Session Descriptions

Tuesday Evening Keynote Address 7:00 PM, Dimnent Chapel
Solving the World's Water Crisis: No Time for Complacency
Peter H. Gleick President, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security The world's freshwater resources are in crisis, affecting human health, ecosystem survival, and even international politics. As the climate changes, populations grow, and economies expand, time is running out to find effective, equitable, and sustainable solutions.  Dr. Peter H. Gleick, one of the world's experts on global water issues, will discuss the water crisis and new ways of solving it, including innovative use of new and old technologies, the smart use of economics, ecosystem restoration, and re-thinking both water supply and water demand. These solutions -- what Gleick calls "the soft path for water" offer a positive vision for water in the coming decades.
Wednesday Morning Keynote Address 9:00 AM, Dimnent Chapel
Providing Safe Water for All in the 21st Century
Joan B. Rose Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University Water is what gives earth life and the engineering feats that have helped us conquer our thirst have now connected our natural water ways with our communities and economies, including our food, tourism, and quality of life. Cholera and typhoid are ancient diseases but still plague the developing world which lacks water and wastewater infrastructure.  In the 1900s right here in the Great Lakes, typhoid ravaged towns causing many illnesses and deaths associated with just drinking a glass of water.   But we no longer have those concerns, those problems are in the developing world.  OR are they?  We know that water quality equals health and we have developed many tools and techniques to manage and measure water quality, but we have become complacent about the water around us, taking our water and our health for granted. Our world is changing, we have failing infrastructure, we have more people (elderly and immunocompromised) and animals and more of our waste now reaches our water’s edge.  And we have climate change, which means often too little water or that we are underwater.  This in combination with the ever resilient microbial world which can change and adapt and evolve, means novel and emerging waterborne diseases will continue to threaten our health.   Outbreaks, the plane crashes for the water industry, continue to occur each year, our beaches and coastlines are threatened and we accept a risk of illness with our day at the beach. Parasites, viruses and new bacteria are associated with ulcers, cancer and myocarditis, many diseases that are hidden from immediate view. These microscopic pollutants are there and we have forgotten the value of a clean glass of water.  However,  when I talk to students, engineers, public health professionals I know we can achieve this global aspiration for safe water.  We have the tools to monitor water and test for sewage contamination through genetic advances.  We have the tools to monitor for cholera and any new emerging pathogen.  This information can become knowledge and knowledge will move the political will.   Innovations in water recycling, waste to energy, harnessing storm waters and novel disinfection strategies are there and will serve both the developed and developing world.  Through science, technology, and education we can provide safe water for all.
Wednesday Morning Focus Sessions 10:30 am, at various locations on campus
Knowing the Water Commons: A Scientific Foundation for Action
Dr. Charles P. Dunning Assistant Director of the Wisconsin Water Science Center, USGS (Wichers Auditorium, Nykerk Hall ) Applying the classic notion of a commons to the world of water resources is useful for approaching a host of daunting 21st Century challenges. Water is managed under a myriad of local, state, national, and international laws and regulations, yet is often treated fundamentally as a Common Pool Resource with many competing users. The water commons of the globe, the continents, the Great Lakes, and the Macatawa watershed are known at varying levels of complexity and certainty. Action to address current problems and to manage water resource into the future must be founded on knowledge of the water commons using the best tools of the scientific community.
The Sacredness of Water: A Native American Perspective
Leland Little Dog and Lynn LaPointe Sicangu Lakota Oyate, Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota (Cook Auditorium, DePree Art Center ) Stay tuned for more details ...
Local Waters: The Lake Macatawa Watershed Project
Dr. Graham Peaslee Professor of Chemistry and Geological & Environmental Sciences and Department Chair, Hope College Mary Fales Watershed Coordinator, Macatawa Watershed Project (Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall)
Hope College is located in the Macatawa watershed. This is the approximately 179 square miles of land that surrounds Lake Macatawa, into which all our water flows. This watershed is just one of many that makes up the Lake Michigan watershed, but it is unusual in that it has more "impaired water quality" than almost any other watershed in Michigan, at least with respect to excess sedimentation and nutrients.  This presentation will explore the physical and natural history of our local watershed, and the anthropogenic changes that altered our water quality, and then introduce the Watershed Project.  This is a grass-roots local effort coordinated by the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council to address the water quality locally, specifically with the long-term goal to reduce the amount of phosphorus that enters the watershed.  An overview of its mission and programs will be presented and the role of various stakeholders in the watershed, including Hope College and its students, will be discussed.
