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DigitalProgram

VIEW OUR DIGITAL PROGRAM

Our digital program includes the event schedule, a map of the exhibitor hall, and other important information for the day of the event.

EVENT HOSTED BY:

AIASF, EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION,

SAN JOSE WATER, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC,

AND

U.S.GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

About the Event

Water is a limited natural resource heavily impacted by the built environment.

Using sustainable practices in a building's development speaks to

the triple bottom line — people, profit & planet. 

Since 2004, hundreds of advocates, researchers, business leaders, product manufacturers and government officials have gathered every year to address the most pressing water issues and challenges facing the state of California. Grab a ticket today for the showcase to learn more about scalable strategies and solutions to conserve one of Earth's most precious resources.

Register

The 20th Anniversary Water Conservation Showcase will take place on June 15, 2023 at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center.

We encourage attendees to join us in person to engage with our expo and network with other water industry professionals. If you are unable to attend in person in San Ramon, you may register beneath individual sessions below to attend them online.

Program

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

WORKSHOP - Using Compost and Mulch to Enhance Water Savings, while Meeting California Regulations
WORKSHOP - Water Audit Basics for Commercial Facilities

Tour of Southeast Community Center, 10 am and noon (noon tour includes plaque ceremony)



Thursday, June 15, 2023
 
8:00 am - Doors Open
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT
      - Water Rights and Scarcity: From Global to Local in Room J101
      - Innovative Architecture for Efficient Water Use in Room J102
      - Strategies to Engage Our Diverse Communities in Room G


11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT
      - Frontiers of the Water-Energy Nexus in Room J101
      - Finding Leaks in the Haystack in Room J102
      - Climate-Wise Commercial Landscape Practices in Room G

1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT

      - Boosting Resilience with Groundwater Recharge in Room J101
      - EcoBlock: Creating an Urban Block-Scale Microgrid in Room J102
      - Drought to Deluge: A Rain Garden in Action in Room G

3:30 pm to 5:00 pm PT
      - CA's Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future in Room J101
      - Blue Architecture: Delivering Net Positive Watershed Impact in Room J102
 

Wednesday, June 20, 2023

Tour of Southeast Community Center, 10 am and noon


 

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Hands-on Drip Irrigation Workshop at The Gardens at Heather Farm

PROGRAM

We encourage attendees to join us in person to engage with our expo and network with other water industry professionals. If you are unable to attend in person in San Ramon, you may register beneath individual sessions below to attend them online.

Doors open at 8:00 am

Water Rights and Scarcity: From Global to Local
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT in Room J101

The panelists will discuss their visions for the future of water stewardship and how it’s an opportunity to advance resilient communities and a healthy environment.

Speakers:

Aaron Tartakovsky, CEO and Founder, Epic Cleantec

Newsha Ajami, PhD, Chief Development Officer for Research, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Kyle Pickett, Co-Founder and VP of the Board, Worthen Foundation

View this session on-demand



Innovative Architecture for Efficient Water Use
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT in Room J102

Session will review water conservation strategies deployed at large corporate headquarters (Microsoft and Uber) and other sites including integrated water management and treatment systems and a circular water economy where water is collected for onsite gardens that produce food for a couple of the projects.


Speakers:
Erik Elmtoft, Associate Principal, AlfaTech Consulting Engineers
Wright Sherman, Partner, WRNS Studio

Host: Orrin Goldsby, David Baker Architects and AIA Committee on the Environment

View this session on-demand


 

Strategies to Engage Our Diverse Communities
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT in Room G

This presentation will share learnings from Santa Rosa Water’s efforts to expand the community benefits of water use efficiency programs through diverse and equitable outreach, identifying barriers to participation and best practices for enhanced engagement.
Speakers:
Amy Weinfurter, Director of Strategic Projects, WaterNow Alliance
Claire Nordlie, Water Use Efficiency Supervisor, City of Santa Rosa
Hugo Mata, Principal/CEO, Soluna Outreach Solutions

Host: Jolene Bertetto, East Bay Municipal Utility District

View this session on-demand
 


New Frontiers of the Water-Energy Nexus
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT in Room J101

Session will examine the water/energy relationship, review water policy implications, share several case-study projects, and explore the concept of distributed water treatment and reuse systems.

