Commitments to Action
Our mission is to be a catalyst for positive and lasting change leading to healthier environments and communities.
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Edward A. Clerico Chief Executive Officer Alliance Environmental, LLC |
Alliance Environmental commits to the following actions: We will continue to innovate and advance the design and operation of water infrastructure, at the building and community scales, that preserves and protects freshwater resources, habitat and biodiversity; that reduces energy use and carbon footprint; and that reclaims wastewater byproducts such as heat and biosolids. By 2015, we will seek a net water/energy/cost savings of 50 percent from the systems we implement for clients. We commit to embrace economic models that support full-cost pricing while protecting social equity. | Hillsborough | NJ |
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Joel Brammeier President & CEO Alliance for the Great Lakes |
As North America’s oldest independent Great Lakes citizens’ organization, the Alliance for the Great Lakes has been at the forefront of protecting and restoring the world’s largest surface freshwater resource for 40 years. To ensure that improvements to the Great Lakes realized during those first four decades are a foundation for a sustainable future, and to support the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread’s efforts to define freshwater challenges and potential solutions, the Alliance commits to: * Conserve our freshwater and the ecosystems that depend on it by working with states, provinces and water users to implement the Great Lakes Compact and Agreement, a historic first-of-its-kind pact to protect the waters of the Great Lakes for generations to come. * Support a revived Great Lakes economy that enhances our freshwater resource by ensuring that public infrastructure and private industries located on or along the lakes are reducing pollution, not degrading water quality. * Instill an ethic of care in today's and tomorrow's generations of Great Lakes stewards by training educators, providing Great Lakes-centered curriculum to schools, growing our 9,000-plus volunteer Adopt-a-Beach™ program, and empowering individuals around the region to restore the lakes. * Protect the ability of people and communities to enjoy a healthy Great Lakes indefinitely by working to prevent the movement of Asian carp and other invasive species between the Great Lakes and other watersheds. | Chicago | IL |
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Mary Ann Dickinson President and CEO Alliance for Water Efficiency |
Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Alliance for Water Efficiency was established to serve as a North American advocate for water efficient products and programs, and to provide information and assistance on water conservation efforts. With our mission to promote the efficient and sustainable use of water, we recognize the importance of the Charting New Waters initiative, and we commit to the following seven actions: 1. We will continue to advocate for integration of water efficiency into sustainable water resources solutions and green infrastructure. 2. We will collaborate with other organizations to seek incentives for water efficiency solutions. 3. We will advocate for sustainable freshwater policies at the federal, state, regional, and local levels. 4. We will work with industries to reduce consumptive water use. 5. We will assist water utilities in developing cost-effective conservation programs and in adopting conservation pricing structures. 6. We will develop consumer education programs and a web site to help educate the public on wise water use. 7. We will pursue solutions that recognize the water-energy nexus. | Chicago | IL |
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Ann Sorensen Research Director American Farmland Trust |
American Farmland Trust is the nation's leading conservation organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and supporting a sustainable future for farms. In 2008, AFT launched a new five-year Agriculture and Environment Initiative to help farmers clean water and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By 2013, our initiative will achieve a 10-20 percent overall improvement in water quality attributable to agriculture in our project areas, and in the process, will create “road maps” to expand to the next appropriate scale (e.g., state, region, national). We commit to helping advance the following Summit recommendations by our actions: 1). In our work on the ground with producers, we will continue to use a long-range adaptive approach to planning and management, focusing on improving water quality and increasing the resiliency of farm operations while maintaining their profitability; 2) We will continue to educate both agricultural producers and the general public about the challenges and solutions of maintaining a clean supply of freshwater. We will continue to meet with producers to discuss ways to overcome barriers to improvements in how they manage their land resources and will seek to implement the appropriate policies; 3). We will continue to develop market-based systems that use trading between regulated point sources (like municipal wastewater treatment plants and utilities) and nonpoint sources (agricultural producers) to improve water quality (and sequester carbon). We will validate the methods we use and document the results we achieve; and 4). We will advocate for changes or improvements in the 2012 Farm Bill that help producers meet our nation’s Freshwater challenges. | DeKalb | IL |
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Rebecca Wodder President American Rivers |
