2024 Next Generation Water Summit Agenda Finalized

The 7^th edition of the Next Generation Water Summit (NGWS) will take place June 20–21, in Santa Fe, NM.

The annual NGWS event will once again be offered in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual attendance options. The 2024 theme is “Solutions in a Changing World.”

The New Mexico state capitol building, known as “The Roundhouse,” will host professional sessions on both Thursday and Friday. A New Mexico-focused track joins the agenda on Friday, June 21. 

The NGWS focuses on both regional and national water challenges, and is historically known for holding 2-3 concurrent session tracks after each day’s opening keynote.

Some of the confirmed sessions include:

• “Panel: Educating the Next Generation”
• “Water-Energy-Carbon Footprint: A Case Study”
• “Innovative New Water Products”
• “Panel: WERS, EPA and HERSh2o Outdoor Water Use – What is the Difference?”
• “AI Role in Water – Today & Tomorrow”

The keynotes for this year’s Summit are not to be missed. David Sedlak, author of “Water for All” and Professor at University of California, Berkeley, will deliver a highly-anticipated keynote address on June 20 drawing connections among seemingly disparate problems as a powerful means of bringing about change.

“It is not your imagination; water crises are arriving at a greater frequency because the twentieth-century approach to water cannot keep up with our new reality,” Sedlak states. “Although water is a big challenge, I am hopeful that together we can solve any crisis. If we open our minds to new ideas and act before crises get out of hand, I am certain that we can realize Water for All.”

Gary Klein, a pioneer in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1974, will present as you’ve never seen him before in his keynote on June 21. Reflecting on his journey into the field of water conservation and efficiency, Gary Klein draws inspiration from experiences in Lesotho, the California Energy Commission, and others.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share 50 years’ worth of observations about what works, what doesn’t and why water is so undervalued… and what we can do about it,” said Klein.

As with previous NGWS, there will be numerous ancillary events: an awards and networking event on Thursday evening at the Drury Plaza Hotel; a host of pre-NGWS training opportunities; and tours following the event on Saturday, June 22^nd.

Trainings preceding the event include:

• Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS) Consultant for Single-Family and Multi-Family dwelling units. WERS is the only water rating system that analyzes new and existing, single and multi-family properties, and includes water reuse in its widely-used tool. This training is FREE with a paid, on-site Summit registration and is offered in conjunction with Triconic, the NGWS’ Education Partner. 
• Commercial Restaurant Water Auditor training. This introduction to commercial water auditing class provides the background on how audits are performed, the required measurements, and tools necessary to audit restaurants and other small commercial establishments. This class is FREE to all paid registrants, regardless if in-person or virtual.
• New Mexico Waste Water Installer certification class. This half-day class enables the participant to take the New Mexico Installer exam and become a ‘certified designer and installer’ in the state of New Mexico. This class is FREE to all registrants, regardless if in-person or virtual.

There will be a plethora of free, in-person events for locals and out-of-state guests to attend. The Mayor’s Reception will take place at the Drury Plaza Hotel on the evening of June 20.

Tours include:

• The City of Santa Fe’s Water Conservation Office, with a host of tables from local vendors and the ability to meet with local water conservation staff.
• Tour of a local home with a graywater system.
• Tour of the Santa Fe Community College’s greenhouse.
• Tour of multiple stormwater bio-retention sites.

All registrants (in-person or virtual) will be able to attend live and on-demand sessions, and network with fellow attendees from around the world. Click here to register and/or for more information on the Summit, educational workshops and tours.

Hosts of the Next Generation Water Summit are the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce; Green Builder Coalition; City of Santa Fe; KUELwater, and the Santa Fe Area Homebuilder’s Association. The education partner is Triconic, LLC, and the national media partner is Green Builder Media.