2017 Next Generation Water Summit Recap

Katherine Mortimer and Kim Shanahan present a panel session on Sunday, June 4, 2017
Katherine Mortimer and Kim Shanahan present a panel session on Sunday, June 4, 2017

For a first-time event, the inaugural Next Generation Water Summit was considered by many to be a huge success. A total of 138 people registered for the event, which took place over the course of 3 days in early June at the Santa Fe Convention Center in Santa Fe, NM.

 

Ed Mazria pulls no punches as he delivers the Monday keynote address
Ed Mazria pulls no punches as he delivers the Monday keynote address

Attendees could choose from 39 sessions, many of which were grouped into one of three tracks: Builders, Developers & Architects; Water Professionals; and Policy. Topics ranged from rainwater, greywater, blackwater, stormwater, water rights, irrigation, water efficiency, building codes, land use and leak detection. The first day of the event was a Sunday, and was free for anyone to attend. 12 sessions were offered, in addition to the myriad of exhibitor booths one could visit in the Green Expo, hosted by the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce. On Monday, Ed Mazria delivered a rousing keynote that had attendee Michelle Maddaus saying, “That was the best keynote I have ever seen, and I have seen a ton of keynotes over the years! Everyone kept talking about it, too.” Not to be outdone, Mary Ann Dickinson gave an excellent keynote on Tuesday morning, getting everyone focused on solutions for the challenges ahead.

Justin Lyon shares his knowledge on commercial water budgeting on Monday, June 5, 2017
Justin Lyon shares his knowledge on commercial water budgeting on Monday, June 5, 2017

The attendees represented 8 states plus the District of Columbia, and all 4 mainland United States time zones. “We’ve set a good foundation for next year’s Summit,” said Mike Collignon, Co-Chair of the Next Generation Water Summit. “While we’ll look to increase attendance, we’re proud of our first-year numbers. Many attendees enjoyed the intimate nature of the Summit, pointing out that it helped foster in-depth conversations.”

Christine Chavez, Neal Shapiro and Regina Hirsch head up a panel session on Monday, June 5, 2017.
Christine Chavez, Neal Shapiro and Regina Hirsch head up a panel session on Monday, June 5, 2017.

Hosts of the event were the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce (lead host), Green Builder® Coalition, City of Santa Fe, and the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association. Santa Fe Community College was the official education sponsor, and Green Builder® Media was the national media partner.

Sandra Ely spoke about the Aamodt Settlement on Sunday, June 4, 2017
Sandra Ely spoke about the Aamodt Settlement on Sunday, June 4, 2017

Vulcan, Inc. was a Sustaining Sponsor; Uponor, Evolve Technologies and Aquamate were the Educational Track Sponsors; Horizons Sustainable Financial Services was the Mayor’s Reception sponsor; Niagara Conservation was the Keynote Sponsor; Santa Fe County was the Networking Tables Sponsor and Environmental Services was the Bag Sponsor.

Registration Now Open for Next Generation Water Summit

Next Generation Water Summit logoEarly bird registration has officially opened for the Next Generation Water Summit. Through March 31st, attendees can register to attend the Summit for $249. This will allow admittance to any Sunday, Monday and Tuesday session, regardless of track. Just as important, attendees will be able to network with a broad spectrum of stakeholders while working towards solutions for their respective challenges.

The Summit will occur June 4-6, 2017 at the Santa Fe Convention Center in Santa Fe, NM. Confirmed educational sessions include:

  • WaterSense at 10: The Past, Present & Future
  • WERS®: Today & Tomorrow
  • Panel Session: Making Regional Water Groups Work
  • Rainwater: Inside & Out
  • Case Study: Santa Fe’s Adoption of WERS®
  • WaterSense for New Homes: Why Certify?
  • Stormwater Analysis with WERS®

10’ x 10’ exhibit booths are available starting at just $499! Sponsorships start as low as $500. Full event information is available on the Summit website.

The overarching theme of the event will be how to sustain the building/development industry in western states with declining water resources, even as the next decade experiences surging growth from retiring Baby Boomers. The first day (Sunday) will have a Green Expo at the Convention Center, with local experts presenting seminars in the break-out rooms. Three educational tracks, targeting Builders & Designers, Policymakers, and Water Conservation Experts, will span three days. There will be 12 sessions on Sunday afternoon, followed by a full slate on Monday & Tuesday. Keynote speakers will open Monday & Tuesday’s proceedings. Pre-conference courses, including QWEL training, ARCSA AP training and WERS® Verifier training, are scheduled.

Hosts of the event will be the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce (lead host), Green Builder® Coalition, City of Santa Fe, and the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association. Santa Fe Community College is the official education sponsor, and Green Builder® Media is the national media sponsor.

Next Generation Water Summit To Be Held In Santa Fe

Santa Fe will host the inaugural Next Generation Water Summit on June 4-6, 2017. This first-of-its-kind, national event will feature three educational tracks, two keynote speakers and an expo. The Summit will begin with the Green Expo, an exhibition presented by the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce. All events will take place at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.

Water scarcity is emerging as a critical challenge to the western United States. The limits of water could halt construction in the west, bringing economic development to a standstill. This Summit will bring together a broad range of stakeholders to develop strategies that integrate a variety of interests and develop real solutions. “Making our communities sustainable in the long term given predicted drops in renewable surface water flows, and resilient to short term and long term impacts from the effects of climate change, are critical issues across the Southwestern United States, as well as many other regions around the world,” said City Councilor Peter Ives. “The City of Santa Fe is honored to host the Next Generation Water Summit, which is designed to continue the dialogue on how we can and must do more with less water.”

Three tracks will focus on emerging policy development, building design and construction, and water conservation tools and technologies, respectively. “The unique aspect of this event is the integration of field professionals into policy development and design,” said Green Builder® Coalition Executive Director Mike Collignon. “The Next Generation Water Summit aims to close the loop on water efficiency, so that those who create and manage water efficiency programs can network with the practitioners of those programs.”

Pre-Summit courses will include a Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS®) Verifier course, an ARCSA Rainwater Harvesting AP course, a 2-day Greywater course and a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) course. All will be held at nearby Santa Fe Community College. The Summit will be the first event to offer continuing education for those trained in either the WERS Program or WaterSense for Homes.

This event is being co-hosted by The City of Santa Fe, the Green Chamber of Commerce, the Green Builder® Coalition and the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association. Sponsorships, booths and attendee registration will be available in the coming weeks. For more information, please contact:

Glenn Schiffbauer
Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce
glenn@nmgreenchamber.com

Mike Collignon
Executive Director, Green Builder® Coalition
info@greenbuildercoalition.org