Our long-term goal is that healthy rivers contribute to the resilience of both human and natural communities. This requires fundamental changes in the way we manage land, water and infrastructure. Over the next three years, American Rivers will identify, develop, test and communicate new models of water management and policy that manage for the volatility and uncertainty of a changing climate. We will share these models through the web, the media, speaking engagements and briefings and advocate policies that foster their widespread adoption. American Rivers is also committed to building a constituency for community stewardship of healthy watersheds through two primary mechanisms. The establishment and promotion of a national “blueways” initiative (the water equivalent of greenways) seeks to better link communities with the natural world and specifically freshwater. Our National River Clean-up Program aims to foster a spirit and ethos of volunteerism around rivers and serves as a powerful entry point for millions of Americans to take action and learn more about what they can do to better manage water and rivers. Finally, we will advocate on behalf of many of the policy recommendations contained in the Call to Action, including but not limited to the establishment of a Freshwater Commission. | ||
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Jeff Sterba President and CEO American Water |
American Water treats and delivers over one billion gallons of water every day to more than 15 million people in the U.S. We invest approximately $800 million to $1 billion each year to ensure that we maintain the pipes and plants that bring water to our customers' homes. But our responsibilities do not stop at ensuring the reliability of service , it also entails ensuring a sustainable supply for future generations. Our approach to Integrated Water Resources Management takes a comprehensive look at all the sources of water available to a community, and then develops an integrated solution to meet the drinking water, reuse, wastewater, and other water needs of a community. We actively work with our consumers and our communities through bill inserts, media information, educational events, free home water audits, tours and open houses to help raise awareness of water issues and promote smart and efficient water use. Through our partnership with the U.S. EPA WaterSense, we participate in programs focused on wise water use. Additionally we have implemented solutions such as water reuse, desalination, and advanced leak detection to help ensure a sustainable supply of water for a growing population. By the nature of our industry, we have always known the value of a protecting and preserving this finite resource and we applaud the measures outlined in Charting New Waters. | ||
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David LaFrance Executive Director American Water Works Association |
With more than 54,000 members throughout North America and beyond, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) unites the water community to protect public health and provide safe and sufficient water for all. Through collective leadership, AWWA advances technology, science, management and government policies. For 130 years, AWWA has worked for safe and sustainable water, and we are pleased to extend and amplify this work through the Charting New Waters: Call to Action. AWWA commits to advancing the Call to Action through its many channels of knowledge exchange and robust advocacy efforts. We will inform and assist the water community through AWWA Standards and Manuals, publications, webcasts and conferences. By harnessing and sharing the intellectual capital of members, AWWA will address total water management and efficiency, long-range resource planning, and sustainability of resources and systems. Through its Government Affairs Office, AWWA will work with legislative and regulatory bodies to encourage water policy that is reasonable, balanced, and protective of public health. We will educate consumers and decision makers about the value of water and the challenges facing the water community. AWWA will put forth innovative solutions to the challenge of sustainable infrastructure, including the creation of a federal water infrastructure bank. | Denver | CO |
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Kristan Cockerill Educator Appalachian State University |
As an educator I will work with my students to raise their understanding of our hydrologic cycle and the pressures that human use places on this complex system. | Boone | NC | |
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Sue Kunz President & CEO BioVantage Resources, Inc. |
BioVantage Resources will work relentlessly to deliver sustainable wastewater treatment solutions for local remediation and reuse of water. We are committed to working with nature to provide affordable solutions that can be implemented at the community level. As we sit squarely at the water/energy nexus, we will also tackle hard industrial wastewater issues including the energy sector that have broad reaching impact on both energy and water security. We will partner with thought leaders in water, environmental engineering, energy, government and academia locally and globally to implement creative solutions. Giving back is a part of our culture, and our nature. This includes helping to educate the generations that follow us. We will be vocal, and we will help to lead our planet into a more sustainable future. | Golden | CO |
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Chuck Clarke Chief Executive Officer Cascade Water Alliance |
