The Existential challenge of our lifetime
By Dean Amhaus, President & CEO
“Climate change is the existential challenge of my lifetime and my children’s lifetime.”
Sara Gonzalez-Rothi of the White House Council on Environmental Quality said that when she spoke at our recent Water Leaders Summit, and I couldn’t agree more. As I write this, we are expecting another day of severe storms and extreme heat in Milwaukee. Is this caused by climate change? It’s hard to say for certain, but we know climate change is here and will get worse, as confirmed by the recent United Nations report.
While the news is alarming, we at The Water Council see a huge opportunity to leverage our work in water innovation, technology and stewardship to make a real impact in the sustainability movement. Working with Milwaukee’s NSF I-Corps Program, we are refining an exciting new offering, our Corporate Water Stewardship Accelerator. Following an intense schedule of more than 50 interviews in four weeks with representatives of public and private businesses, investors and rating agencies, we heard loud and clear that water stewardship is on top of everyone’s minds. We are excited to tell you more about the program in the coming months, but feel free to contact us about it sooner.
The entire world is paying more attention to water stewardship. Last week I participated in a panel for a Dubai-based series called “Experts Talk” for an episode called Water Sustainability: Risks & Crisis. It offered a strong overview of worldwide water problems and possible solutions. Click below to tune in.
As noted above, climate change and sustainability were heavily discussed at our recent Water Leaders Summit. You can read a summary of week one of the summit here and week two here. We are grateful to all our panelists and sponsors, including presenting sponsors A. O. Smith and Baird, for helping us create a stimulating event.
Small Steps, Big Impact
Even small companies can make a big impact on water, as Diane Kieser of Engel Tool & Forge says in our latest video created with Source Ten Creative. The company, part of Milwaukee’s Harbor District, was able to reduce water usage by a whopping 90% by installing a recirculating system. Through its work with The Water Council, it was certified to the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard.
Speaking of small steps, The Water Council was in the news lately for our Pilot Program. One of our participants, DMR International, is testing water filtration systems at Wisconsin State Fair Park. The system catches contaminants such as bacteria from animal waste. Our thanks to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Fund for Lake Michigan for making this project possible.
Upcoming Events
We have more events listed below, but I want to call attention to a few of them:
- Sept. 14: Achieving Water Stewardship Outcomes in Agriculture. We’re partnering with Nutrien, The Nature Conservancy, General Mills and others for this webinar exploring ways to improve agricultural practices related to water quality, soil health and other environmental impacts.
- Sept. 21: How Has Attracting Talent in Water Changed? The Water Council and CM Industrial are hosting this webinar on the challenges and best practices of attracting, hiring and retaining talent for water technology companies with panelists Ken Bockhorst from Badger Meter, Erin Rothman from StormSensor and Lukas Loeffler of LLIMC LLC.
- Sept. 23: Maximizing the Benefit of Food Waste Recovery: Exploring the Danish Model & Anaerobic Digestion Technology for Wisconsin. The Water Council, Wisconsin Biogas Council and the Danish Trade Council Biogas & Water Technology Alliances have joined forces to offer this webinar on the possibilities of expanding the biogas sector in Wisconsin.
- Sept. 28-30: AWS Standard System Training. Taking meaningful action on water requires an approach that goes beyond traditional water management. AWS Training provides the knowledge required to implement the principles of good water stewardship, mitigate water risks, capitalize on water-related opportunities and credibly demonstrate outcomes. We recommend registering as soon as possible, as our September and December sessions are filling quickly!
- Oct. 11: Marquette Sustainability 2.0. This conference brings together experts from across the country to discuss this new era of sustainability, featuring thought leaders from academia and nonprofits, including yours truly, as well as chief sustainability executives from a variety of industries. In-person and virtual registration will be available online at marquette.edu/business in the coming weeks.
Finally, I’d like to welcome new member MKE Tech Hub Coalition to The Water Council. We are proud to support their mission to inclusively double tech talent in Milwaukee and announce our membership in their coalition as well.
Sincerely,
Dean Amhaus
The Water Council President & CEO
Member News & Opportunities
- News: Spinoff of Rexnord industrial business to Regal Beloit could supercharge operation.
- News: Impax Asset Management has released a water report that includes a case study of The Water Council.
- News: A. O. Smith Corporation has acquired Master Water Conditioning Corporation. Meanwhile, new homes helped drive record water heater sales for the company.
- News: Primo Water Corporation has acquired The Sweetwater Company/Earth20.
- News: NX Filtration plans to build a megafactory for nanofiltration membrane production in the Netherlands. The company recently launched its initial public offering.
- News: Ecolab has launched Global Chemical, a new business unit to focus on holistic approaches to water, carbon and energy challenges for a variety of chemical segments.
- News: New member KenWave Solutions has partnered with Binnies on a tool to provide data-driven pipe risk assessment.
- News: Laura Kohler, senior vice president of human resources, stewardship and sustainability at Kohler Co., has been named a finalist for Innovative Leader of the Year by Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators.
- News: Slater Infrastructure Group has announced the appointment of Kenneth R. Saunders, Jr., as senior executive and Kara and Julius Hollis as board advisers.
- Event: MKE Tech Hub is holding a career expo Sept. 14.
- Event: Wisconsin Salt Wise offers workshops to help municipalities, maintenance professionals and property owners use less salt in winter to prevent contamination in waterways. The next sessions are Sept. 15 and 16.
