Untapped Potential

What will it take to ensure a secure water future for the U.S. West? That’s the question that animated Expert Night for Battery Powered’s fall theme, Climate Action: Water. 

A full house listened keenly as renowned scientist, author, and MacArthur "genius" Dr. Peter Gleick gave a concise yet wide-ranging introduction to issues of water scarcity, quality, and equity. He closed his talk on a hopeful note: "It's time for a transition to a positive, sustainable water future. I believe that transition is both underway and possible. In fact, I believe it's likely."

While expanding on the complex water challenges facing the U.S. West, our Expert Night panel -- moderated by Water Foundation CEO Allison Harvey Turner -- moved quickly to focus on solutions.

Framing water as a civil and human rights issue, panelists Veronica Garibay, co-founder and director of the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Ann Hayden, VP of Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Resilient Water Systems Program, and Daniel Cordalis, Tribal Partnership Manager at the Colorado River Sustainability Campaign spoke about the need to center communities most impacted in water decisionmaking; "co-power" community and Tribal members and institutions to participate in local water and land use planning; reduce water demand in the agricultural sector through large-scale, data-driven land repurposing that enages stakeholders across sectors; and inspire young people to protect and restore critical ecosystems.

You can catch the full conversation below or at https://vimeo.com/batterypowered/expert-night-water.

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Our Climate Action: Water theme continues on October 16 with Organization Night. RSVP HERE.

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