The Cascade Water Alliance is a nonprofit corporation comprised of eight municipalities in the Puget Sound, Washington region that joined together to provide a safe, clean and reliable water supply for its members. Cascade serves 400,000 residents and more than 22,000 businesses. Cascade is committing to a full-cost pricing model with its member municipalities. Conservation is a well-engrained ethic in the Pacific Northwest, and Cascade’s WaterSense Conservation programs and outreach have saved more than one million gallons of water per day over the last three years. We pledge to make conservation a critical factor in our supply planning for the future. Cascade will further commit to using a triple-bottom-line asset management approach for all future capital and operating funding discussions. I personally will commit to educating other utilities about the findings of the Call to Action through both the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and other member agencies. | ||
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Richard D. Fox Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer CDM |
CDM is a global consulting, engineering and construction firm dedicated to improving the environment and infrastructure for public and private clients. We have a strong commitment to the protection and sustainable use of water resources, and fully support the principles outlined in Charting New Waters: A Call to Action to Address U.S. Freshwater Challenges. CDM commits to take the following actions: We will work with our clients in increasing the efficiency and innovation of water management practices through advancing the concepts of integrated resources planning and sustainability. We commit to increasing our R&D budget, commensurate with our growth, and will prioritize these additional funds to development of systems modeling, climate change and urban sustainability. We will set a goal of hiring 10 percent of our new workforce that will have cross-disciplinary training in areas such as urban planning, financial management and sustainable development. | ||
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Robert Zimmerman Executive Director Charles River Watershed Association |
Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) began a systematic analysis of water and how it works in greater Boston beginning in 1994. It became clear, if we are to restore and sustain water resources, we must transition to water infrastructure that mimics nature. To that end, CRWA is pioneering an online stormwater trading program to promote compliance and drive down retrofit costs for private property owners under a new extension of the Clean Water Act being piloted in the Charles watershed. Over time, the approach will dramatically reduce stormwater pollution, and mimic nature by keeping rainwater where it falls. CRWA is also deep into “smart sewering,” applying the principles of smart growth to the powerful growth tools of water and wastewater availability. We are working with an ex-urban community to create a sewered density zone to allow for the development of a walking town center, using the wastewater treatment plant to collect and treat water for recycling to the ground in the subbasin from which it was pumped. To provide for those not benefitting from sewers, we are analyzing the economics of a septic system utility. Further, we are looking at the use of methane created in the treatment process to generate energy, and compressing wastewater effluent to generate useable heat. Finally, we are analyzing the economics to determine whether increased property taxes and revenues from the utilities can create the funding necessary to acquire development rights on privately held forested and agricultural open space. Together with our Blue Cities™ methodology for planning and designing green infrastructure retrofits of the existing built environment, these projects represent CRWA’s commitment to transitioning from our existing water environment to one that is restorative and sustainable. | Weston | MA |
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Randall Blankenhorn Executive Director Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) |
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is the official regional planning organization for the seven counties of northeastern Illinois, home to over eight million people. CMAP, supported by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois State Water Survey, and in conjunction with the Regional Water Supply Planning Group, produced Water 2050: Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan in early 2010. Water 2050 features over 240 recommendations aimed at the State of Illinois, the regional planning agency (CMAP), county and municipal governments, and others. Water 2050 acknowledges that our region’s water resources cannot be taken for granted and addresses a variety of strategies for improved planning, management, and stewardship of water resources. These include: • Presenting a new paradigm for demand management. • Stating the case for a need to move toward full-cost of service water pricing. • Urging self organization among local governments for purposes of practicing collaborative management. • Exploring wastewater reuse, graywater use, and recommending rainwater harvesting. • Making explicit the link between water quality and water supply. • Outlining potential tools and ideas for integrating land-use development with water supply planning. CMAP commits to supporting implementation efforts and achieving the goals of Water 2050 by doing the following: 1. Promoting Water 2050 among elected officials and the general public to raise awareness of 21st Century water challenges. 2. Staffing and supporting northeastern Illinois’ first Regional Conservation Coordinator. 3. Hosting a series of public forums to raise awareness and advance discussion of water resource issues that require urgent attention. 4. Collaborate with partners in providing technical assistance to public water suppliers. 5. Support a new collaborative-management initiative among groundwater-dependent communities that collectively aim to improve awareness, efficiency, and operations to avoid supply and demand imbalances. | Chicago | IL |
