EDT), 9:00 (PDT). A 30 minute presentation followed by Q & A session.

The webinar will address the issues of global water management including:

• Learn how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses
• Guidance on how industries can both assess their usage, and implement more sustainable strategies for utilizing this critical resource.
• How to develop a corporate water strategy and manage it as a key business issue in order to capture the real value of water
• How to assess water usage and develop more successful sustainable business strategies for consumption.

The webinar will be presented by Arjen Hoekstra and William Sarni the authors of The Water Footprint Assessment Manual, and Corporate Water Strategies.

Arjen Hoekstra is a is Professor in Multidisciplinary Water Management at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, and Scientific Director of the global Water Footprint Network. He specialises in integrated water resources planning and management, river basin management, policy analysis, and systems analysis.

Hoekstra will introduce the ‘Water Footprint’ concept and provide insight into how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses.

William Sarni is the Director and Practice Leader, Enterprise Water Strategy Sustainability and Climate Change, Deloitte Consulting LLP. Will has been providing sustainability, environmental and hydrogeological consulting services to private- and public-sector enterprises for more than three decades, with a focus on developing and implementing corporate-wide sustainability strategies, as well as broad based climate and water programs. He is also the author of Corporate Water Strategies (Earthscan: 2011).

Sarni will explain how vital it is that businesses understand the concepts important in water footprinting, such as embedded and virtual water. He will also draw on case studies that show how water strategies can be developed, to make businesses more resilient, successful and environmentally sustainable.

The webinar is ideal for business leaders, sustainability consultants, accountants and advisers, water resource planners, and policy-makers. Students of business studies and water resource management. Anyone interested in understanding how we can better manage this critical resource.

Register now for this free webinar

If you can not make the event, simply register for the event as normal and you will be sent a link to the archive version on 25th March.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Banana Peels and Water Purification

Banana peels can be used to purify drinking water contaminated with toxic heavy metals such as copper and lead. According to a February 2011 study published in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, researchers from the Bioscience Institute at Botucatu, Brazil, indicates that banana skins are better than conventional purification agents. Traditionally water purifiers like aluminium oxide, cellulose and silica are used but these are expensive and have potentially toxic side effects.

The team's method follows previous work that showed that plant parts, such as cane husks, coconut fibres and peanut shells, can also remove toxins from water. All of these natural materials contain chemicals that attract and collect heavy metals.

In a laboratory experiment, Gustavo Rocha de Castro, a researcher at the institute and co-author of this study, along with his colleagues, dried banana peels in the sun for a week, ground them and added them to river water containing known concentrations of copper and lead. They found that the peels absorbed 97 per cent of the metals after just one hour.

The metals can then be removed from the skins so that they can be safely disposed of. According to Castro the material could also work on cadmium, nickel and zinc.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro

On March 23rd 2011 an International team is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about the world water crisis as well as to raise funds and bring attention to a Canadian nonprofit known as the Water School. Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the continent of Africa, and fourth highest of the noted “seven summits.”

Each climber is responsible for raising one dollar for every meter of the climb. That amounts to $5,895 for each climber which will go directly to the field work that Water School is doing in places like Sudan, Nairobi, Uganda, Kenya and Haiti to bring villages clean drinking water. The Water School hopes to raise $75,000 from the Water Climb, ultimately saving the lives of 7,500 people.

Every day thousands of people have to walk miles just to get a drink of clean water. According to the World Health Organization more than one in six people worldwide – 894 million – do not have access to safe, clean water. Every year approximately 3.5 million people die from inadequate access to clean drinking water and poor hygiene. One and one half million of these deaths are children. This is even more appalling when the cost of providing clean water to a child for life through the Water School program is only $10.

Water School is a 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization with a mission to provide simple, safe, strategic, and sustainable clean water solutions to the developing world. Water School was founded in 2007 by Bob Dell, a water scientist, and Fraser Edwards, a businessman with decades of experience in partnering with indigenous leaders to implement lasting change.

It is the Water School uses the method of SODIS (solar disinfection), which employs a plastic BPA-free water bottle that is placed in the sun for a day. The natural UV rays of the sun purifies water by eliminating all harmful bacteria. These bacteria are known to cause diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery and life threatening symptoms like chronic diarrhea. Water School provides the bottles and educates local people on proper health and hygiene practices. In addition, by working with local businesses to provide the bottles necessary for the SODIS process, Water School is one of the few organizations to deliver a truly sustainable solution to the world’s impoverished and developing nations.