Speakers:
Alvar Escriva-Bou, Assistant professor, UCLA
Peter Fiske, Executive Director, The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), LBNL

Host: Ryan Stroupe, PG&E Energy Centers

View this session on-demand

Finding Leaks in the Haystack
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT in Room J102

Presentation will review program details and water savings data from two leak detection initiatives focused on multi-family buildings that utilize hourly AMI data or leak sensors.

Speakers:
Chris Hewes, Water Resources Planner, Woodard & Curran
Kevin Galvin, Water Conservation Administrator, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Sonali Abraham, Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute

Host: Julie Ortiz, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

View this session on-demand


Climate-Wise Commercial Landscape Practices
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT in Room G

The presentation will focus on the benefits of and approach to building resilient landscapes as they pertain to dealing with drought conditions, heavier storms, wildfires, and carbon sequestration.
Speakers:
Loren McIrvin, Owner, Allied Landscape
Dave Phelps, Landscape Architect/Consultant/Educator, Garden Enlightenment
Sarah Sutton, Landscape Architect/Author

Host: Geneva Gondak, East Bay Municipal Utility District

View this session on-demand

Boosting Resilience with Groundwater Recharge
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT in Room J101

Dr. Geoffrey Tick of Valley Water and Grace Su of East Bay Municipal Utility District will look at the groundwater management issues that each utility is addressing.

Speakers:
Dr. Geoffrey Tick, Senior Water Resources Specialist, Valley Water
Grace Su, Senior Civil Engineer, East Bay Municipal Utility District

Host: Kurt Elvert, San Jose Water Company
View this session on-demand


EcoBlock: Creating an Urban Block-Scale Microgrid
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT in Room J102

Session will focus on the water-related strategies deployed as part of the Oakland EcoBlock project including water conserving systems, rainwater harvesting and stormwater mitigation.
Speakers:
Therese Peffer, Associate Director, California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS), UC Berkeley
Sandy Robertson, retired senior research engineer and lecturer in Stanford's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Craig Boman, Project Manager, Sherwood Design Engineers

Host: Mark Kelly, BAR Architects and AIA Committee on the Environment

View this session on-demand


Drought to Deluge: A Rain Garden in Action

1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT in Room G

Presentation will review stormwater management best practices deployed in the form of rain gardens at the Southeast Community Center in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.
Speakers:
Jennifer Cooper, Landscape Architecture Bureau Manager, San Francisco Public Works

Brett Desmarais, Landscape Architect | Arborist, San Francisco Public Works

Host: Julie Ortiz, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

View this session on-demand

CA's Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm PT in Room J101

Presentation will explore how a changed climate is impacting water supply and demand and describe how California agencies are implementing Governor Newsom’s water policies.
Speakers:
Annalisa Kihara, PE, Assistant Deputy Director, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board

Kris Tjernell, Deputy Director, CA Department of Water Resources
Host: Geneva Gondak, East Bay Municipal Utility District

View this session on-demand


Blue Architecture: Delivering Net Positive Watershed Impact
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm PT in Room J102

Presentation will explore the profound implications of working with water as a design protagonist and connective medium between site scale sustainable architectures and resilient urban landscapes.

Speakers:
Brook Muller, Author/Dean, College of Arts + Arc
hitecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Host: Orrin Goldsby, David Baker Architects and AIA Committee on the Environment

View this session on-demand

Water Rights
Innov Arch
Strategies to engage
New Frontiers
Climate-Wise Landscape
Boosting Resilience
EcoBlock
Drought to Deluge
CA Water Supply
Blue Arch
Finding Leaks
Workshop/Tours

WORKSHOPS & TOURS

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Water Audit Basics for Commercial Facilities

Reducing water use can yield water, sewer and energy savings. Learn basic skills to perform interior and exterior water evaluations including ability to identify water waste, use of proper tools and techniques, and analysis of water use data. Class will explore latest water-saving technologies and include a mock water audit.