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Ron Littlefield Mayor City of Chattanooga |
The City of Chattanooga commits to lead a regional, watershed based effort to implement a 21st Century green infrastructure program. This initiative will incorporate public and private ventures into the process and challenge the old way of doing things. Chattanooga has been recognized for its sustainability efforts by being an early leader in revitalization of industrial cities. Chattanooga is also home to the world's largest freshwater aquarium, the Tennessee Aquarium built in 1991 which lead to a revitalization of our Downtown and riverfront. With our Office of Sustainability at the point, our commitment now is use a green infrastructure strategy as a catalyst to go far beyond anything that we have ever attempted in the revitalization of our watersheds and our city. We will partner with cities and organizations regionally, nationally and internationally to achieve that success. | Chattanooga | TN |
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Andrew Fellows Mayor City of College Park, Maryland |
I look forward to working with The Johnson Foundation and those who are joining in this Call to Action, and to do what I can to further the engagement of municipal governments in a transformation of the way the United States manages our freshwater resources. The critical importance of water in developing sustainable communities is evident in so many ways. Safe and affordable drinking water and swimmable and fishable rivers, lakes and streams are vital to public health and quality of life. There are economic and environmental justice issues embedded in this work, and local governments need to act now and in collaboration with state and federal government to ensure that all have access to water and that equity is achieved in the ways we manage water. The City of College Park, Maryland passed a resolution supporting Charting New Waters. A full copy of their commitment may be found in the PDF link located in the lower left corner of this page. | ||
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Paul Schwartz National Policy Coordinator Clean Water Action |
Clean Water Action is a leading environmental advocacy organization operating in over a dozen states with 1.2 million members. We commit to the following actions: Continuing to play a leading role in bringing together diverse players to define and discuss the water commons, global systems thinking and water justice; Deepening our engagement in grassroots education and organizing to support projects and policies that manifest water integration, mimicking and working with nature and science-based adaptive management while ensuring maximum water quality and quantity gains, and Launching and building the Water Alliance, a new organization emerging out of in-depth conversations between communities of practice, academia, government, and the advocacy and corporate communities. | ||
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Natalie Roy Executive Director Clean Water Network |
Comprised by more than 1200 organizations, Clean Water Network is the largest coalition in the United States working to protect our nation's freshwater resources. The mission of the Clean Water Network is directly aligned with the recommendations outlined in Charting New Waters - our coalition works together to protect and restore clean water and wetlands throughout the nation. We work to strengthen federal and state policies and practices that focus on water quality and quantity issues. We envision a world where our rivers, lakes, and other freshwaters will be safe for our children to swim, for aquatic life to live, and for us all to drink. Through our collective efforts, we envision a citizenry that has reconnected with the importance of clean water in their lives. We commit to focusing significant Network attention on nonpoint source pollution, including stormwater and agricultural run-off. We also commit to promoting the adoption of innovative green infrastructure systems across the country. Numeric nutrient standards will also be on our agenda. On November 14, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its Numeric Nutrient Standards for Florida, which set numeric limits on the amount of nutrient pollution allowed in Florida's lakes, rivers, streams and springs. The Clean Water Network and numerous Network members urged EPA to adopt such standards and believe the strong Florida standards can serve as a model for other states considering adoption of similar standards. Therefore, the Clean Water Network also commits to promoting adoption of numeric nutrient standards across the country as well as on the federal level. | Washington | DC |
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Mark Redsten Executive Director Clean Wisconsin |