A Haitian doctor recently commented “If we had been teaching this program for the past five years, I believe we would not have a cholera epidemic.” It takes just three to nine days for a person to die from dehydration. A mere $10 can give a child clean water for life through Water School. This is a truly innovative solution to an issue that undermines every developing nation in the world. Help Water School achieve its goal of clean water for those without.

To sponsor this worthy cause click here. For more information on the Kilimanjaro Climb and on the Water School programs, go to http://www.waterclimb.com/ or visit Water School’s website at http://www.waterschool.com/. Contact Jeff Cannon at 212 993 6464 or via email at jc@thinkcannon.com.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Be Unveiled During G20
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The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water
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Celebrate World Water Day

The United Nation's World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22nd as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater. This is a day of advocacy for the sustainable management of freshwater resources around the globe.

The theme for World Water Day 2011 is Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge. This year's campaign aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the issues associated with urban water management. The objective is to focus international attention on the impact of urban population growth, industrialization and the uncertainties caused by climate change. World Water Day also focuses attention on the impacts of conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems. 


Key issues discussed on this day include:

• The growing urban water and sanitation demand
• Increased pollution from municipal and industrial discharges
• Climate change and its unforeseen risks and challenges
• Overexploitation of available water resources
• Better targeting of assistance for the urban poor
• The critical role of local governments and other service providers in tackling these challenges

To help draw attention to this day, the UN's World Water Day website is reinforced by social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. Through these vehicles, the website is disseminating messages and engaging people (schools, civil society, and NGOs) in activities and events.

Here is a list of U.N. resources to help celebrate World Water Day:

World Water Day official website
Events Map for World Water Day
Campaign Materials Downloads
Facebook page
TWITTER account
YouTube
Flickr photostream.
World Water Day Advocacy Guide (2.4Mb PDF)
Water and Disasters 21.03.2011 (PDF)
Workshop on International Water Quality Standards/Guidelines for Ecosystems (PDF)
Workshop on UN‐Water Mapping Exercise on Water Quality 21.03.2011 (PDF)

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Siemens Water Tool on Facebook

The global water industry is expected to reach US $1 trillion by 2020, and corporations like Siemens are getting on board to help address the growing water crisis and provide valuable marketing exposure.

Siemens is challenging Facebook users to commit to save 50 million gallons of water annually, through their Personal Water Footprint Calculator on Facebook. Built by leading social media company Friend2Friend, through agency SocialTyze, this simple quiz tells you how much water you consume annually, and asks you to commit to saving water.

Initially released for World Water Day on March 22nd 2010, Siemens had to increase their goal to saving 3 million gallons of water, as their initial goal of 1 million gallons was quickly exceeded. The new goal of the Siemen's Facebook app is to conserve 50 million gallons of water. The Facebook application also includes detailed water footprint information and water-saving tips.

“It’s great to see Siemens positioned in social media as a brand supporting important causes, such as water conservation. We also hope to communicate through the application and fanpage that Siemens is part of the answer to some of the toughest questions society is facing these days.” said Stefan Heeke, Director Interactive Communications at Siemens Corporation.

As a manufacturer of water treatment technology for communities and industry, Siemens Water Technologies understands the value of water to daily life. By sponsoring this application, they are promoting the importance of water that’s so clear to them in their daily work, but sometimes not so clear to consumers.

“We hope to increase consumer awareness of the work Siemens has done to create more efficient water systems and develop new ways to conserve and recycle water,” commented Bill Scully, Dir. eMarketing of Siemens Water Technologies.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Water Management Webcast: Cities and the Global Water Crisis

A live water webcast will air on World Water Day (March 22, 2011), at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT, it is titled, "Cities and the Global Water Crisis: Managing a Vital Resource." The webcast is presented by Sustainable Cities Collective, deals with the ways global cities are dealing with the challenge of managing their most essential resource. Expert panelists will tackle water supply issues, environmental concerns, weather events, and the growing influence of climate change.