7-hour workshop

Speakers:

Michelle Maddaus, Maddaus Water Management Inc.

Nikki Powell, Maddaus Water Management Inc.

Todd Bell, Frontier Energy/Food Service Technology Center

Register HERE to attend this workshop.

Wednesday, June 14 & 20, 2023

Tour of Southeast Community Center

This tour, offered twice daily on June 14 and June 20, will complement the Water Conservation Showcase session “Drought to Deluge” and provide an opportunity to see the landscaped bioswales of the new Southeast Community Center and learn about the center’s role as a hub to promote the health, well-being, cultural, educational, and financial empowerment of San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunter’s Points residents.

1-hour tour

Speakers:

Larry Berry, Southeast Community Center Deputy Director 

Emily Rogers-Pharr, Southeast Community Center Director

Register for this tour on June 14 or June 20 at 10 am and noon. The June 14th noon Tour will also include a plaque ceremony for their recent LEED Gold certification, check out more details.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023​

Using Compost and Mulch to Enhance Water Savings, while Meeting California Regulations

Learn about regulations, best practices, specification details, sourcing, and application techniques for compost and mulch by attending this half-day, in-person, hands-on workshop. 

5-hour workshop

Speakers:

Ron Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc.

Lori Caldwell, StopWaste.org

Kim O’Cain, O’Cain Consulting

Register HERE to attend this half-day workshop.

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Hands-on Drip Irrigation Workshop 

This hands-on workshop will teach participants how to convert sprinkler zones to the most efficient irrigation available, drip. After a short talk on drip design and hydraulics, the instructors and students will convert two sprinkler zones at The Gardens at Heather Farm to drip. 

6-hour workshop

Speakers:

Lori Palmquist, Irrigation designer and educator

Kim Titus, Urban Farmer Store

Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session.

Speakers

SPEAKERS

Click on image to find speaker in the program, click on name for bio

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Aaron Tartakovsky

Co-Founder and CEO, Epic Cleantec

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Alvar Escriva-Bou

Assistant Professor, UCLA

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Amy Weinfurter

Director of Strategic Projects, WaterNow Alliance

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Annalisa Kihara, PE

Assistant Deputy Director, Division of Water Quality, 

State Water Resources Control Board

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Brett Desmarais

Landscape Architect | Arborist, San Francisco Public Works

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Brook Muller

Dean, College of Arts +Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

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Chris Hewes

Water Resources Planner, Woodard & Curran

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Claire Nordlie

Water Conservation Coordinator

City of Santa Rosa

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Craig Boman

Project Manager, Sherwood Design Engineers

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Dave Phelps

Landscape Architect, Consultant, and Educator, Garden Enlightenment

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Erik Elmtoft

Associate Principal, AlfaTech Consulting Engineers

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Dr. Geoffrey R. Tick

Senior Water Resources Specialist, Valley Water

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Grace Su

Senior Civil Engineer, East Bay Municipal Utility District

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Hugo Mata

Principal/CEO, Soluna Outreach Solutions

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Jennifer Cooper

Landscape Architecture Bureau Manager, San Francisco Public Works

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Kevin Galvin

Water Conservation Administrator, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
 

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Kris Tjernell

Deputy Director, CA Department of Water Resources

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Kyle Pickett

Co-founder & VP of the Board, Worthen Foundation

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Loren McIrvin

Owner, Allied Landscape

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Newsha K. Ajami

Chief Strategic Development Officer, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

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Dr. Peter S. Fiske

Executive Director - National Alliance for Water Innovation, NAWI - National Alliance for Water Innovation

