Green Issues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Lori Harrison, (703) 684-2480
lharrison@wef.org

September 9, 2008

WEFTEC.08 to Highlight Green Issues in Chicago
Conference will feature green-oriented technical sessions and a special “rain garden” project

Alexandria, Va. – Renewable energy, water reuse, and water reclamation are just a few of the “green” topics that will be highlighted at WEFTEC®.08 – the Water Environment Federation’s 81st annual technical exhibition and conference – this October in Chicago. Recognized as one of the greenest cities in America, Chicago is an ideal host city for the largest water quality conference in North America.

Just a few blocks from the conference at McCormick Place, WEF’s Student and Young Professionals Committee will kick-off WEFTEC’s “green” activities on Saturday, October 18 by hosting the “Gettin out of the Gutter” Community Service Project. A collaborative effort between WEF, Chicago’s Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the Illinois Water Environment Association Student Activities Committee, WEF members will work with the local community to construct rain gardens in Chicago’s Pulaski Park. By preventing stormwater from entering the wastewater collection system, rain gardens provide an environmentally-friendly method of reducing sewer overflows and recharging groundwater supplies.

From an educational standpoint, WEFTEC’s technical program will feature the following “green” technical sessions during the five-day event:

Monday, October 20

S34: Water Reuse Case Studies I
S35: Advanced Water Reuse Treatment Technologies
S36: Case Studies for Implementing Water Sustainability

Tuesday, October 21

S55: Reclaimed Water Treatment Technologies
S61: Green Power: Renewable Energy Options for Water and Wastewater Utilities
S56: Wetlands as a Reuse Treatment Technology

Wednesday, October 22

S106: Greenhouse Gases and Sustainability
S111: Water Reuse Case Studies II

As the largest water quality event in North America and largest annual water quality exhibition in the world, WEFTEC.08 is expected to host more than 18,000 of the world’s leading water quality experts and 1,000 companies featuring the latest in water quality technology. WEFTEC.08 will be held at McCormick Place from October 18-22, 2008. For more information, visit www.weftec.org.

About WEF

Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 35,000 individual members and 81 affiliated Member Associations representing an additional 50,000 water quality professionals throughout the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.

###