What drier climates and unpredictable weather could mean for water management

The greatest strains on water supply, and the potential effects on population

Solutions like graywater use, cistern systems, and desalination

Agricultural and manufacturing processes that minimize water consumption

Participants in the water webcast include Dr. Paul Bowen, Larry Levine, Scott Edward Anderson and Richard McGill Murphy

Dr. Paul Bowen is the Director of Strategic Business Initiatives, Water Technology and a Member of the Global Water Stewardship team for The Coca-Cola Company. In that role, he oversees water use efficiency programs for global manufacturing, including work with plants on water minimization, water reuse, and water conservation. Paul is a member of the 2010-2011 Board of Trustees for the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and previously was an Assistant Professor for the School of Civil Engineering & Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma and Senior Staff Consultant for Metcalf & Eddy.

Larry Levine is a senior attorney in NRDC's Water Program, and works on a variety of issues pertaining to water quality in the Northeastern US, as well as at the national policy level. He focuses especially on promoting the use of “green infrastructure” as a sustainable solution to polluted urban runoff and raw sewage overflows. Larry was previously a litigation fellow at NRDC and a clinical fellow in environmental law at the Georgetown University Law Center, and is a graduate of Yale Law School and Tulane University.

Scott Edward Anderson is the founder of VerdeStrategy, a consulting and advisory firm focused on the cleantech, energy, and environment sectors, and the popular blog TheGreenSkeptic.com, as well as a frequent commentator on FOX Business Network. He has held management positions for large institutions, such as The Nature Conservancy, the world's most successful global conservation organization, and Ashoka, a social venture capital organization with operations in 72 countries worldwide, and has consulted with dozens of businesses and social entrepreneurs around the globe.

Richard McGill Murphy moderates the Sustainable Business Forum. Richard is a journalist and media consultant with 15 years of experience covering business, technology and international affairs. He writes for Fortune and BusinessWeek and serves as managing partner of Walled City Media LLC, a media strategy firm. Previously, he has worked as a top editor at Fortune Small Business and CNNMoney.com, and earlier served as editorial and program director at the Committee to Protect Journalists. He holds a bachelor’s degree in literature from Harvard and a doctorate in social anthropology from Oxford University.

To view the webcast register here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Webinar on Sustainable Strategies for Corporate Water Management
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Alarming Facts About Water
Solutions to Diminishing Ground Water
Solutions to the World Water Crisis
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Environmental Impact of Overpopulation and Sustainable Development
GWC and World Water Day 2011
Siemens Water Tool on Facebook
Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro
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Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Be Unveiled During G20
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The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water
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Population Growth and Climate Change will Add to the World Water Crisis

Water shortages will be one of the world's most pressing problems in the next decade, and this will be compounded by a growing global population and climate change.

Without some means of equitable water distribution, water may even be the cause of the next world war. Rivers lakes and aquifers are cross border issues. Already the allocation of water resources is causing disputes between Israel and Palestine, India and Pakistan, as well as the US and Mexico. Many believe that the crisis in Darfur was at least in part due to issues surrounding access to water.

Population growth will place additional demands on dwindling water supplies. The world's population is expected to grow to almost 9 billion by 2050. In addition to the population explosion, growing wealth and urbanization is fueling demand for water. The United Nations climate panel says between 90 and 220 million people in Africa will face water shortages by 2020 due to climate change. This will have a direct impact on farms, which exacerbate the problem by further depleting groundwater.

According to Britain's chief scientist John Beddington, "The availability of fresh water...[is] the first problem that has got to be addressed. Agriculture is intimately linked with that, but I would say water is probably going to be more concerning over the next 10 years."

"Population growth, an increase in wealth, urbanization, and ... climate change, all of those are going to present really big problems to humanity," Beddington told the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit.

Climate change will add additional burdens to the worsening water crisis. Climate change is forecast to disrupt rainfall patterns, leading to more severe droughts and floods, posing problems for the supply of fresh water.

"Water security fears, rising demand for food and a drive to curb greenhouse gas emissions all posed commercial opportunities," Beddington said.