Clean Wisconsin works to protect the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. Clean Wisconsin understands that addressing the challenges facing our freshwater system will require coordinated partnerships with many sectors to use the tools available in new, innovative ways. Clean Wisconsin commits to the following actions: over the next three years, we will work to coordinate public and private sector activities related to freshwater systems. With this, Clean Wisconsin will work to create replicable watershed mechanisms that: coordinate government resources, stakeholder organizations, and individual actions to monitor and address pollution; target funds toward conservation practices on priority lands; provide cost-share to farmers and groups for conducting water monitoring and other procedures to measure environmental performance of conservation practices; and implement existing regulatory schemes to use adaptive management at the farm for the health of the watershed. We will continue our work with municipal water utilities to support water rate structures that incentivize conservation and proper water pricing, reduce costs for citizens and businesses that use water efficiently, reduce energy usage, and save water treatment impacts and costs. Our goal will be that state and local governments adopt policies that encourage innovative water conservation and efficiency practices and technologies according to performance-based, triple-bottom-line criteria for success. Clean Wisconsin will also create and disseminate understandable information about the freshwater challenges we face, the inextricable link between water and energy, how the challenges we face are connected to the day-to-day choices we make, the fact that we have manageable solutions, and that there are profound economic benefits to clean water. | Madison | WI |
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Nicole Seltzer Executive Director Colorado Foundation for Water Education |
Unveiling a new water initiative that sets specific, measurable targets In 2011, CFWE commits to launching a new initiative that will: 1)Provide staffing resources and technical advice to organizations seeking to implement collaborative solutions at the intersection of agricultural, environmental and urban water needs; 2)Develop a skilled workforce for Colorado's future water challenges; and 3)Increase Colorado's ability to educate citizens on the freshwater challenges we face as a state and involve them in the decision-making process. We will do this by creating a fellowship program that will place well-qualified individuals within water organizations that need increased capacity to engage their local community members in decision-making about water resource challenges that integrate agricultural, environmental and urban water needs. | Denver | CO |
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Jeff Crane Executive Director Colorado Watershed Assembly |
The Colorado Watershed Assembly is an advocate and support network for local citizen watershed groups across the state. We are committed to work collaboratively with government, industry and academia to protect, conserve and enhance the natural resources of local communities for the benefit of all stakeholders. We will encourage healthy communities through healthy watersheds by managing our River Watch volunteer water quality monitoring program to educate middle and high school students as well as volunteer adult teams on the value and importance of clean water. As the largest generator of water quality data in the state we will continue to make our data available to anyone and encourage other collectors of data to post their results on our Data Sharing Network. We will provide technical and facilitative assistance to local citizen groups to build consensus through watershed planning and implement multi-beneficial projects based on sound science. We will engage the oil & gas industry to work cooperatively with citizen groups to disclose the ingredients of fracking fluids and assist communities in monitoring their surface and subsurface water resources while improving local economies and energy independence. We will educate citizen groups through our free weekly e-newsletter network to provide information on funding opportunities, training programs, conferences, events, resources and watershed news. Our new Measureable Results Program will monitor the physical characteristics of newly implemented stream and riparian restoration projects to identify values and gage the success of project goals. Our organization will take a leadership role in the establishment of a regional geographic initiative for the Rocky Mountain Headwater States to proactively protect the source that supplies freshwater to 21 states and two other countries. | Carbondale | CO |
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Donna DuCharme Executive Director Delta Institute |
The Delta Institute is a non-profit organization that creates, funds and implements programs that promote a healthy environment, a strong economy and thriving, vibrant communities. We work throughout the Great Lakes region that hosts the Earth’s largest source of freshwater. Our pledge is to design and implement sensible, replicable strategies that conserve freshwater resources in collaboration with businesses, industries, municipalities, homeowners, and others. We will help them conserve water and reduce water pollution through sustainability initiatives, green building, and energy efficiency efforts. We will help them comply with pollution- and waste-related regulations that lessen the burden on local watersheds. We will facilitate the Lake Michigan Forum and Lake Michigan Watershed Academy to make lake’s management planning process more inclusive, transparent and effective. We will partner with cities, states and regions as they search for green infrastructure solutions to combined sewer overflows, stormwater discharges, and other wet-weather water quality problems. And we will conduct our work in close partnership with our environmental, economic development, community development and financing and funding colleagues throughout the region. | Chicago | IL |
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John Matthews Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs Diversey, Inc. |
