Water Emissaries
Empowering the next generation of water leaders.
By Aliza Sitrin, May 10, 2021
Our planet is experiencing significant water-related challenges. Younger generations are inheriting a world with rising sea levels, melting ice caps, toxicity in our water supply, and systemic social inequalities. These crises may seem too big to fix, however, young adults are eager to rise to the challenge and build a shared future where everybody has an equal chance at health, life, and success.
The water sector is in great need of innovation and would benefit significantly from the vision, energy, and new voices of young, passionate leaders. These leaders must advance smart policy-making, environmental justice, and diversity in the water industry. According to David Warsinger of the Warsinger Water Lab at Purdue University, “Despite worsening water scarcity, much of the US water workforce, especially for water utilities, are older than the average American worker. There are thus many opportunities for young adults in water, with growing options across government, companies, and research.” There are extensive opportunities for young people to flourish in this field and we created Water Emissaries (WE) to fill this gap.
WE was born in the summer of 2020 after our six Water Innovation Advisors (WIA) interns realized the power and potential of young adults. These interns were committed to water advocacy and innovation, and knew that there was a great opportunity to make positive change. WE’s mission is to equip young adults with the necessary tools to become water sector leaders, while also building a united, global consortium to value and preserve our planet's precious water.
WE achieves its goals through three key pillars: Education, Innovation, and Action.
Education: WE enhance water education through speaker series featuring water industry experts and academic and scientific discussion forums.
Innovation: WE equips Emissaries with innovative mindsets through behind-the-scenes access to WIA’s mentors and community leaders, which encompasses pioneers and trailblazers of global environmental sustainability efforts.
Action: WE enables Emissaries to use their education and innovative mindsets to act on environmental solutions. Emissaries engage in advocacy, organize collective action campaigns, and participate in research projects and internships with sustainability leaders.
Through WE programming, young adults bolster existing solutions to water issues, drive innovation in the water industry, and promote equal access to water across gender, race, socioeconomic standing, and location. At Water Emissaries, we see the world through the vast lens of water, and thus use water to solve our planet’s most pressing environmental, health, and social challenges. WE directly improve and restructure the status quo of water initiatives by providing ample resources and opportunities to the new generation of changemakers.
WE is seeking passionate Emissaries to participate in our professional development pilot program. Emissaries will have access to specialized water workshops and events, as well as our vast network of water leaders. The pilot program is entirely virtual and will run for 6 weeks beginning on June 7th. Participants will gather for sessions twice a week, totaling a commitment of 4-6 hours per week. If you are a water passionate young adult, please click here to join our WE community.