To help combat growing water problems, countries need to focus on water efficiency. Countries can also reduce the burden of climate change by focusing on low-carbon technologies, including energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon capture.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Environmental Impact of Overpopulation and Sustainable Development
Celebrate World Water Day
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Contaminated Water Kills
Alarming Facts About Water
Solutions to Diminishing Ground Water
Solutions to the World Water Crisis
GWC and World Water Day 2011
Water Management Webcast: Cities and the Global Water Crisis
Siemens Water Tool on Facebook

Webinar on Sustainable Strategies for Corporate Water Management
Sierra Club Water Sentinels
Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro

Banana Peels and Water Purification

Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Be Unveiled During G20
Investing in Water
The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water
Odd Yet Effective Green Inventions
Best Green Tech Innovations of 2010
Time's Top 5 Green Energy Inventions of 2010
Extreme Weather and the Costs of Climate Change

Contaminated Water Kills

Water is vital for life and its growing scarcity is a threat to all life, particularly the world's poor. Since World War II, contaminated water has killed more people around the globe than all wars and other forms of violence combined.

Contaminated water is the result of increased pollution, increased water demand, and the corporate control of water access.

On July 28th, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that recognizes access to clean water and sanitation as a human right. The resolution called on States and international organizations to provide financial resources, build capacity and transfer technology, particularly to developing countries, in scaling up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.

Despite their reticence, privileged of nations must accept their responsibility to help others gain equal access to clean water and sanitation.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Alarming Facts About Water
Solutions to Diminishing Ground Water
Solutions to the World Water Crisis
Population Growth and Climate Change will Add to the World Water Crisis
Environmental Impact of Overpopulation and Sustainable Development
Celebrate World Water Day
World Water Week 2011
WWF Celebrates Canada Water Week
First International Water Hour
Blog Action Day 2010: Raising Awareness about Water
GWC and World Water Day 2011
Water Management Webcast: Cities and the Global Water Crisis
Siemens Water Tool on Facebook
Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro
Banana Peels and Water Purification
Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Be Unveiled During G20
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The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water
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Best Green Tech Innovations of 2010
Time's Top 5 Green Energy Inventions of 2010
Extreme Weather and the Costs of Climate Change

Solutions to Diminishing Ground Water

Water is a defining feature of the earth and absolutely essential for sustaining life. In total, 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered with water. However, 97.5 percent of that is salt water, which makes it undrinkable for humans and unusable for irrigation. Fresh water accounts for the other 2.5 percent, but about two thirds of that is locked up in glaciers and thick ice sheets on the north and south poles.

Only 1 percent of that 1 percent is easily accessible. That leaves about .01 percent of all the water on earth available to sustain life.

The world's aquifers provide the majority of potable water and they are being used faster than they can be replenished. With 70 to 80 percent of global groundwater being used for agricultural irrigation, it accounts for most of the increase in demand.

Over a third of the world's population suffers from water scarcity and this directly contributes to the loss of agricultural lands. Some of the most serious potential zones of groundwater depletion include Africa, northeastern China, northwestern India, Iran, northeastern Pakistan, southeastern Spain, California's Central Valley and central United States.

The Ogallala Aquifer of the central United States is being rapidly depleted. This is a huge aquifer which underlies portions of eight states, but it is being recharged, in the more arid parts of the aquifer, at a rate of only about 10 percent of annual withdrawals.

Groundwater depletion is a serious issue and it is growing more serious every year. The problem of diminishing water supply is being compounded by the fact that aquifers can be easily contaminated by a variety of sources including ground storage tanks, septic systems, hazardous waste sites, landfills, road salts, fertilizers, pesticides, and various chemicals.

We need to see better water conservation and protection if we are to address the problem of diminishing ground water. Some viable techniques include using more sophisticated irrigation techniques, developing crops that can survive with less water, and redirecting water on the landscape so that a higher proportion soaks back in to replenish the groundwater. Another technique involves aquifer storage and recovery which involves re-injecting water back into an aquifer for later recovery and use.

A study commissioned by the Britain’s Department for International Development and released by Britain-based NGO Forum for the Future, shows that regional cooperation in sharing scarce water resources must be promoted over hoarding.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Contaminated Water Kills
Alarming Facts About Water
Solutions to the World Water Crisis
Population Growth and Climate Change will Add to the World Water Crisis
Environmental Impact of Overpopulation and Sustainable Development
Celebrate World Water Day
World Water Week 2011
WWF Celebrates Canada Water Week
First International Water Hour
Blog Action Day 2010: Raising Awareness about Water
GWC and World Water Day 2011
Water Management Webcast: Cities and the Global Water Crisis
Siemens Water Tool on Facebook
Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro
Webinar on Sustainable Strategies for Corporate Water Management
Sierra Club Water Sentinels
Banana Peels and Water Purification
Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Be Unveiled During G20
The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water
Odd Yet Effective Green Inventions
Best Green Tech Innovations of 2010
Time's Top 5 Green Energy Inventions of 2010
Extreme Weather and the Costs of Climate Change
Investing in Water

GWC and World Water Day 2011

Global Water Challenge (GWC) supports the activities of the World Water Day. This coalition is a group of diverse organizations from the water, sanitation, hygiene and health sectors that have come together to raise awareness and call for commitments and robust action to ensure universal access to safe water and sanitation.

