water leaders summit to address water innovation, stewardship & more
By Dean Amhaus, President & CEO
The weather is heating up, and so is the debate in Washington, D.C., over President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. We know water is a key part of the nation’s aging infrastructure, from water towers that have gone decades without maintenance (warning: don’t read right before lunch) to stormwater systems unable to handle the intense “rain bombs” that are becoming more common due to climate change.
Infrastructure, climate change and ESG (environmental, social and governance reporting) all intersect with the issue of water. That’s why you need to attend our virtual Water Leaders Summit, presented by Baird and A. O. Smith, which will discuss all those topics over the course of six mornings July 20-22 and 27-29.
We have lined up some of the top leaders in water and sustainability, including Claudia Toussaint, chief sustainability officer at Xylem; Julie Gorte, senior vice president for sustainable investing at Impax Asset Management; and Emilio Tenuta, senior vice president for corporate responsibility at Ecolab. Don’t miss the discussion with Carol Haddock, director of Houston Public Works, and Steve Clouse, COO of the San Antonio Water System, as they walk us through the tragic February snowstorm that shut down their water systems and the lessons they learned.
Our Global Network
We hope the virtual nature of the summit will allow more people to attend from all over the globe. We are proud to work with companies and organizations worldwide on issues of water technology and stewardship. Recently, we celebrated our relationship with Catalan Water Partnership as we renew our memorandum of understanding with the Spanish organization. Beverley Ferrara, our European representative, reflects on that partnership on our blog.
One clear success from the partnership is a joint venture between Spanish company SIGMA DAF Clarifiers and Milwaukee company Clearwater Industries. SIGMA DAF was looking for an American partner to help it break into the U.S. market. We introduced them to several companies, and Clearwater Industries was a clear fit. Check out this video to learn more about the partnership.
This video is the first in a series we are creating with Source Ten Creative to help spread the word about what we do at The Water Council. We’re grateful to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for their support.
Job Opportunity
We have an opportunity for someone to contribute to our work as a talent/industry engagement contractor. We are looking for someone in human resources, talent engagement or related expertise who can contribute their knowledge and skills to help us build a foundation for our talent engagement activities. Click here to learn more.
Stewardship Update
In conjunction with the Water Leaders Summit, we will be hosting our Alliance for Water Stewardship Day in North America virtually on July 27 from 2-4 p.m. CST. This free event for AWS members only will include an update from Matt Howard, director of AWS North America, on the changes occurring to the AWS System in 2021, plus a chance to discuss pre-submitted member issues and questions. There will also be time for virtual networking and sharing of best practices. Please RSVP by July 20.
The agricultural sector continues to see a wave of interest in water stewardship. We are excited to be involved in two new agricultural projects in Canada with AWS members: one led by WaterSMART Solutions in Alberta and the other a joint TWC and ALUS Canada project in Manitoba. Stay tuned for more information. Also, June is National Dairy Month in the United States, which is a great time to reshare our podcast conversation with David Trimner of Miltrim Farms, the first AWS-certified farm in North America.
We’re coming up on our third online AWS Training of 2021. The first two sessions of the year sold out, further validating the increasing emphasis on water stewardship for businesses and their stakeholders. If you are interested in attending AWS Training and acquiring the AWS Professional Credential, check out our list of upcoming training sessions in 2021. We recommend registering as soon as possible, as our July session is already half full!
Hello, Good-bye
We want to welcome four new members to The Water Council: Navec, of Tarragona, Spain; NX Filtration, of Enschede, the Netherlands; Slater Infrastructure Group (previously Multi-Energy Group), of Alpharetta, Georgia; and Smart Actuation, of Summerseat, United Kingdom. Organizations from around the world are recognizing the value we provide in convening, connecting and showcasing water technology companies.
Finally, I want to say farewell to a couple of special people. Rosalind Rouse, known fondly as “Roz the Water Lady,” retired recently from Milwaukee Water Works after 18 years as a marketing specialist there. Roz was an early supporter of The Water Council, and we’ll miss her friendliness and enthusiasm.
Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, recently announced she will retire by the end of 2021. Julia was one of the visionaries behind the creation of The Water Council and has been a solid supporter as one of our board members. We can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for Milwaukee and The Water Council.
Member News & Opportunities
News: APX10, a Danish company providing analytics for water and wastewater utilities and a member of The Water Council, announced a partnership with Aliaxis Ventures by way of an investment agreement signed with private equity owner Cimbria Capital, also a member of The Water Council.
News: Several TWC and AWS members were recently named to 3BL Media’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens list, including Ecolab, Abbott, DuPont and Xylem.
News: Ecolab has launched Water Flow Intelligence, a digital service that provides industry with real-time visibility of water usage at the enterprise, site and asset levels.
News: GoAigua has launched The Ultimate Water Challenge, aimed at creating an ecosystem of innovation and technology-sharing between startups, vendors and pilot sites in the United States.
Jobs: Dutch company Hydraloop seeks a technical support expert in the U.S.
Jobs: Kohler is looking for a senior accounting analyst to support its Hattiesburg, Miss., plant operations.
Event: Singapore International Water Week is happening virtually June 21-July 2. Members of The Water Council can receive 20% off registration. Contact us to receive the discount code or be added to our member email list.
Opportunity: The FAA is seeking applications for grants to reduce airports’ environmental impacts, including water quality.
Opportunity: The National Institutes of Health have issued a request for information on drinking water contaminants of emerging concern.
Webinar: The Economist is hosting “A thirst for solutions: Achieving water optimization in cities” on June 30.
Webinar: The Water Council has joined forces with the Wisconsin Biogas Council and the Danish Trade Council Biogas & Water Technology Alliances to explore some of the possibilities of expanding the biogas sector in Wisconsin on July 13.
Webinar: Technologieland Hessen will hold a program on wastewater-based epidemiology with experts from around the world, including Kevin Shafer, executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, on July 15.
Webinar: The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council will discuss the business case for water stewardship and how to address water risk in your business on Aug. 19.
Are you a member of The Water Council with news to share? Drop us a line!
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