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Sandy Robertson

Oakland Ecoblock

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Sarah Sutton

Landscape Architect/Author

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Sonali Abraham

Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute
 

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Therese Peffer

Associate Director, California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), UC Berkeley

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Wright Sherman

Partner, WRNS Studio

Partners, Sponsors, & Exhibitors

PARTNERS / SPONSORS / EXHIBITORS

2023 PARTNERS
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2023 SPONSORS

Platinum

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Gold

Silver

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2023 EXHIBITORS

Premium Exhibitor

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Aquos pools/AFS LLC

Standard Exhibitor

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Energy Code Ace
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  • Almeda County Water District

  • APLD CA Chapter

  • Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA)

  • Association of Professional Landscape Designers

  • California Department of Water Resources

  • CLCA East Bay Chapter

  • ReScape

  • Ruth Bancroft Garden

 

2023 OUTREACH PARTNERS

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  • San Diego Green Building Council

  • Stop Waste

  • Sustainable Contra Costa

  • Sustainable Silicon Valley

  • USGBC Central California

  • USGBC LA

  • William J. Worthen Foundation

 

Sponsor
Exhibitors
Exhibit

2023 Water Conservation Showcase Door-Prize Drawing
The Water Conservation Showcase Door-Prize Drawing will include over $3000 in raffle prizes! See bel
ow for items currently included in the raffle. Additional prizes are still being added regularly, so please check back!

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Opportunities

OPPORTUNITIES 

Sponsorship

Call for Sponsors & Exhibitors

Show your support for water conservation and reach hundreds of interested attendees. Explore the WCS 2023 Sponsor and Exhibitor Prospectus to learn about opportunities.

Ready to sign up? Confirm your spot at the Water Conservation Showcase.

Thank you for your support! Contact us for more information.

FAQ

FAQ

Q: Who can attend? 

A: Everyone is invited to attend. All Water Conservation Showcase education is free to the public. This is made possible through the work of the Water Conservation Showcase partners AIA SF COTE, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Francisco Public Utilities, San Jose Water, Pacific Gas & Electric, USGBC Northern California, and showcase sponsors. 

 

Q: Will this be in-person or virtual? 

A: In 2023, the Showcase is returning to a full-day, in-person conference this year! You can attend in-person (at the San Ramon Conference Center) or virtually (through PG&E Energy Center website).

Q: Will continuing education credits be available?

A: Yes, we will be offering GBCI and AIA continuing education hours for most sessions.

Q: Do I need to register for each session separately?

A: You will need to log-in/register for a free PG&E Energy Center account. You will then be able to register for all of the in person showcase at once.

Q: How do I get to the San Ramon Conference Center?

A: The Conference Center is located in San Ramon at 3301 Crow Canyon Road, off Highway 680, between Walnut Creek and Pleasanton. Free parking is available to all.

 

Driving Directions:

  • From Highway 680, take the Crow Canyon Road exit.

  • Head East until you pass Camino Ramon Road.

  • Turn into the second driveway on your right

 

Local Public transportation:

The San Ramon Valley Conference Center is accessible by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and County Connection bus. You can ride BART to the Walnut Creek station then transfer to the 95X, 96X or 21 County Connection bus, or ride BART to the Dublin/Pleasanton Station and transfer to the 97X or 35 County Connection bus.

 

If you have questions, please call the Conference Center at (925) 866-7500.

Q: How can I get help with the registration process?

A. Please email LMShelp@learn.pge.com.

ARTICLES:

Water Conservation Showcase: Visit the Southeast Community Center in San Francisco

View the 2023 Water Conservation Showcase program

Celebrating World Water Day

A vision of ecological preservation for California’s water use 

Take a California watershed walk and connect around conservation

Attend Webinar Home Water Solutions All Budgets

Water Conservation Showcase on stewardship, policy and equity

Water Conservation Showcase on water use and landscapes

Last day of the Water Conservation Showcase features technologies and design strategies

2020 Water Conservation Showcase reaches a wide audience

Continue learning about water policies at the Water Conservation Showcase

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