Diversey is committed to doing its part to establish a sustainable and resilient freshwater resource. We will fulfill this pledge by taking action both internally and externally. Internally, we will define our entire global water footprint and set targets for reducing water consumption and improving the quality of water discharge. Externally, we will provide our customers with solutions that will enhance their water performance, making their operations more efficient and sustainable. In addition, we will continue to provide funding and expertise to the Alliance for Water Stewardship and the World Wildlife Fund as they work to develop water stewardship standards that give all water users the tools to measure and improve water-related performance. | ||
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Chris & Mark Flynn Owners DP Wigley Company |
We commit to being a model of progress in efficient, cost- and energy-saving, earth-friendly, and sustainable redevelopment. We are encouraging the City of Racine to consider environment-friendly resurfacing alternatives for our city streets and alleyways. We are requesting that our alley be resurfaced with recycled brick pavers with geothermal wells underneath. Properly installed, this alley surface would be self-melting, would not have to be plowed, and would be much safer to walk on during the winter months. It would also be a good way for Racine's Department of Public Works to learn about this new technology and provide an opportunity to find out if there are State and/or federal funds available for such a project. We are also planning to use heat exchange for heating and cooling and tap into the Root River, which runs alongside our building. We have planted rain gardens in the City and around our building, and we educate people about organic products and practices, such as reduced use of pesticides, less lawn, and more native vegetation. We continue to add more organic items to our product line. | Racine | WI |
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Rose Marie Dischler Member Eco-Justice Center |
We support the recommendations in Charting New Waters, and personally commit to educating our community about the importance of preserving our freshwater resources. We will do this by modeling a sustainable relationship with the biotic community with whom we share our 15 acre home site, and by inviting our community to visit and learn. We will also work to teach the value of water as a precious, finite resource, and to fight any effort to privatize water. Guiding this mission, the sisters and staff of the Eco-Justice Center focus on the following principle: when our society is prone to tear down rather than fix up, when culture says that bigger and newer is better than smaller and older, we at the Eco-Justice Center aim to model sustainable, simple living, reverencing the land and all who have lived in this place before us. | Racine | WI | |
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Michael Belaire Sr. Senior Product Development Researcher Environmental Consortium Group of Companies |
The Environmental Consortium Group of Companies is an international consortium of companies that has been conducting research and development for thirty-five years on technologies that reduce freshwater use and increase re-use of processed water. The Consortium Group is committed to the design and implementation of water-based technologies that reduce the use of freshwater in industrial and oil production processes in Canada and the United States. Our international team of researchers looks forward to working with The Johnson Foundation and other issuers of Charting New Waters, and unveiling our latest initiatives and innovations in 2011. | Westlock, AB., Canada | ||
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Douglas B. Johnson President Environmental Intelligence, Inc. |
Environmental Intelligence, Inc. makes the following commitments: We commit to work with our national and Midwest-based agricultural clientele across the value chain from producers to consumers to identify and develop voluntary programs, tools and approaches, including standards-based systems for certification by affidavit or third-party audit. We commit to advocate for public and private investment in development of methodologies and tools to evaluate, measure and continually improve the profitability and productivity of modern agriculture, with special emphasis on improving the efficiency of energy, water and nutrient inputs across the value chain. We take special interest in the watersheds of the Great Lakes, and in the watersheds and tributaries to the Mississippi, where we endeavor to apply our scientific and technical expertise to protect freshwater resources. | Saint Paul | MN |
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Leslie Carothers President Environmental Law Institute |
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is a non-partisan research and education center working toward a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities founded on the rule of law. Since 1969, ELI has fostered innovative, just, and practical law and policy solutions to enable leaders across borders and sectors to make environmental, economic, and social progress. ELI researches and analyzes complex and pressing environmental challenges, promotes and disseminates the best thinking through print and electronic media, and convenes people with diverse perspectives to build understanding through robust debate. ELI commits to the following actions: We will continue our work assessing the content and implementation of water quality and quantity management policies. We will identify and disseminate to public and private decisionmakers successful strategies with significant promise to improve quality, quantity, efficiency, and comprehensive management. We will continue to work with organizations from different sectors and reach out to new parties in advancing the understanding of the freshwater challenges and potential solutions. We will incorporate the Call to Action into our research priorities and outreach efforts. | Washington | DC |