E 7.2 - Solving Global Water Challenges from the Great Lakes Region featuring Alaina Harkness

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Ecosystems For Change

Anika Horn, Social Venturers

75 episodes

2 months ago

Transforming communities is hard work. That may go without saying, but when your job is about helping your neighborhood, city or region thrive, talking about being underpaid, burnt out and frustrated with the slow pace of change is kind of frowned upon. As ecosystem builders, we amplify the work of local makers, doers and innovators by championing their efforts and rallying support around them. And maybe most importantly, we build a culture of trust and collaboration among all stakeholders, so that the doers and innovators among us have equal access to information, talent and resources when they need them. On Ecosystems for Change we'll explore how ecosystem building can help us unleash the full potential of the makers, doers, innovators and visionaries in our communities. And I’ll be talking with my guests about the tactics and practical skills they use in their everyday work and what they do to prevent burning the candle at both ends.

All content for Ecosystems For Change is the property of Anika Horn, Social Venturers and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

E 7.2 - Solving Global Water Challenges from the Great Lakes Region featuring Alaina Harkness

Ecosystems For Change

47 minutes

6 months ago

E 7.2 - Solving Global Water Challenges from the Great Lakes Region featuring Alaina Harkness

Fresh water is a vital resource for life on earth, and it plays an increasingly important role in developing technologies like AI, quantum computing, and the data centers on which both rely.

Managing access, use, and waste will only become more pressing as industry and communities continue to compete for water resources.

So it makes sense that the Great Lakes, which hold 20% of the world’s fresh surface water, are the site of our first Regional Regional Innovation Engine, funded by the National Science Foundation through the NSF Engines Program.

Today, we’re headed to Chicago to talk to Alaina Harkness of Great Lakes ReNEW about how this ecosystem is leading efforts across the Great Lakes region to bring stakeholders together, transition to a circular water economy, and protect and steward the Great Lakes for generations to come.

Alaina Harkness is the CEO of Chicago-based water innovation hub, Current, and the CEO and Principal Investigator of their NSF-funded Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine: Great Lakes ReNEW. She’s an entrepreneurial leader and lifelong Great Lakes resident who has spent her career seeking ways to build more inclusive economies and resilient communities. Outside the office, you can often find her on or near Lake Michigan, where she enjoys sailing, swimming, and birding in the parks near her South Side home.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

How conventional delivery and treatment systems have rendered water usage invisible to too many
How developing water reuse systems benefits both the humans and the industry that rely on freshwater
How Great Lakes ReNEW is building an extensive coalition to balance economic and environmental factors around water use in the region, develop new circular water technologies
The challenges and opportunities of building the “blue economy” and how Great Lakes ReNEW will measure their impact and success

Learn more about Alaina Harkness:

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