No Complacency: Imagination, Story-sharing, and Calls to Action, Part 1
Alison Swan Great Lakes Author and Environmental Activist (Maas Conference Room) Writing that evokes a certain place is playing an increasingly important role among environmental activists as they discover the power of creative writing (reading it as well as writing it) to encourage real-time connection, inspire action, and alleviate burnout. Bring your five senses and your own water stories as Alison Swan leads this discussion of why we're talking about the literary arts at a symposium about fresh water.
Wednesday Afternoon Focus Sessions 1:00 pm, at various locations on campus
Critical Questions and Critical Answers about Water and Health
Dr. Joan Rose Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research, MSU (Maas Auditorium) Questions and Answers, a follow-up to the Keynote Address
Water, Justice and Christ:  Why Water is Thicker Than Blood!
Dr. Mark Husbands Leonard and Majorie Maas Associate Professor of Reformed Theology, Hope College (Cook Auditorium, DePree Art Center) How are we to hear and faithfully respond to the ancient promise of God that “when the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them” (Isaiah 47:17)? This paper shows that water has long been a deeply political and theological issue. Recognizing that famine, disease(s), poverty and warfare cry out for political and moral redress—and that the lack of access to clean water plays a determinative role in each of these issues—the scarcity of water demands moral action on the part of those who rightfully worship Jesus as the source of living water. Arguing that water is thicker than blood, this paper demonstrates theologically why Christians must commit to address critical water issues. Together we seek to uncover ways in which baptism evokes a moral connection to people beyond family and tribe.
Critical Issues of Water in Michigan: Focusing on Sustainable Water Quantity and Quality
Dr. Alan Steinman Director, Annis Water Resources Institute, GVSU (Wichers Auditorium, Nykerk Hall) Michigan is often viewed as a water-rich state, which can lull us into complacency about both the endless quantity of our fresh water as well as its quality.  Steinman’s talk will review some of the key issues facing the sustainable use of surface and ground water in Michigan and the role of science.  Science can, and must, help inform these issues and the potential solutions to key problems.  However, economic, political, and societal input ultimately will influence which solution is chosen and how it is implemented.  Hence, an informed public is a critical cog in the process.
Cheap, Clean Water: Generating It Locally
Dr. Robert McDonald President, AquaClara Foundation (Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall) Clean, decent water is a luxury for many people in many countries. Robert McDonald has concluded that the cost of water purification for people in need could be substantially reduced if given improved knowledge about some old water purification technologies, and that a family-sized water remediation device could be developed -- one that generates clean disinfected water from highly polluted water. Further, this device could be inexpensive, utilize known technology, include no moving parts, require no electrical power, and be made of local materials. By transferring that knowledge to local business people and craftspeople, water purifiers having improved performance could be manufactured locally. Starting with this premise, the Aqua Clara program has been developed; today the knowledge is being transferred and is being applied on an on-going basis. As of this symposium 3300 water purifiers are operating in 15 countries. However, this is not the end of the story, but rather the end of the beginning of this program. Given the magnitude of the need for clean water, the next steps indeed begin to deal with the true globalization of the concepts developed.
Wednesday Afternoon Department-Sponsored Sessions 2:15 pm, at several locations on campus
DEPARTMENTS OF COMMUNICATION AND WOMEN'S STUDIES (Martha Miller Center, Rotunda)
An Ecofeminist Reflects on Water
Sara Ebenreck Leeland, Ph.D. Ecofeminists raise the fundamental questions; 'What is water?' and "What, then, is an appropriate human relationship with water?'  Sara Leeland will focus here on our personal daily interactions with water, out of which a new water ethos can grow.