To celebrate World Water Day, GWC has organized a series of seminars and events on the theme of water

Sunday, March 20

Seminar on Values-Based Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education - Capetown, South Africa This seminar will focus on successful Human Values-based implementations; case studies; didactic teaching methods for hygiene, water and sanitation education and engaging participants in breakout group dialogues in order to share questions, ideas and experiences to better manage the challenges and to learn best practices around human values-based WASH education.

When: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Where: Room 2.43, Cape Town International Conference Center, Cape Town, South Africa For more information: Contact John Etgen, Project WET Foundation at john.etgen@projectwet.org

Monday, March 21

“Making Progress” Learning Forum - Washington, D.C. – Supported by Global Water Challenge and Tetra Tech. A series of sessions to share successes and failures in water, sanitation and hygiene programming. Learning themes are:

-Private Sector Participation in Water Supply
-WASH Sustainability and Climate Change
-Achieving Operational Sustainability
-Accountability and Transparency

When: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Where: Center for Strategic and International Studies 1800 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006

The 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital - Washington, D.C. To mark World Water Day and bring attention to the global water crisis, the Pulitzer Center presents films on water and population. A discussion with Katherine Bliss, Director of the Global Water Policy Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and filmmakers Stephen Sapienza, Rhett Turner, Jonathan Wickham and Fred de Sam Lazaro will follow the screening. Pulitzer Center Executive Director Jon Sawyer moderates. Free and open to the public. Please RSVP here.

When: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Where: Carnegie Institution for Science Elihu Root Auditorium. 1530 P Street NW, Washington, D.C.

Tuesday March 22 – World Water Day

World Water Day Cross-Sectoral Working Groups - Washington, D.C. Integrating Advocacy to Improve Access to Nutrition, Safe Water and Health - Contact: Hope Randall at hrandall@path.org

Breaking the Silos: Aligning the WASH and Education Agendas - Contact: Susan Dundon at susan.dundon@mwawater.org

WASH and Healthy Ecosystems: Advancing Freshwater Management Through Integrated WASH Programming - Contact: Sarah Davidson at sdavidson@tnc.org

When: 9:00am to 10:30am
Where: World Bank, 1818 H Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20433

Note: the Working Groups are by invitation only. If you would like further information please email the appropriate contact listed above.

World Water Day High Level Event - Washington, D.C. This event will feature high level leadership from the US State Department and the World Bank and commitments from the philanthropic and corporate sectors to help solve global water challenges. The event will feature the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the US Government and the World Bank.

When: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Where: World Bank Atrium, 1818 H Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20433

Wednesday, March 23

Advocacy Day - Washington, D.C. – Supported by Procter & Gamble.Learn how to educate members of Congress and be a voice for those who lack the basic necessities of clean water and sanitation. This event will include a congressional briefing, advocacy training, and meetings with Congressional Staff.

When: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Capitol Visitor's Center, First Street and East Capitol Street, NE, Washington, D.C.

For more information: Visit waterday.org.

Thursday, March 24

Global Water Day: Challenges & Opportunities - GlobalJoin U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, for a live Q&A webchat in follow up to World Water Day.

When: 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Where: Live on Facebook

For more information: Visit the event's Facebook page.

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World Water Week 2011

World Water Week, starts on Sunday, March 20 and runs through Saturday, March 26, 2011. This event seeks to improve the relationship between people and water through conservation and local action addressing equal access for all global citizens.

Unclean water is a leading source of child mortality. A variety of events are taking place around the world to commemorate the event and help secure clean water for everyone. Thousands of restaurants across America will participate in the UNICEF Tap Project during World Water Week 2011. Patrons are asked to donate $1 for the tap water they normally receive for free.

