| Las Vegas craves attention.
So when a city that built its international reputation upon entertainment excess embarked on one of the nation’s most aggressive water efficiency programs, people paid attention.
Southern Nevada has pursued conservation for decades. Although we made meaningful progress through the 1990s, we weren’t exactly turning heads.
Today, Southern Nevada is a national leader in developing and implementing successful water-efficiency programs.
In less than a decade, we’ve gone from a city perceived as a profligate water user to one respected for our progressive and inventive approach to water efficiency.
This new reputation is no facade: Over the past five years, Southern Nevada has reduced water use by 15 billion gallons annually, despite a population increase of more than 400,000 people.
The amount of grass Southern Nevadans have converted to water-smart landscaping is equivalent to a roll of sod long enough to wrap more than halfway around the Earth.
Along the way, we’ve met a lot of our neighbors and peers. Journalists and water agencies from around the world have come to observe firsthand both our challenges and our progress. Each visit was more than an opportunity to showcase what we’ve accomplished; it was an affirmation that the challenges of water supply are a global issue that is accelerating rapidly.
The issues surrounding water supply are so complex that any water manager will tell you there are few universal solutions. What works in Southern Nevada may not work in drought-ravaged Georgia. What failed in Brisbane, Australia, may succeed in Flagstaff, Ariz.
The only universal key to advancing water efficiency in every community is “solutioneering” from a diverse pool of information, ideas and experience. Surprisingly, though, there was no interdisciplinary event designed to generate synergy around the issue of urban water efficiency.
Until now.
This October, Southern Nevada will host the world’s largest conference and exhibition dedicated to urban water efficiency. The inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition will be held Oct. 8-10 at the South Point Hotel and Casino.
To assure WaterSmart Innovations is the premier international venue for urban water-efficiency, the Southern Nevada Water Authority partnered with the some of the nation’s largest and most prominent organizations in water efficiency, plumbing, irrigation, urban development and environmental management.
With 160 speakers from Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and 28 U.S. states, WaterSmart Innovations will afford access to the largest pool of urban water efficiency expertise ever assembled. The conference’s accompanying exhibition hall will feature the world’s most innovative products for advancing urban water efficiency.
In addition to scale, the interdisciplinary approach of WaterSmart Innovations is expected to yield productive new relationships.
The conference has been designed to appeal to water agency professionals, building and landscape architects, green building consultants, golf and landscape managers, plumbing professionals, irrigation contractors, restaurant professionals, facility and property managers and developers of residential, commercial, institutional and industrial properties.
Las Vegas has long been a conference destination for virtually every topic imaginable. What makes this opportunity unique is that it presents Las Vegas not just as a venue, but as a potential international marketplace for a vital, emerging field of knowledge and products.
Southern Nevada is already boasts the Desert Research Institute, the Springs Preserve and some of the largest solar power installations in the world. We build more EnergyStar and WaterSmart qualified homes than any other city. MGM MIRAGE’s City Center will be among the world’s largest "green" developments.
Southern Nevada is not only securing our own future through resource sustainability, we may be on the cusp of developing a new industry.
Adding to the conference’s allure, His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan will deliver the opening session keynote address Oct. 8, while noted climatologist Dr. Jonathan Overpeck will be the luncheon keynote speaker Oct. 9.
And, plans are in the works for actress Jane Seymour to introduce the Las Vegas debut screening of the Jim Thebaut film, The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?, also on Oct. 9.
As cities go, Las Vegas is a teenager. Our rapid development and role as an international destination are not challenges; they are assets that afford us a unique opportunity to reinvent ourselves as an international leader in sustainability practices. We have some of the most inventive and capable business minds in the world.
To many people, Southern Nevada is the epicenter of world-class entertainment. But we’re so much more than that – as is evidenced by WaterSmart Innovations. I encourage professionals throughout the West to attend WaterSmart Innovations and be part of the change.
Doug Bennett is the Conservation Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
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