Activities
Next Generation Water Summit Returns in 2021
After a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, the Next Generation Water Summit (NGWS) is coming to a computer screen near you on June 2nd – 4th, 2021. The event returns with the theme of “Drought, Growth and Social Inequity”, and each day is devoted to one aspect of that theme.
The 2021 NGWS will be held on a virtual conference platform. Attendees will be able to view live and recorded sessions, visit a virtual exhibit hall and network with fellow attendees from across the country. To register, go to NextGenerationWaterSummit.com.
The NGWS will open on June 2nd with a keynote address from Professor Katharine Hayhoe, The Nature Conservancy’s Chief Scientist and 2019 United Nations Champion of the Earth award winner. In addition to being a highly sought-after speaker, she is also director of the Climate Center, an associate in the Public Health program of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Texas Tech University, a principal investigator for the Department of Interior’s South-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, the founder and CEO of ATMOS Research, a scientific advisor to 5 organizations and a television show producer. She will address the water impacts of climate change in a way that helps city planners, policymakers and individuals quantify those impacts.
Scheduled live sessions include:
- “Panel: Low-income Conservation Programs” moderated by Christine Chavez of the City of Santa Fe; panelists will include Bill Christiansen from Alliance for Water Efficiency
- “Why Your Shower Feels Wimpy (and What to Do About It)!” by Gary Klein of Gary Klein Associates
- “Panel: National Green Building Standard – Water Ratings? What Gives?” moderated by Kim Shanahan; panelists include Cindy Wasser from Home Innovation Research Labs and Craig Conner of Building Quality
Early bird registration is available now through April 30 at the special rate of $99. That represents a 33% discount from the full 2021 registration rate of $149. “With the 2021 NGWS going virtual, we knew people would save money on travel costs,” said NGWS Co-Chair Mike Collignon. “We wanted to extend those savings to the registration price, as a way of saying thank you for returning to the Summit. And when attendees arrive, they’ll be greeted by a visually stunning environment that is unlike most online events they’ve attended.”
For more information on the Summit, please visit www.NextGenerationWaterSummit.com.
Hosts of the Next Generation Water Summit will be the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce; Green Builder® Coalition; City of Santa Fe; the Alliance for Water Efficiency, KUELwater, and Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association. The education partner is Santa Fe Community College, and the national media partner is Green Builder® Media.
About the Next Generation Water Summit
The Next Generation Water Summit brings together the building and development community, water reuse professionals and water policymakers in a collaborative setting to share best practices and learn about innovative water conservation and water reuse techniques that can be used to comply with water conservation restrictions spreading across the southwest.
Greyter Joins WERS – Manufacturer Program
The latest manufacturer to join the WERS – Manufacturer Program is Greyter.
The Greyter HOME (model 2100), certified to NSF 350, will be offered at a 2021 price per unit of $4,500 USD to any purchaser using the WERS certification. The retail price for Greyter HOME is typically $5,000 USD. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to ensure Greyter HOME meets local building code and is permitted for use.
Greyter does offer “large builder volume pricing”. If the purchaser that is collaborating with WERS is a top-25 builder by revenue, discounted volume pricing will be offered. To be clear, the price does not include freight, or any plumbing costs associated with the Greyter HOME (i.e., rough-in, install, commissioning/start up, backflow preventer and sump pump for single story slab homes). Pricing is subject to change. Greyter currently offers the Greyter HOME solution in markets where local field support is in place or can be established prior to installation.
“That simple headline has quite a backstory to it,” said Green Builder® Coalition Executive Director Mike Collignon. “I’ve been a fan of greywater systems for a long time, so I started talking to John Bell (co-Founder of Greyter) in 2016, when WERS was in its infancy. Meanwhile, Greyter has been working diligently for years on the development of the Greyter HOME, achieving NSF 350 certification and market-scale production capabilities. I was confident this partnership would happen, and I’m glad that day has finally arrived.”
“Greyter is pleased to be partnering with the Green Builder® Coalition as they continue to create strong standards for environmentally focused home building and we applaud the inclusion of water recycling within the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS)®”, said John Bell.
To take advantage of this offer, please reach out to Greyter (info@greyter.com) to see if your project qualifies for the incentive.
Collignon stated, “In most cases, the savings offered by Greyter would cover the total cost of a WERS certification. That’s a great deal.”
Attend Green Builder® Media’s Sustainability Symposium April 21-22
In 2020, Green Builder® Media was able to hold their annual Sustainability Symposium in person because it took place in January. This year, in order to be safe, they will be holding their prestigious event virtually over the course of two days. Despite the different medium, the program is exactly as you’d expect: leading sustainability experts, climate scientists, building industry influencers, and business executives exploring fundamental shifts in our collective psyche resulting from the pandemic, and the urgent choices that we need to make to create a just, sustainable, and climate-safe system—one that balances economic vibrancy with social equality and environmental stewardship.
Presentations will include:
- How to Win the New Climate War—The Plan to Take Back Our Planet from the Polluters: Climate scientist Michael Mann
- Net Positive Imperative—How Businesses Thrive in a Volatile Time By Helping the World Thrive: Sustainable business expert and author Andrew Winston
- We Are Entering the Climate Decade: Venture capitalist Andrew Beebe
- State of the Building Industry: Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman
- Climate Action in the 117th Congress—Advancing the Equitable, Resilient, Clean Energy Revolution: House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis: senior counsel Samantha Medlock
- Why the Housing Industry Is Long Overdue for Disruption: Architect and building scientist Sam Rashkin
- Vanguard Leadership—A New Day for the Building Industry: Thrive Homebuilders CEO and Founder Gene Myers
Thanks to Trane Technologies, this event is free to attend. Just click here to register.
We hope to see you April 21 and 22 for a very special Earth Day event.
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