Last week organizers announced a six-week focus on one of the regions most coveted twenty-first century resources: water resources. Beginning with Earth Day on April 22 and culminating in a global conference to be held June 3, the program includes 70 under the water umbrella. World Environment Day is celebrated June 5.
Says Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh: We will use the celebration as a catalyst to have lasting effect, to build upon growing global interest in the Pittsburgh story of innovation and reinvention.
Events tied to the celebration include promotions at the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival in June. Interactive art will include a 200-gallon tank filled with local species of fish and a free concert by an as-yet unnamed band known for its environmental consciousness, said Marguerite Jarrett Marks, festival coordinator. “Paddle at the Point,” in which local kayakers will attempt to break Guinness Book world records, aims to float more than 1,000 kayaks and canoes on Pittsburgh’s rivers.
Gould says the June 3 global conference, with 2,000 expected attendees, will cover best practices and partnerships for water conservation worldwide. “The conference is important, but the longer-term benefit will help us look at water innovation, which has been lacking, he says.
Organizers pointed out that while abundant clean water is a significant regional asset, it also faces challenges, most notably in its role in Marcellus Shale development.
In December the Allegheny Conference on Economic Development unveiled its Energy Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania, a CEO-guided partnership to promote growth in the regional energy industry. Gould says a local consortium led by Carnegie Mellon University, will examine a similar strategy for water. Water globally is in crisis. This is an ethical business opportunity, says Gould.
Pittsburgh is well supplied with corporate expertise in the water industries, with local corporations like Calgon Carbon, Siemens USA , Eaton, AquaTech, and Veolia Water.
Source: Court Gould, Sustainable Pittsburgh
Writer: Chris OToole