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After three years of planning (thanks COVID19!), the national Stormwater Summit finally convened in Minneapolis two weeks ago. Originally planned for 2020, and then for 2021, the in-person version of this annual event finally landed. The Twin Cities, as well as Minnesota as a whole, have much to showcase but in true Midwestern style, they often keep their lights under a bushel. Finally, the region was able to throw open the doors… Read More

When hundreds of water professionals descended on Washington, D.C. three weeks ago I wasn’t the only one wondering if anyone would notice us. The city was abuzz with FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, the House health  care proposal, and the president’s proposed budget which slashed support for the EPA and other critical critical agencies that we depend on for scientifically based water management. But judging by the line-up of… Read More

When WEFTEC descends, bringing up to 25,000 people and six football fields worth of exhibits, it’s hard for a city not to notice that water geeks are in town.  But in recent years, organizers have begun to ask the question “What’s left after we go?” Undoubtedly we leave tons of landfill material behind, much of which could be avoided, but that’s another blog for another time. On a more positive note, the water industry’s… Read More

Last week I had the opportunity to deliver one of the key note addresses to the 600+ attendees at the Onsite Wastewater Mega-Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. Until Eric Casey, who runs the National of Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA), invited me to speak to the group I wasn’t very familiar with it or its work despite the fact that 25% or more of U.S. homes are served by onsite sewage treatment, generally in… Read More

One of the most important partners we had during my six years leading (creating!) Charting New Waters, a series of ground-breaking dialogues hosted by The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, was the Water Environment Federation (WEF). My relationship with WEF takes a new turn at the end of the month when I’ll be joining their Board of Trustees. I’m sure that will be the subject of future blogs, but for today here are… Read More

With the shoreline in sight and the wind at our backs, the last few weeks have gone by quickly.  It’s been more than six years since The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread decided to try out a new approach to its convenings.  With that in mind, they brought me onto the team in late 2008 to bring into shape a still-forming concept about how to strategically use their resources to have deep impact… Read More

The following remarks were given by Lynn Broaddus at a press conference announcing the culminating report, Navigating to New Shores: Seizing the Future for Sustainable and Resilient Freshwater Resources, during WEFTEC in New Orleans, Sept. 29, 2014.  For more than 50 years, The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread has been convening the nation’s leading thinkers to address the challenging issues of our day. We have a history of taking on big issues and… Read More

People sometimes ask me how we select our meeting topics. There isn’t any particular formula to how we do our work, but I like to tell people that we try to answer for ourselves: What is the question that isn’t being asked, but needs to be asked? In my head I have an image of a bead of water building up on a hard-packed sandy beach, but still held together by surface… Read More

This morning’s news made mention that U.S. carbon dioxide emissions continue to decrease. This is extremely welcome news, but we can hardly consider the job done. There is much work ahead, and all sectors need to be part of the solution. We’ve long known that energy efficiency and conservation, as well as shifts to renewable energy sources are critical pathways toward climate stability. But today about two dozen experts from across the… Read More