Shock and AWE
In December 2005 US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and Executive Director of the California Urban Water Conservation Council Mary Ann Dickinson announced the founding of a new water conservation organization to be headquartered in Chicago.
Named the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), the dedication announcement went on to say that the organization was to be a clearinghouse and advocate for water efficiency research, evaluation, and education.
It seems in retrospect an exceedingly mild statement of purpose for such an ambitious undertaking but one that was put into its proper context by Administrator Johnson’s reminder that “wise water use means more than just turning off a dripping faucet. Water efficiency is a smart, cost-effective solution to the quality and supply challenges facing one of our nation’s most precious natural resources.”
A Year of Solid Progress
Now, in a scant 12 months AWE has moved from vision to reality, boasting a partnership that includes numerous national, regional, state, and local organizations dedicated to promoting a broad range of environmental and economic benefits:
- Conserving and protecting water supplies
- Lowering water bills
- Avoiding the need for the construction of new treatment and distribution facilities
- Allowing for new growth using existing water resources
- Reducing wastewater
- Maintaining water flow for fish and aquatic creatures
- Reducing groundwater depletion and contamination
- Reducing pollution
- Minimizing the effects of drought
In June 2006, AWE hosted a focus group/workshop to nail down its program plan and begin the selection process for its charter Board. Since then the bulk of the development work has been accomplished outside public notice, but AWE has just recently announced the creation of its charter Board composed of 19 individuals representing water utilities, product and appliance manufacturers, irrigation manufacturers, environmental organizations, academic institutions, and others.
Named to the Charter Board of the Alliance for Water Efficiency are the following:
- Carole D. Baker, Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the Subsidence District in Friendswood, TX
- Gunnar I. Baldwin, Senior Manager of Business Development for TOTO USA Inc. in Morrow, GA
- S. Elizabeth Birnbaum, Vice President for Government Affairs and General Counsel for American Rivers in Washington, DC
- David E. Bracciano, Demand Management Coordinator for Tampa Bay Water in Clearwater, FL
- Timothy F. Brick, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in Los Angeles
- Alice Darilek, past Water Conservation Program Coordinator for the New Mexico State Engineer’s Office in Santa Fe
- Elizabeth V. Gardener, Manager of Water Conservation for Denver Water in Denver, CO
- Warren S. Gorowitz, National Water Management Products Sales Manager for Ewing Irrigation Products in Phoenix, AZ
- Richard W. Harris, Water Conservation Manager for East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland, CA
- James P. Heaney, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences for the University of Florida at Gainesville
- J.B. Hoyt, Director of Government Relations for Whirlpool Corp. in Benton Harbor, MI
- Kelly L. Kopp, Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist, Department of Plants, Soils, and Biometeorology for Utah State University at Logan
- Rebecca Lameka, Program Specialist, Resource Management and Sustainable Development for the Great Lakes Commission in Ann Arbor, MI
- Alice E. Miller Keyes, Policy and Planning Advisor, Director’s Office for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in Atlanta
- Glen R. Pleasance, Water Efficiency Coordinator for the Regional Municipality of Durham in Durham, Ontario, Canada
- Thomas Swihart, Administrator, Office of Water Policy, Division of Water Resource Management of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tallahassee
- Amy L. Vickers, President of Amy Vickers & Associates Inc. in Amherst, MA
- David W. Viola, Technical Director for the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute in Schaumburg, IL
- Ron Wolfarth, Director, Landscape Irrigation Division of Rain Bird Corp. in Tucson, AZ
An Aggressive Advocate for Water Efficiency
From the very start, attendees of the formative sessions were adamant in their desire that the organization be proactive—in fact aggressive—in its activities, hence the adoption of the word alliance rather than consortium in its title.
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With the creation of the charter Board and some seed funding from the EPA allowing for the development of a Web presence and establishment of a water efficiency clearinghouse program, AWE is now poised to raise revenues and mount a vigorous membership drive. It has as its role model the tremendously successful Alliance to Save Energy that has had a major impact on energy-efficient products and practices not only in the US but internationally as well.
Water Efficiency magazine intends to be an aggressive advocate in AWE’s behalf and believes that the organization is worth your support as well. For more information please visit http://www.cuwcc.org/national_cwe.lasso.
