Waterkeeper Alliance – the international champion of clean water and strong communities, with 189 programs on six continents – announced today a distinguished roster of environmental leaders, including President Bill Clinton, who will speak at its 10th Anniversary Conference on June 24-27, 2009.
The Conference, one of the most important gatherings for watershed advocates in the world, was held in New York – the birthplace of the Waterkeeper movement. Taking place at SUNY Maritime College in Bronx, New York City, the Conference united Waterkeepers from 19 countries to discuss climate change and ways to mitigate its impacts on waterways. The activities schedule follows:
Wednesday, June 24th
o Jon Carson, Chief of Staff, White House Council on Environmental Quality, will speak at 1:30 pm about the nexus between the administration’s agenda and water quality.
Thursday, June 25th
o Bill Reinert, National Manager of the Advanced Technologies Group, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. will speak at 9:00 am about peak liquids and the energy water nexus.
o Waterkeeper Alliance Chairman and Founder Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will introduce speakers President Bill Clinton and Dr. James Hansen.
o President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, will deliver the Conference keynote address at 11:30 am.
o Dr. James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, will address the Conference at 1:15 pm about immediate actions that must be taken to move beyond fossil fuels.
o At 5:45 pm, Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute, and a leading authority on peak oil and peak coal, will speak about the “clean coal” myth and post carbon strategies.
o During dinner, British Explorer Robert Swan (OBE), the first person to walk to the North and South poles, will share his inspiring story and showcase sustainable living practices, and Yun Jianli, head of the Middle Han Waterkeeper, will talk about waterway conservation and restoration efforts in China.
Friday, June 26th
o Majora Carter, President, Majora Carter Group, LLC, and MacArthur “genius” grant winner, will speak at 8:30 am about poverty alleviation through green economic development.
o John H. Dunnigan, Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will speak at 6:00 pm about climate change and preserving our fisheries.
Saturday, June 27th
o Elizabeth Ramirez, Cartagena Waterkeeper, will speak at 8:15 am about river conservation in Colombia.
o That evening, Waterkeeper Chairman and Founder Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will deliver the keynote address at a 10th Anniversary Celebration at the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden in Manhattan.
Waterkeeper Alliance is one of the world’s fastest-growing grassroots environmental organizations with nearly 200 local Waterkeepers defending and advocating for rivers, lakes and other waterways in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Waterkeeper Alliance uses powerful advocacy grounded in science and law to tackle significant national and international environmental issues that affect our waterways. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.waterkeeper.org, and readThe Riverkeepers by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
