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The Horinko Group Newsletter: Issue 1, Jamuary 2012

Headlines

The Horinko Group Announces Next Free Webinar - Biofuel Production: Dissecting the Water-Energy-Land Nexus
May 17, 2012 | 1:30 - 3:00 PM EDT | Register NowThe Horinko Group Water Division
The Horinko Group's Water Division will host the third installment in its 2012 free webinar series on May 17 at 1:30pm Eastern to examine the implications of biofuel production on our nation's land, water, and energy supplies. The rising cost of traditional petroleum and intensifying political debate over our reliance on foreign oil are pushing up pursuit of alternative domestic fuel sources.

As biofuel production continues to increase, concern is building regarding competing use for lands (food vs. fuel debate), implications of grid energy demands, excessive water usage, and deleterious effects on water quality. Building on THG's last webinar, Agricultural Water Usage: Trends, Indicators, and What It All Means, this session will provide factual data and insight from experts on these range of issues; in addition to an in depth total cost analysis weighing often overlooked inputs and outputs.

Featured Panel

  • Dr. Noel Gollehon, Senior Economist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Moderator)
  • Dr. May Wu, Environmental Scientist, Center for Transportation Research, Energy System Division, Argonne National Laboratory
  • Ronald Pate, Principal Member of Technical Staff, Earth Systems Analysis & Energy Technologies and Systems Solutions, Sandia National Laboratories
  • Elizabeth Erdmann, Assistant Director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office

For additional information on this webinar, the presenters, and free registration, visit http://bit.ly/THGMay2012Webinar.

THG Launches 2012 Environmental Speaker Luncheon Series
Kick Off Luncheon: May 11, 2012 | 12:00 - 1:30 PM EDT | Washington, DCRoger Ballentine
The Horinko Group is pleased to announce the first installment in its Speaker Series, a periodic luncheon discussion of timely environmental issues by thought leaders on all sides of the political and policy debate.  The format will feature a brief period of networking, half hour of informative remarks, and a lively question & answer session.  

The first luncheon, taking place on May 11 from 12:00-1:30pm at the offices of The Horinko Group, will feature Roger Ballentine, President of Green Strategies and former Senior Environmental Advisor to President Clinton to discuss, “The Clean Tech Landscape: From Stimulus and Solyndra to Fracking and Rare Earths.”  With unprecedented stimulus funding and record private sector investment, the renewable energy and clean technology sectors were enjoying their greatest successes in 2009 and 2010.  Now, with a dysfunctional and highly politicized national debate over energy and fiscal philosophy, as well as major market risks presented by cheap natural gas and longer term threats like constricted supplies of rare earth elements, will federal policy end up providing a headwind or a tailwind for the growth of these sectors?”

To attend and/or inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Isaac Chapman at ichapman@thehorinkogroup.org.  For a list of past luncheon speakers, visit http://thgadvisors.org/?q=node/93.

THG Hosting Roundtable in Late April to Explore Innovative Public-Private Water Infrastructure Financing Models
The Horinko Group Water DivisionThe Horinko Group will focus the first Executive Salon of its 2012 Series on the pressing water infrastructure challenges facing our nation, exploring non-traditional financing models through public-private partnerships.  Models that have proven effective within the transportation sector may provide the starting point for municipalities to bridge the growing funding gap.  Infrastructure investments are becoming an area of real growth potential that can no longer be ignored. 

The April 30 roundtable discussion entitled, Financing Water Infrastructure through Public Private Partnerships - Finding the Right Model, will convene thought leaders from drinking and wastewater utilities, financial service providers, engineering and constructions firms, trade associations, and all levels of government to discuss how such new and innovative financing models may be constructed and what challenges will have to be addressed along the way.

Ready for Download: Promoting Innovative Environmental Technologies - EPA's New "Path Forward" StrategyVita Nuova's Sustanability Webinar Series
The free webinar hosted by Vita Nuova on March 30 entitled, Promoting Innovative Environmental Technologies: EPA's New “Path Forward” Strategy, is now available in its entirety on the company's website at bit.ly/VNWebinarMarch2012.

The well-attended and informative session featured Walter Kovalick, former Director of EPA's Technology Innovation Office, as he discusses EPA's “Path Forward” Strategy intended to promote newly emerging technologies that hold the promise of addressing environmental problems in a more cost-effective manner.  Marianne Horinko served as moderator.

Upcoming Events

SSF Webinar - Increasing Collaboration to Build a Sustainable Future
May 10, 2012 | 1:15 - 2:45 PM EDT | Free Registration
Security and Sustainability ForumOn May 10, join moderator Paul Rowland from the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and a panel of academic and industry thought leaders, to discuss ways to further the goals of the United Nations RIO +20 conference through increased collaboration in research, education, workforce preparation, sustainable practices, and engineering solutions.

For additional information on the Security and Sustainability Forum (SSF) and to register for this free webinar, visit www.securityandsustainabilityforum.org

Oklahoma Brownfields Conference 2012: Rethink...Reinvest...Reinvent
May 22 - 23, 2012 | Oklahoma City, OK | Registration
Oklahoma Department of Environmental QualityConvening at the site of one of Oklahoma City's Brownfields success stories, the historic Skirvin Hilton Hotel, hear from industry leaders about the economic, social, and environmental potential of Brownfields redevelopment. 

