SIWW Diary

Reflections

Jessica Lamb — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:26:15 +0000

This marks the end of my first experience with SIWW. I have been pleasantly surprised with the sense of collaboration that has gone on between companies, professionals, and the public. The sustainable theme could be felt throughout the booths, ranging from electric motorcycles to simply thoughtful solutions. It seems everyone is coming together in an attempt to tackle the tough issues facing us, even with the economic uncertainty.

It was also nice to know that B&V’s dive into blogging has not gone unnoticed. Mr. Khoo Teng Chye, Chief Executive of PUB, graciously agreed to meet with me and the other WLIE intern. During our discussion, SIWW Dairy was brought up, and Mr. Khoo applauded B&V’s effort in new social media. He even expressed PUB’s interest in similar ventures in the future.

Even with five new green bags, B&V chocolates still stored in my desk, and stacks of pamphlets that need to be filed, I find myself looking forward to SIWW 2010.

Posted by: Jessica Lamb

Snap of Cindy’s SIWW presentation

Constance Ward — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:37:25 +0000

Vijayanand Karunanithi from our Singapore office had an opportunity to attend Cindy Wallis-Lage’s presentation at SIWW and snapped this photo:

Cindy Wallis-Lage on the podium

Posted by Constance Ward

Forget Bottled Water….

Gerry O'Toole — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:06:58 +0000

Singapore’s The Straits Times daily newspaper today just happened to publish a very timely and good article on the thoughts of Professor Tommy Koh (among other duties, Chairman of the recent Water Leaders Summit during Singapore International Water Week) and water expert Leong Ching PhD as to why Singaporeans should not buy bottled water.

The main reasons cited are fivefold:

1 it’s a complete waste of money. 1 volume of bottled water costs as much as 850 times a similar volume of PUB (tap) water – and it is also more expensive than an equivalent volume of petrol (gas);

2 tap water is as safe as bottled water – and in fact some studies have shown that some bottled water can contain leachate from plastic bottles;

3 energy (and fossil fuels) used in the production of bottles is high – adding to our GHG emmissions;

4 used bottles present a big disposal problem. In Singapore these are incinerated – adding to GHG etc. Bottled water is also generally imported resulting in more energy consumption from shipping;

and finally

5 drinking tap water is the right thing to do.

Unless of course you live in a country where the local tap water is not available or is not fit for cunsumption. Sadly these issues still affect about 1 billion of us.

The right of a person to safe and affordable water is a basic human right.

Meanwhile sales of bottled water in countries with advanced water treatment facilities such as Singapore have increased dramatically over the past 10 years. Good marketing…

In Singapore a few years ago during the opening of a Black & Veatch designed advanced water treatment facility producing drinking water of the highest quality, someone served visiting officials bottled water…the irony of which was not lost on them.

So drink tap water wherever possible .

Posted by: Gerry O’Toole

SIWW and our blog are “top of the news” on AWA website

Constance Ward — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:27:31 +0000

The 29 June edition of the Australian Water Association’s weekly e-journal “AWA Current Water E-News” features SIWW, mentions the Australian Business Forum that Dan McCarthy moderated and links to www.siwwdiary.com. Click here to see what else is new in the world of water in Australia:
AWA Water E-News
Posted by Constance Ward

Using wastewater in the biofuels cycle

Jim Howlett — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:08:55 +0000

This week’s issue of “Recharge” mentions a pilot project that is taking place at the Neely Wastewater Reclamation Facility in Gilbert, Arizona, US. The project is examining the feasibility of using wastewater as a source of nutirents for the cultivation of algae, the algae is then converted into biofuels. Gilbert will be offered all biodiesel produced from the plant at the cost of production and processing. Given the furore that surrounded the biofuels debate last year, when the spike in the cost of grain was linked to the increase of grain being used for biofuels, perhaps using wastewater to feed algae is a more sustainable option?

Posted by: Jim Howlett

How much do you value water?