A Feminist Analysis of How Companies Market Natural Cleaning Products: The Greenwashing of the Clorox Greeworks Product Line
Teresa Heinz Housel, Assistant Professor of Communications Cleaning companies today are jumping on the green bandwagon by marketing their products as natural to attract environmentally-conscious consumers. Many of these household products are geared toward women in both their design and advertising. This presentation focuses on Clorox Greenworks, a new line of natural, biodegradable household cleaners. The product line, which primarily targets women in its advertising, has been accused of taking advantage of the FDA’S decision not to define “natural” on food packaging. This presentation argues that greenwashing (or advertising a product as environmentally-friendly when it may not be) is a feminist issue.
Plastic Water Bottles & The Environment
Student Panel, with Ashley Austin and Tessa Talsma Tessa Talsma and Ashley Austin are in their Senior year at Hope College. They are concerned about the negative effects of pollution and waste and will discuss the role that plastic water bottles play in damaging our environment, and how easy it is to make a difference.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING (VanderWerf Hall, Room 104)
Collaborating for Clean Water
Hope students and Engineers Without Borders, will speak about their work to improve water quality in Nkuv Cameroon, with Jeff Brown, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Hope College. Hope College’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders is currently partnered with a community, Nkuv, in Cameroon, West Africa. The problem to be addressed is finding potable water for approximately 500 people who live in this community. The people of Nkuv use three main streams as their water source, which are used for drinking, cooking and bathing. As a result of drinking this water, the villagers are afflicted with malaria, fileria, dysentery, dermatitis, meningitis as well as multiple waterborne diseases. The students were given the task of developing biosand filters to purify Nkuv residents’ drinking water. Students, faculty, and village members worked side-by-side in the design, construction, and implementation of the filters.  Initial set-backs encouraged critical thinking on-site, which led to the installation of 5 fully operational filters by the end of the trip.  Villagers were given the training necessary to construct and maintain new filters, 9 of which were planned for construction in the near future.
DEPARTMENT OF DANCE (Dow Center, 2nd Floor, Studio 207)
Water: Imagery for Dance
Steven Iannacone and dANCEpROjECt An improvisation workshop with dANCEpROjECt in which participants will focus on creating movement material from ideas and concepts associated with water. Choreography derived from this workshop material may be finalized for performance and presented during the academic year.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH (Lubbers Hall, Room 120)
Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes, Part 2
Alison Swan, Heather Sellers and Jackie Bartley Come join us and be inspired as Alison Swan, Heather Sellers, and Jackie Bartley, contributors to Swan's Michigan Notable Book, Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes, read from their writing about place.  Q&A.
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY SPECIAL THURSDAY SESSION, October 8, 4:00 pm (Maas Conference Room )
Water Ethics in an Era of Climate Change: An Ecofeminist Perspective
Sara Ebenreck Leeland, Ph.D. Health, survival and environmental concerns have driven human concern about water for millenia. Today humans face a new challenge: understanding how already stressed planetary fresh water will fare in an age of climate change and beginning early responses to those issues. Albert Einstein said that no crisis can be solved with the same thinking that created it. So, in this era, we need a new water ethics, relevant both to everyday use and global in its concern.  This talk will explore how the radical questions inspired by ecofeminist thinkers can help us move toward such a new ethic.
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE (Wichers Auditorium, Nykerk Hall)
The American West: Whiskey is for Drinking and Water Is for Fighting Over
Jack Holmes, Professor of Political Science Stay tuned for more details ...
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK (Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall)
The Value of Tap Water: The facts, the myths, and other consumer concerns
Gay Porter DeNileon, Publications Manager, American Water Works Association, Denver, Colorado Most people in the United States don’t think twice about the water that comes out of their taps, but when they do, they may have concerns about its quality, safety, source, cost, and other issues. This session will address some of the most common questions that people have about the water they drink and explain those fundamental services that only tap water can deliver: public health protection; fire protection; support for the economy, and quality of life.
HOPE COLLEGE SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE (Cook Auditorium, DePree Art Center)
The Greening of the Orange & Blue
Greg Maybury, Director of Operations, Hope College An overview of the initiatives undertaken by Hope College to become a more sustainable institution in its use of our earth’s natural resources.  These include energy efficiencies, water reduction, recycling, and waste reduction.