On May 22, Marianne Horinko, President of The Horinko Group, will participate on the conference's opening panel entitled, Rethinking Renewable Energy on Brownfield Sites.  She will be accompanied by moderator, Robert Colangelo, Executive Director of the National Brownfields Association, Marielle Boortz with Chevron Corporation, and Ian Webster of Project Navigator.  The following day, Ms. Horinko will serve as Keynote Speaker to discuss the evolution of Brownfields redevelopment and explore opportunities for future growth and innovation.

For additional information about the conference, visit http://bit.ly/OKBrownfields2012.

The Horinko Group Celebrates Earth Day 2012!Earth Day 2012
April 22, 2012 | Everywhere | Get Involved!
On April 22, more than one billion people of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for our planet and demand its protection. 

To honor this occasion, The Horinko Group will be volunteering at Taylor Elementary School's First Grade Exploration Day on April 19 in Arlington, VA.  During this time, students will explore the shared importance of water, plants, and classification through hands-on demonstrations and a nature scavenger hunt.  Marianne Horinko, President of The Horinko Group, will also provide the Keynote Address at GAO's Fifth Annual Earth Day Celebration on April 18 in Washington, DC entitled, Earth Day - The Next Generation.

To find out more about the GAO's Earth Day Celebration including an outline of the keynote address, visit http://bit.ly/THGGAOEarthDay. To find an Earth Day event near you, please visit the Earth Day Network's website at http://www.earthday.org.

Illinois RiverWatch Network Training Workshops
April - May 2012 | Sponsored by the Illinois RiverWatch NetworkIllinois RiverWatch Network
The Illinois RiverWatch Network's 2012 Training Session is underway!  Each year, RiverWatch staff hits the road to train and certify volunteer Citizen Scientists to detect and track changes in water quality suggested by a changing macroinvertebrate population.  In doing do, they provide valuable insight to the health of our rivers and streams. 

RiverWatch has 10 Workshops scheduled across the state for new volunteers.  To download the schedule of training workshops, visit http://bit.ly/ILRiverWatch2012.

Our Mississippi Curriculum Project Launches Teacher WorkshopsOur Mississippi
The US Army Corps of Engineers is proud to launch the Our Mississippi educational activity guide for 5th and 6th grade educators. All activities are correlated to state standards for those states bordering the Upper Mississippi River and extensions are provided throughout the guide to accommodate upper and lower grade levels.

For more information on facilitator and educator training workshops visit the USACE Our Mississippi website at www.ourmississippi.org.

In The Spotlight

Presentation from Water Resources Action Project Gathering
WRAP Members at the March 22 ReceptionOn March 22, The Horinko Group hosted a Welcoming Reception on behalf of the Water Resources Action Project (WRAP) to raise awareness and build support for the volunteer, non-profit seeking to improve public health for underserved communities in the Middle East through greater water stewardship.  WRAP recently completed its second rainwater harvesting project at the underprivileged, special needs Afack School in East Jerusalem. 

The gathering included the following remarks and presentation on WRAP's past and current efforts by Founding Member and THG's Water Division Director, Brendan McGinnis:

"Let's start off with a snapshot of what the water conflict looks like in the Middle East.  More specifically, I'm going to focus on the bordering regions of Israel, Palestine, and Jordan - the initial focus of WRAP's efforts.  This region is one of growing population that is already dealing with dire water shortage problems.  All three of these bordering countries rely on a shrinking and polluted Jordan River, and adding to this problem, the number of rainy days decreases each year.  So, as you can imagine, freshwater is a precious resource for this region and its people."

To read the remainder of "In the Spotlight," visit http://bit.ly/THGAprilSpotlight

Featured Column

Excerpt From:Promoting Greater Water Reuse: An Industrial Perspective
Jon Freedman By: Jon Freedman, Co-Chair, Industrial Reuse Committee, WateReuse Association
We live in a world where an estimated 1.2 billion people live in areas that are chronically short of water. The United Nations predicts that by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population could be living under water stressed conditions. Fortunately, we can take steps to help address water scarcity, and an important one of those steps is to increase water reuse.

By increasing water reuse, both governments and businesses can help insulate themselves against impacts of water scarcity. Many governments are already taking steps to promote greater reuse. For example, countries as diverse as Singapore, Australia, Israel and Saudi Arabia have all either implemented national reuse programs or established aspirational reuse goals. Governments are also promoting reuse by raising awareness of the realities of water scarcity, making reuse requirements easier to meet, offering incentives through subsidies or pricing, and expanding regulations requiring reuse.

To read the remainder of the featured column, visit http://bit.ly/THGApril12FC.

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The Horinko Group is an environmental consulting firm operating at the intersection of science, policy, and communication. The Horinko Group has become a leader in designing and applying innovative solutions to address our nation’s most pressing environmental challenges. We bring together disparate groups of stakeholders and facilitate the collaboration critical to ensure efforts are cost-effective and sustainable.

For the latest updates on the environmental issues you care about, visit us online at www.thgadvisors.org.

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