What kinds of beverages are being served this week in Stockholm?
As it's the 2007 World Water Week there, water and its' future will definitely be on the table and up for discussion. Over 2500 leading experts are gathering to discuss water sustainability initiatives. This conference is particularly significant because there is no other existing convention on water related issues, let alone an annual one.The theme of this years conference is “Progress and Prospects on Water: Striving for Sustainability in a Changing World,” and will address a variety of critical water-related topics. About 40 percent of the participants come from developing countries, where in many places acute water shortages prevail.While the conference seems to raise many troubling issues, it isn’t just a forum for the discussion of solutions to the world’s pressing water and related problems. It’s also a place to celebrate the accomplishments of those whose outstanding efforts are already improving the water environment. One of those individuals is Professor Perry McCarty, who is due to receive the “Water Prize” on the 16th of August. The conference organizers claim that Prof McCarty is a pioneer in making wastewater treatment plants more efficient and effective. Club of Pioneers spoke to Professor McCarty from Stockholm about his discoveries.

“We developed a better understanding of contaminants and new ways of treating them, and then applied biological micro-organisms to waste water” he told us. “The process uses a natural method where water is treated by taking advantage of the ecosystem.” He said he was particularly interested in the biological processes and natural micro-remediation.
The biological process is also an efficient and cost-effective way to treat waste water.
And the waste can literally be “recycled”! He explains “We see it not as waste but as a resource. We not only clean it but convert it to methane and bio-fuel and use it as fertilizer. Its nutrient rich and we can use the organisms.”
McCartys' inventions are used the world over, from China and the USA to developing countries. “It can be used on all levels, in both backyards and small subdivisions, and also the biggest cities in the world, like LA and Chicago” he tells us. Professor McCarty has been pioneering the developments in water issues for 40 years, from a time when most waste water was often not even treated. Club of Pioneers congratulates him on his success and his contributions. In fact, we'll even drink to that!
World Water Week in Stockholm
12-18 August 2007
http://www.worldwaterweek.org/