The Ecobot III digests biomass using microbial fuel cells and extracts energy in the form of hydrogen. It also excretes organic waste. Science fiction dream (or nightmare?!) come true?
EPA’s WaterSense program launched We’re For Water, a campaign to promote water conservation. Follow Flo on Facebook or Twitter.
Flo Roadtrips to Lake Mead
Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine interviewed Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs , about dream jobs.
Check out one of his responses to this question: Tell us about a few gigs with an unexpected upside.
Waste Water Treatment. A lift pump weighs 4 tons and when it ruptures underground, the container that it’s in—a five-story silo—fills with anything that was in the toilet. Slowly the 4-ton motor is subsumed. Men, meanwhile, are running down a set of spiral stairs around this silo-like structure and muscling their way through a series of watertight doors. When they get into the chamber, they swim to the broken pump. They’re neck-deep in the most unthinkable filth you can imagine. When you get to the pump, you climb on top of it. From the very top, a crane lowers a cable. You affix it to the coupling device and then you hang on as an operator lifts the entire mess. The sound a broken lift pump makes when it breaks the seal of crap that’s been holding it there on the ground, it’ll haunt your dreams. The upside? Did you see Band of Brothers ? When you’re done with a job like that, a couple of things become apparent. The first: Nobody in town realizes what you just did for them. The second thing is the It’s A Wonderful Life paradigm. Remove yourself retroactively from civilization and visualize what a big city looks like without you and your team. You just saved the world, man.
Watch an excerpt from a wastewater treatement episode of Dirty Jobs.
For Earth Day, EPA challenged people to show something simple they do for the environment and pass along a sign declaring personal responsibility for the environment.
Check out the video, which shows 41 of the submissions.
Jody Allen Shows Off His Ink
Jody Allen, incoming President Elect, shows his enthusiasm for CWEA with a tattoo!
Some quotes to think about:
In management, 2 percent of the problem is making a decision; 98 percent is persuading others to accept the decision. -Elliot Richardson (US Attorney General, US Secretary of Defense)
Managers and leaders who fail generally do so not because of things they don’t know, but because of things they know perfectly well that they just aren’t doing. -Gary Orren (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University)
If you are a good leader, when your work is done, your aim fulfilled, your people will say, ‘we did this ourselves.’ – Abraham Lincoln (US President)
Don’t miss these opportunities planned just for you! Interact and network with other students and CWEA members of all backgrounds (engineers, operators, lab technicians, and more) at the CWEA’s 2010 Annual Conference.
Scavenger Hunt
Wed., April 21, 7:30-8:45 p.m.
Participate in CWEA’s own hour-long Amazing Race around the State Capitol. Test your knowledge of California history, wastewater trivia, and oceanic factoids as your team of 2 to 3 people solves clues leading to items, photos, and physical challenges that earn your team points. Have your digital camera or camera phone ready. Great prizes await the teams that collect the most points. The race culminates with a victory celebration “happy hour” for all participants at the finish line.
Student and Young Professional Mixer
Fri., April 23, noon – 1:30 p.m.
Mix and mingle, and get to know industry newcomers and seasoned veterans in a fun, friendly atmosphere. In addition to meeting new people and reconnecting with acquaintances, door prizes and free luch are sure to make this a great afternoon for all. There’s no cost to attend.
See the full conference brochure for more information and register online now for the 2010 CWEA Annual Conference. Remember, full-time students attend the annual conference at no cost — a bargain too good to pass up!
Check out a new iPhone application that calculates how much water is embedded in your daily activities, including what you wear, eat and drink. This application includes a calculator that quickly and easily tells you how much water it takes to grow a banana, manufacture a Tshirt, or brush your teeth. Download for free
Prefer to research from your laptop? Visit Waterfootprint.org
From Maura Bonnarens
Are you an aspiring photographer looking for a fun way to hone your skills? Well, come help with the photography crew at AC 2010! We are looking for folks who are willing to help – from one event to one day to the whole conference! The more photographers we have the better we will be able to document what promises to be a fabulous conference. Please contact Maura Bonnarens at mbonnare@ebmud.com for more information or to volunteer.