Cindy Wallis-Lage — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:29:53 +0000

The value of water is a hot topic. How much do you value water? When we don’t have water, we really value it; however, in many places people expect water to be cheap, after all it falls from the sky and there are lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans of water. Yet, we tend to forget what it takes to make sure the water at our tap is reliable and safe. In addition, many people balk at the thought of reusing water. I recently was reading an article from the southeast part of the US that said it just isn’t cost effective to recycle water. Our challenge in these stressful economic times is to plan for the future and make the right decisions to guarantee our future water supplies even when it might not be “cost effective”. Living without water is not an option and living with restricted supplies won’t be much fun either. We need to value water now.

Posted by Cindy Wallis-Lage

Singapore’s The Business Times features Black & Veatch

Constance Ward — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:01:13 +0000

In the 29 June edition of Singapore’s The Business Times, Black & Veatch was mentioned, specifically Len Rodman and Dan McCarthy, in an article titled “Time to think of value of water instead of cost” by Lee U-Wen, who attended our media event and then interviewed Len Rodman extensively following the news conference. Here’s a link to the article on their site:

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/news/story/0,4574,339546,00.html?
Here’s a photo of the interview with Len Rodman:

Len Rodman, left, meets with Lee U-Wen, the Business Times reporter

Busy interns/staff earn an “A” for effort at SIWW

Constance Ward — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:25:11 +0000

We were fortunate to have helping us at SIWW two energetic second-year Black & Veatch summer interns, one fellow blogger Jessica Lamb, from the University of Kansas (middle right) and the other from Purdue University, Alice Madjani (middle left). They’re posing at the booth in a rare moment of relative inactivity with Len Rodman and Dan McCarthy. Even though they’re only four weeks into their eight-week internship here, they feel like it’s nearly over and rushing by too quickly, Alice tells me. Jessica had never been outside the United States before this trip but has now caught the “international bug.”

The entire staff in the Black & Veatch Singapore office were so supportive of our efforts at SIWW…and endlessly patient. The staff size is nearing a hundred here now, nearly double the number on board when we achieved our International Headquarters status from the Singapore Government about two years ago. Congratulations to all those involved in our SIWW success.

Posted by Constance Ward

L-R, Len Rodman, Alice Madjani, Jessica Lamb, Dan McCarthy

An Arranged Marriage of Trash and Treasure

Gayle Leonard — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:27:51 +0000

Meanwhile, back in the States…In the week prior to SIWW, Black & Veatch Water partiipated in AWWA’s ACE09 in San Diego, California, at which we have hosted a dinner for many years. This year, the dinner featured some incredible centerpieces made from discarded water bottles.

Frances Baszta, Angela Blann and Dena Buzalas from the B&V Water Creative Services team shared these photos from the recent event of showing the one-of-a-kind centerpieces uplit with tiny LED lights.

Each guest was invited to take one of the blooms home to, as the program states, “remind each of us to both avoid activities that create unnecessary waste, and to see beautiful new possibilities in recycling and re-use.” Which one guest really took to heart–after seeing them at this event, he’s pursuing something similar for his daughter’s upcoming wedding.

While this sort of thing does not seriously impact the huge tide of trash caused by bottled water, it does help us keep the issue top of mind, not to mention put a little delight in our day! Hmmm, does anyone know the water impact of cut flowers?

With resolve, we’re moving in the right direction

Constance Ward — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:09:26 +0000

I asked Len Rodman, our Chairman, President and CEO, to share some final thoughts about SIWW. He provided these insights:

Certainly, many positives and advancements were obvious from SIWW in 2009. While the realities of the economy were apparent in the dialogue, I found that there was considerable resolve by those in leadership to find ways to deal with long term water issues even with the current financial situation by doing it with less. The need for sustainable solutions was the sentiment of the day. I was extremely pleased to see that the nexus of water and energy has moved beyond the concept stage with both research and practical applications being implemented. B&V professionals contributed in very meaningful ways to this advancement! The reality of the nexus will truly help with better and more sustainable solutions.

Following the SIWW I spent a couple days as part of PUB’s Industrial Advisory Panel. PUB, as you would expect, has taken a water leadership role by investing in real world technology solutions in some far ranging R&D. The panel includes water research experts, university professors, and industry representatives; I was honored to be included. It will be fun to see this research turn to reality. The IAP approach is typical of the progressive business nature I’ve seen for years in Singapore.

I provide these comments as I fly home with enthusiasm that the water industry is moving in the right direction and I look forward to returning SIWW in 2010.

Posted by Constance Ward