Moving Closer to the Goal
August 21, 2024 | The Water Council Updates

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moving closer to the goal line

By Dean Amhaus, President & CEO

If you’ve been reading our newsletters for the past year, you’ve learned quite a bit about Water + Energy Forward, our regional economic engine helping small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) manufacturers and utilities become more sustainable and resilient. We received a Development Award from the National Science Foundation in May 2023, and our goal now is to receive a Launch Award providing up to $160 million over 10 years. We are proud to announce we have submitted the pre-proposal for the engine, representing more than a year and a half of hard work for us and our partners.

While we wait for the results, we keep moving forward as our customer discovery process confirmed that there is a meaningful “pain point” for SMEs between customer pressures and regulatory requirements. We continue to build the infrastructure for the engine, including broadening our partnership network, creating innovative financing mechanisms and developing an inclusive workforce development plan. We will hold community forums this fall to discuss diversity and inclusion in the engine.

Recently, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) announced plans for a research and testing facility in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to demonstrate cutting-edge, cost-effective advancements in wastewater treatment technology. The facility is a great addition to the development of the engine and will support the region’s application for the Launch Award, as our engine partners can test their wastewater innovations in this new $13 million facility. Stay tuned for another major announcement from an engine partner in the next few weeks.

We also continue to build out our engine branding and website. Check out weforward.org for the latest.

nexus summit

Registration is now open for our first Nexus Sustainability Leaders Summit in collaboration with the Marquette University College of Business’ Sustainability Lab. The summit, held Oct. 29-30 in Milwaukee, will focus on sustainability-related topics, including water, energy, finance, diversity and inclusion, as well as the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) reporting movement.

Our featured speakers include Radhika Fox and Katie McGinty. Fox served as assistant administrator for the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency until early this year and is now principal at North Star Strategy. McGinty is vice president and chief of sustainability and external relations for Johnson Controls. She has more than 25 years of public and private sector experience and is a recognized innovator in clean energy.

We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, including platinum sponsors A. O. Smith Corporation and Watts Water Technologies, for their support of this exceptional event! If you would like to become a sponsor, please contact me at damhaus@thewatercouncil.com.

water stewardship

Our WAVE: Water Stewardship Verified program continues to grow with the addition of Milo’s Tea Company. Milo’s Tea is now part of a diverse group of organizations who are advancing their water efforts beyond traditional water management. This is especially critical for food and beverage companies as they recognize how essential water is for their products. Speaking from experience, if you are not familiar with Milo’s sweet tea, I would give it a try as it is quite delicious. You can find it in the juice aisle of many grocery stores.

Matt Howard, our vice president of water stewardship, recently attended the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment Innovation Summit. He spoke on a panel about emerging water stewardship trends and led a workshop on water stewardship in the automotive supply chain.

Matt will be on the road again heading to Kansas when he speaks at the Grundfos Industrial Sustainability Summit happening Sept. 16-18. Grundfos is a leading global pump and water solutions company that promises to respect, protect and advance the flow of water by providing energy- and water-efficient solutions.

On Sept. 24, join us and Fresh Coast Climate Solutions for a webinar about sustainability reporting for water and biodiversity. With the advent of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, sustainability reporting has become mandated for EU-domiciled companies and is becoming increasingly critical for all corporations. Learn more about how that applies to water stewardship and biodiversity in areas such as disclosure requirements, metrics, targets and third-party verification.

innovation update

We are pleased to announce PAGE Technologies as the winner of our spring Tech Challenge! Our Tech Challenge aims to connect water innovators with top water technology companies, fostering potential partnerships and promoting new ideas and technologies within the industry. PAGE Technologies utilizes state-of-the-art research to offer an affordable water and soil monitoring platform. Its mission is to distribute its technology globally, empowering underserved communities and promoting sustainable practices across a variety of markets to build climate resilience.

Speaking of sustainable practices, Beverley Ferrara, our European representative, recently authored a blog post emphasizing the significance of the circular economy model. This model prioritizes sustainability through waste reduction, resource circulation and nature regeneration. She highlighted our members Aquacycl and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

new members

We are pleased to welcome Green Steel Environmental, NYCOA:  Nylon Corporation of America and On Track Technology Solutions as new members this month.

Welcome to the hub Where Water Works!

member news & opportunities

Photo courtesy of Visit Milwaukee.

 

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