January-February 2007
Shock and AWE
In December 2005 US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and Executive Director of the California Urban Water Conservation Council Mary Ann Dickinson announced the founding of a new water conservation organization to be headquartered in Chicago.
Named the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), the dedication announcement went on to say that the organization was to be a clearinghouse and advocate for water efficiency research, evaluation, and education.
It seems in retrospect an exceedingly mild statement of purpose for such an ambitious undertaking but one that was put into its proper context by Administrator Johnson’s reminder that “wise water use means more than just turning off a dripping faucet. Water efficiency is a smart, cost-effective solution to the quality and supply challenges facing one of our nation’s most precious natural resources.”
A Year of Solid Progress
Now, in a scant 12 months AWE has moved from vision to reality, boasting a partnership that includes numerous national, regional, state, and local organizations dedicated to promoting a broad range of environmental and economic benefits:
- Conserving and protecting water supplies
- Lowering water bills
- Avoiding the need for the construction of new treatment and distribution facilities
- Allowing for new growth using existing water resources
- Reducing wastewater
- Maintaining water flow for fish and aquatic creatures
- Reducing groundwater depletion and contamination
- Reducing pollution
- Minimizing the effects of drought
In June 2006, AWE hosted a focus group/workshop to nail down its program plan and begin the selection process for its charter Board. Since then the bulk of the development work has been accomplished outside public notice, but AWE has just recently announced the creation of its charter Board composed of 19 individuals representing water utilities, product and appliance manufacturers, irrigation manufacturers, environmental organizations, academic institutions, and others.
Named to the Charter Board of the Alliance for Water Efficiency are the following:
- Carole D. Baker, Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the Subsidence District in Friendswood, TX
- Gunnar I. Baldwin, Senior Manager of Business Development for TOTO USA Inc. in Morrow, GA
- S. Elizabeth Birnbaum, Vice President for Government Affairs and General Counsel for American Rivers in Washington, DC
- David E. Bracciano, Demand Management Coordinator for Tampa Bay Water in Clearwater, FL
- Timothy F. Brick, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in Los Angeles
- Alice Darilek, past Water Conservation Program Coordinator for the New Mexico State Engineer’s Office in Santa Fe
- Elizabeth V. Gardener, Manager of Water Conservation for Denver Water in Denver, CO
- Warren S. Gorowitz, National Water Management Products Sales Manager for Ewing Irrigation Products in Phoenix, AZ
- Richard W. Harris, Water Conservation Manager for East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland, CA
- James P. Heaney, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences for the University of Florida at Gainesville
- J.B. Hoyt, Director of Government Relations for Whirlpool Corp. in Benton Harbor, MI
- Kelly L. Kopp, Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist, Department of Plants, Soils, and Biometeorology for Utah State University at Logan
- Rebecca Lameka, Program Specialist, Resource Management and Sustainable Development for the Great Lakes Commission in Ann Arbor, MI
- Alice E. Miller Keyes, Policy and Planning Advisor, Director’s Office for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in Atlanta
- Glen R. Pleasance, Water Efficiency Coordinator for the Regional Municipality of Durham in Durham, Ontario, Canada
- Thomas Swihart, Administrator, Office of Water Policy, Division of Water Resource Management of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tallahassee
- Amy L. Vickers, President of Amy Vickers & Associates Inc. in Amherst, MA
- David W. Viola, Technical Director for the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute in Schaumburg, IL
- Ron Wolfarth, Director, Landscape Irrigation Division of Rain Bird Corp. in Tucson, AZ
An Aggressive Advocate for Water Efficiency
From the very start, attendees of the formative sessions were adamant in their desire that the organization be proactive—in fact aggressive—in its activities, hence the adoption of the word alliance rather than consortium in its title.
With the creation of the charter Board and some seed funding from the EPA allowing for the development of a Web presence and establishment of a water efficiency clearinghouse program, AWE is now poised to raise revenues and mount a vigorous membership drive. It has as its role model the tremendously successful Alliance to Save Energy that has had a major impact on energy-efficient products and practices not only in the US but internationally as well.
Water Efficiency magazine intends to be an aggressive advocate in AWE’s behalf and believes that the organization is worth your support as well. For more information please visit http://www.cuwcc.org/national_cwe.lasso.