As reported in The Business Journal, participants in the Tap Project include a handful of Milwaukee restaurants (eg; Wicked Hop, and Sala da Pranzo). Dozens of Washington, DC restaurants will also participate. Click here for a full list of participating restaurants.

Since its inception in 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project has raised nearly $2.5 million in the U.S. and has helped provide clean water to millions of children around the world, according to a news release from UNICEF. Over the past 16 years, more than a billion people gained access to improved drinking water and sanitation facilities thanks to UNICEF’s help.

Seattle schools are also getting involved with World Water Week by hosting speakers and engaging workshops for students, teachers and the community. Political leaders, indiginous people and non-profit organizations will also be in attendence.

On Monday, March 21st, there will be a water resource fair and Robert Glennon will deliver the keynote speech. Glennon is a professor of law and public policy at the University of Arizona and is the author of the bestselling book, Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What to do about it. His talk will be preceded by personalized video message from Alexandra Cousteau, famed global water activist and filmmaker. This event is free and open to the public.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Post
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Solutions to the World Water Crisis
Population Growth and Climate Change will Add to the World Water Crisis
Environmental Impact of Overpopulation and Sustainable Development
GWC and World Water Day 2011
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Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro
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WWF Celebrates Canada Water Week

WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is celebrating water from coast to coast to coast during Canada Water Week. Canada Water Week is a week-long celebration of water from coast-to-coast-to-coast, starting March 14 and culminating with World Water Day on March 22, 2011. Individuals, organizations and governments across the country got involved by organizing or participating in fun and educational events.

With the world's largest coastline (202,080 kms) and a significant amount of the world's fresh water (Canadian rivers discharge almost 10 percent of the world's renewable water supply), Canada is sensitive to water issues. To help raise awareness about the importance of protecting this precious resource, Canadians are organizing and participating in fun and educational events to commemorate Canadian Water Week. Canadians created their own events to celebrate local waterways including everything from guided walks to concerts. See the searchable events calendar.

Highlights include a WWF river exhibit at the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science which is titled "A River Runs Through It". On March 17, WWF’s freshwater director, Tony Maas, was present at the exhibit's grand opening. The exhibit reveals the secrets hidden within Canada's rivers, and highlights the importance of protecting them.

The theme for this year's Canada Water Week is, "Healthy Rivers, Living Lakes." This is an appropriate theme because Canada has more surface area covered by freshwater then any country on earth. “Our vast country is home to some of the largest, most beautiful and most economically important rivers and lakes in the world,” said Tim Morris, Program Manager of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation’s Freshwater Protection Program. “We launched this initiative to both celebrate the connection we all have to this precious resource and to inspire action at the individual, community, provincial and federal level to ensure that our rivers are healthy, our lakes are living and our water is clean.”

Glenn Issac, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper in Edmonton Alberta said, "We want to empower all those who attend our CWW event by providing them with actions they can implement to improve our water quality such as highlighting a program for the safe disposal of pharmaceuticals in our community. The North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper has a vision for watersheds where we can all safely and enjoyably swim, drink and fish: this is what CWW is all about."

Vicki Burns, a Canada Water Week concert organizer, from Winnipeg said, "We are really excited about having local musicians and artists collaborate to create a Live Lake Concert and Art Show to celebrate our lakes and to promote the need for all of us to work at preserving and protecting them. It’s a first in Winnipeg and we're proud to be taking part in Canada Water Week."

Visit canadawaterweek.com to browse or add water images to the Flickr pool. Those who want to participate can register their events on the online calendar and join the conversation by clicking on the Facebook and Twitter (use the hashtag #canh2o) or see the World Water Week videos posted on YouTube.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Post
Celebrate World Water Day
World Water Week 2011
First International Water Hour
Blog Action Day 2010: Raising Awareness about Water
Contaminated Water Kills
Alarming Facts About Water
Solutions to Diminishing Ground Water
Solutions to the World Water Crisis
Sierra Club Water Sentinels
Water School’s Ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro
Population Growth and Climate Change will Add to the World Water Crisis
Environmental Impact of Overpopulation and Sustainable Development
GWC and World Water Day 2011
Banana Peels and Water Purification
Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Be Unveiled During G20
Investing in Water
The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water
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Time's Top 5 Green Energy Inventions of 2010
Extreme Weather and the Costs of Climate Change
Siemens Water Tool on Facebook
Water Management Webcast: Cities and the Global Water Crisis

Earth Day Business Resources

What can businesses do for Earth Day? From easy no cost money saving strategies to intensive overhauls of your workplace and supply chains, here is a comprehensive list of resources to help your business make the transition to a Greener world.


