Educational Program: Why We Need to be Paying More Attention to Water
Water is essential to every community, ecosystem, and economy around the globe. It is fundamental to all life on earth. Yet water insecurity has become one of the greatest crises on the planet –and one that is largely overlooked. The United Nations cites data that says more than 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries, and around 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity at least one month a year. So what can be done to address this global challenge? How can private companies, governments, and NGOs act cohesively to preserve and restore watersheds in the face of increasing drought, demand, and climate change? What innovative technologies and approaches can make, and are already, making a difference?
This educational program with David Grant, Director of Global Water Sustainability at PepsiCo, Will Sarni, Founder of Water Foundry Ventures, and Kari Vigerstol, Director of Water Security Science and Innovation for The Nature Conservancy, will address these questions and help foreign correspondents take a deep dive on the state of one of life’s most precious resources.
This program is developed in partnership between the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA) and PepsiCo; the AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the development of the content of this program.
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 AT 10 AM EDT | ONLINE
Lecturers/Speakers of this educational program
David Grant, Director of Global Water Sustainability at PepsiCo - Grant oversees PepsiCo’s water stewardship agenda and supports the company in delivering its global water strategy. That includes covering both internal water use efficiency and the programs implemented to support broader conservation of the watersheds from which PepsiCo sources its water. With 20 years of experience in the beverage industry, Grant previously was with AB InBev, where he was head of sustainable development for the Africa sector, and prior to that was with SABMiller.
Will Sarni, Founder and general partner of Water Foundry Ventures. Sarni is also the founder and CEO of water strategy consultancy, Water Foundry. Prior to Water Foundry, Sarni was a managing director at Deloitte Consulting, where he established and led the water strategy practice.
Kari Vigerstol, Director of Water Security Science and Innovation for The Nature Conservancy - Vigerstol strategically strengthening and advancing the science behind the Conservancy’s source water protection and water scarcity strategies. Over the last 19 years, Kari has brought her technical skills and partnership-building experience to dozens of watersheds around the world towards protecting water sources and improving water use and management.