THE world water conference -2019
This event was hosted to raise awareness of water issues around the globe, So that we can bring together like-minded people who share our cause and support our goal.
The goal of this event is not only related to water-crisis awareness and fundraising but also for the kids running it to develop leadership and collaboration skills, which are important for young kids to learn and experience.
"While it may seem like nothing, the ripple effect of a small thing is extraordinary." - Matt Bevin
charity nomination
On August 11th, 2019, US Kids 4 Water hosted a World Water Conference in order to raise awareness about water conservation around the world, especially in India. In one of our events, we asked volunteers to submit charities that they wanted to donate $200 to. 46 teen volunteers submitted a form and about 6 volunteers got chosen. These charities were judged and finalized down to the best charities. These volunteers that won were Prajit Joshi, Simren Mahajan, Suraj Rao, Eesha Desai, Riya Patwardhan, and Shaunak Gaiki.
The charities that Prajit, Simren, Suraj, Eesha, Riya, and Shaunak donated $200 to were 350.org, Water.org, Acadia Center, JED Foundation, The Vatsalya Foundation, and Anugrah Foundation respectively. At US Kids 4 Water, we think it is very important to donate to those in need so we hosted this contest in order to donate to these charities. All the money that we donated was raised by our volunteers who worked very hard to earn that money. Even though this World Water Conference was guided towards the Paani Foundation and helping the villages in India collect water, we still donated to charities that are not related to water conservation.
SPEAKERS
Zac Gleason has been working in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for just over 16 years. His current role is with the Water Quality Association (WQA) as their laboratory director overseeing all testing. Previously, and for the bulk of his career, he led research and development of new technologies and treatment products
for the developing world, emergency response, and outdoor recreation. Spanning across 5 continents and involvement in the development of over 85 different treatment technologies he has a unique breadth of experience in WASH.
Michael Schuck has been teaching and leading engineers and students on how to properly clean and manage water for a little over thirteen years. He currently is a professor at the Gateway Technical College and the Milwaukee School of Engineering where he teaches and develops courses in the Civil Engineering Technology program, including waste water
treatment, fresh water treatment, and more. In the past, he supervised engineers within Sigma's environmental group and helped them prepare proposals and manage projects involving wastewater management, environmental compliance, and safety. He has designed and commissioned several wastewater and air pollution control systems.
Jay Sehgal serves as executive vice president of Sehgal Foundation in the US and as trustee of S M Sehgal Foundation in India. He represents Sehgal Foundation on the board of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment and serves on the board of Hytech Seed India Pvt. Ltd. After earning degrees in Business
Administration/Management Information Systems with emphasis on Computer Science from the University of Iowa. he was working in IT in the private sector when recruited by Proagro Seed Co. Ltd. in India. He led a team to automate all
functions of the seed company and create a state-of-the art IT network connecting its locations throughout India.
Jay was recognized with the 2017 Iowa Ag Leadership Award for outstanding service in agriculture by then-Secretary of Agriculture Mr. Bill Northy. Jay is the recipient of the International Impact Award from the University of Iowa.
Rajendra Shende, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology and former Director in United Nations Environment Programme, is currently serving as the Chairman of TERRE Policy Centre which is a not-for-profit organization engaged in the evidence-based policy development and project based advocacy on the sustainable development. Before August 2011, he was the
Head of the OzonAction Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme, Division of the Technology, Industry and Economics in Paris.
The future of water management in the government, business and public sector triage is needed to effectively establish water security capacity building. Primary strategies for greener living, carbon footprint reduction across major industries, climate change, resilient new urban renewal and consumer behaviour are all interlinked. What does active citizenship mean for corporates, industry, civil servants and citizenry? This presentation provides insight into the New Water
Economy, its major drivers and the main pillars on which the New Normal will take root.
Paulette is a lead strategist with a razor sharp mind, who challenges all constructs and thinks past the traditional 'box' to develop unique solutions. Her cutting edge and highly relevant perspectives are based on the latest business thinking and always include a global perspective. She meshes perfectly into the new digital, disruptive business and sustainability environments, in which all present-day organisations find themselves.
Joan Roehre, who normally works with water education and conservation matters in far-flung places like Guatemala, will be coordinating a video conference this week between students in Racine and those in Flint, Michigan, where a drinking water crisis is occurring due to a contaminated water supply system.
Gilles Boulicot made researches during ten years about the salinisation of water in Auroville region, a problem that was getting worse year after year. Since 2007, the year he left Harvest to work for CSR, But this is a problem to face otherwise soon will be not anymore good water for Auroville.
Israel Gev
Rocio Villagran
El Salvador
TESTIMONIALS
Zoya SiddiQi
My experience as lead volunteer in 2019 was very memorable. I learned a lot of leadership skills and organizational skills while planning an event. I also learned the importance of team work especially in organizing such a big event. I think it is very important to delegate tasks that way the work can get done faster, more efficiently, and everyone feels involved and included. Some advice I would give to the next lead volunteers is to be flexible. Many times throughout the event we ran into many obstacles and things didn’t go according to plan. I learned it is extremely important to be adaptable to unexpected problems and make the best out of the experience.
Atharva Desai
Our Organization started out by adopting a drought ridden village in Maharashtra and through our efforts tirelessly raising funds and awareness, we were not only able to help that village, thrive with drought protection measures, but also reached many more water conservationist all across the world through WWC. Being able to affect change half way around the world, was something I could never fathom, but through this organization we were able to accomplish that and much more.