Pacific Institute Celebrating 33rd Anniversary
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This week marks our 33rd anniversary! Our organization was founded in October 1987, when a small group of researchers in Berkeley, California came together with a shared vision of bringing new ways of thinking and doing to pressing environmental and social problems.
Since then, we have carried out independent research and outreach to improve how sustainability is understood and achieved. Recently, in response to the mounting global water crisis, we decided to significantly accelerate and scale our reach and impact. We honed our strategic focus and set a 2030 organizational goal to catalyze the transformation to water resilience in the face of climate change. Learn more here.
Read more about our history and work in EuropeNow's special 2018 issue on water centers and institutes here.
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New Report: Financing Water Supply and Sanitation in a Changing Climate
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Smart investments in water supply and sanitation can benefit both the climate and those living in poverty, finds a new report from the Pacific Institute and Water.org. Financing Water Supply and Sanitation in a Changing Climate explores the connections between water, sanitation, and hygiene and climate change. It finds that the energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions from water supply and sanitation systems can be reduced through water and energy efficiency improvements and the adoption of renewable or lower-greenhouse gas emissions energy options, such as biogas recovery. Doing so can make water supply and sanitation systems less vulnerable to climate impacts on energy systems while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Upcoming Webinar: Water Recommendations for the Next Administration
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America is at a crossroads. We can continue to overlook the nation’s water problems -- even as scarcity, pollution, and climate changes increase risk -- or we can take steps to make our water systems more effective, resilient, and equitable.
Join Pacific Institute President Emeritus Dr. Peter Gleick and Director of Research Heather Cooley as they explore the Pacific Institute’s water recommendations for the next administration with President Jason Morrison. The webinar will include an overview of America’s current water woes and provide practical solutions for the incoming administration, on issues ranging from aging infrastructure to inequitable water access and climate change’s effects on water resources.
Wednesday November 18 I 1:00-2:00PM PT
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Upcoming Webinar: Building Resilience with Multiple Benefit Water Strategies
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Investing in water management can provide additional co-benefits to the economy, environment, and communities. From healthy waterways to carbon sequestration and urban green space, investing in multi-benefit water management strategies can support future resilience. On November 17th, the Pacific Institute and the Sustainable and Resilient Resources Roundtable will host a virtual workshop entitled “Building Resilience with Multiple Benefit Water Strategies.”
Tuesday November 17 I 12:00-2:00PM PT
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New Report: Solutions for Underperforming Drinking Water Systems in California
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California passed the Human Right to Water in 2012, acknowledging that every resident has a right to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. Yet this is not always the case. Across the state, both large and small water systems currently struggle to provide safe drinking water, with small systems facing the greatest challenges. Many of these small systems primarily serve disadvantaged communities that have limited funds and resources.
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New Report: Ensuring One Water Delivers for Healthy Waterways: A Framework for Incorporating Healthy Waterways into One Water Plans and Projects
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As forward-thinking cities become increasingly adept at capturing and reusing wastewater, stormwater, and greywater, essential river systems may be at risk. This report provides a framework for deliberate, community-driven planning to ensure nearby waterways have the water they need to thrive.
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Update from the CEO Water Mandate: Water Stewardship University
The Pacific Institute is Co-Secretariat of the CEO Water Mandate, a UN Global Compact initiative that mobilizes business leaders on water, sanitation, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Launched in 2019, Water Stewardship University is an e-learning series for businesses and others to learn about their water risks and what they can do to address them and advance water security. It features a series of courses, starting with "The Basics" (recommended for those new to stewardship) and continuing on to "Strategy, Targets, and Reporting," and "Collective Action" (recommended for more advanced audiences).
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Featured Blog Post: From Source to Tap: Assessing Water Quality in California
By Walker Grimshaw, Research Associate
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Did you know more than 80 percent of Californians rely on groundwater for at least part of their drinking water? Yet water providers in California face a variety of challenges in sustainably providing high quality drinking water to their customers while protecting the natural environment, writes Grimshaw in this blog post. The post explores surface water and groundwater quality challenges in California, from pesticides to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often referred to as “forever chemicals.”
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From the Blog: Pacific Institute Insights
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OCT 31 I President Emeritus Dr. Peter Gleick will speak on the panel "Food, Energy, and Water Visions: Balancing the Challenges of Now, Next, and Beyond" at the T20 Summit
NOV 6 I Senior Researcher Dr. Anne Thebo will speak on "Squaring the Hydro Circle: Tapping Water Reuse in Silicon Valley" at a Water, Environment, and Technology event at Sustainable Silicon Valley
NOV 12 I The UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, for which Pacific Institute is Co-Secretariat, will hold a discussion on "Business Water Resilience" as part of the Race to Zero dialogues
NOV 17 I Dr. Thebo, Senior Researcher Dr. Sarah Diringer, Research Associate Morgan Shimabuku, Senior Researcher Tien Shiao, and Research Associate Sonali Abraham will speak on “Building Resilience through Multiple Benefit Water Strategies" at the Sustainable and Resilient Resources Roundtable
NOV 18 I Mr. Morrison, Dr. Gleick, and Ms. Cooley will present on the Pacific Institute's "Water Recommendations for the Next Administration"
View past webinars on our YouTube channel here.
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Pacific Institute in the News
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Marketplace: Water Enters Futures Market, Allowing Buyers to Lock in Prices
The Independent: Greta Thunberg Uses Popular Meme to Show the Devastating Cost of Climate Change
Read more news featuring Pacific Institute research and experts here.
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Help create and advance solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges.
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