Administrative Operations

Reduce and reuse wherever possible. Eliminate unnecessary photocopying and encourage e-mailing. Use spell check and proofread before you print or copy. Print double sided whenever possible. Use digital storage solutions to cut down on paper. Set up an area to store and exchange reusable office supplies.

Recycling

Recycle everything you no longer need, from paper to packaging for shipping and e-cycling electronics. Find a recycling center near you. Make sure you properly dispose of items you can't reuse or recycle.

Alternative Transportation

Start a carpool, walk, bike, or use mass transportation instead of driving. Provide reserved parking for carpoolers. Offer transit passes to employees who take the bus or subway and bike racks for cyclists. Let workers telecommute. Teleconference instead of travel.

Energy Management

Unplug technology when it's not in use. Up to 75 percent of the electricity used to power office equipment is consumed while the product is turned off but still plugged in. Turn off your computer monitor, printers, copy machines, and the lights when they are not being used. If possible, take the stairs instead of using the elevator. See the consumer's guide to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Use Energy Star's energy-efficient office products. Explore energy efficiency tips and products. See programs, tools and resources.

Green Power Partnership: Use the tools and other resources. Review information on the organizational procurement of Green power, see advice and technical support. Explore how Green power can improve your organization’s environmental performance.

General Technical Overview of Power Management: Review methods of maximizing IT power savings, see savings estimates, activation instructions, and software tools.

Eco-Buying

Buy recycled content, remanufactured, and recyclable office products. At a minimum, buy recycled paper and recycle it again. Buy compact fluorescent bulbs to replace incandescent bulbs. Make the environment, and not just price, a factor when purchasing. Tell suppliers that you're interested in sustainable products, and set specific goals for buying recycled, refurbished or used. Talk to suppliers about alternatives to toxins used in batteries and copier toner.

Water Management

Water-efficiency: Reduce operating costs by employing water-efficient practices. Convey an image of stewardship to employees, customers, and the general public by helping to conserve water resources for future generations.

Green Building

Apply green building principles to your office buildings: See how sustainable design (green building) principles apply to your place of business. Use tools and read information on worker productivity, risk and cost reduction and see what it means to build with greater responsibility towards future generations.

Go Green with GSA. Review the U.S. Government Services environmental initiatives designed to help federal agencies Go Green.

Green Resources for Business

The Global Environmental Management Initiative: (GEMI) Use the tools and review information geared towards helping businesses achieve environmental excellence.

Center for Waste Minimization: Conduct sustainable opportunities assessments to help your facilities reduce their waste and/or recycle by-products and pollution prevention.

Green Pages: Find screened and approved Green businesses.

Products and Services: Find environmentally preferable products and services, including environmental attributes to look for, procurement guidance, tools, case studies, and other resources.

Fedcenter.gov: Explore links to, and highlights from programs which enable agencies to meet these goals include: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG), ENERGY STAR®, the Green Procurement Program (GPP), and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). Regulations, Guidance, and Policy / Supporting Information and Tools / Lessons Learned / Training, Presentations, and Briefings / Conferences and Events.

EPA Publications: What you can do at the office / What you can do in small business / What you can do in industry / What you can do in retail / What you can do when planning and conducting meetings and events.

Sustainable Business

World Business Council for Sustainable Development: Review a wide range of information on sustainable development.

Business and Climate Change Solutions: See what the science of climate change means in terms of the risks and opportunities for business.

Eco-Capitalism: Review tips from a successful eco-capitalist.

Businesses have many choices as to how they will celebrate Earth Day and increasingly discerning consumers are rewarding sincere efforts from companies who are investing in a sustainable world.

Although measures like switching to compact fluorescent bulbs can deliver up to 75 percent energy savings and last more than 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, clearly this is not enough. Sustainability includes simple efforts repeated millions of times, but if we are to achieve the kind of change required we will need to do more than change light bulbs.

It is important that businesses lead the general population by doing as much as they can. By carefully reviewing operations and processes, businesses can find innovative and creative ways to recycle, reduce and reuse. We must take bold steps towards sustainability, not merely on Earth Day but everyday.

Next: Silencing Earth Day Critics