Why We Need to Be Paying More Attention to Water
September 16, 2023
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Will Sarni
The future is water
The future is water
Indigenous peoples view humanity as inseparable from nature and I embrace this
The Power of
I believe that viewing nature and water as outside the human condition results in a devaluing of water. Water has social and spiritual dimensions that are mostly ignored.
I can’t accept that a large part of humanity doesn’t have access to safe drinking water due to scarcity or poor quality. This is a human right that we no longer can ignore.
I believe in a bias for action, not accepting business as usual, and the power of unreasonable people.
Wicked water problems can be solved through innovation in: partnerships, funding and financing, business models, technology, and public policy. Our runway to address these issues is short and the time is now to move beyond outdated thinking and frameworks to address these issues.
“Unreasonable people” will be the ones that solve, or tame, wicked problems such as water, climate, ecosystem decline, and other environmental and social problems.
I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, New York but have lived in the American West for a very long time.
Despite living in the arid American West, I have always been drawn to water. For me, water is magical and calming. I will never comple-tely understand what connects me to water but it has become central in my professional and personal life, from surfing on Long Island to rowing in Colorado.
New York has exceptional natural beauty in the rivers that surround Manhattan and the beaches of Long Island. I surfed on the south shore of Long Island and spent a lot of time on oceanographic research ships as part of my Master’s research on the sedimentology of Block Island Canyon. I learned to appreciate the beauty of rivers and oceans and ultimately the value of freshwater and access to safe drinking water. The water connection continues today even though I live in the American West through my enthusiasm for rowing (sculling). Being on the water is magical.
My early affinity for water led me to earn my degrees in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Queens College, City University of New York. My early career was all about water supply projects, remediation of contaminated brownfield sites, and as an expert in environmental litigation cases. While satisfying, I didn't realize I was headed for a major pivot in my career which ultimately became my passion. This was a pivot to sustainability with a focus on water strategy, innovation, and investing.
My professional career was about to take a dramatic turn due to the impact of a couple of business trips to Australia. I met someone who was studying climate change and sustainability. I was surprised that this was a subject to study., let alone imagine that these topics would be a business issue and opportunity. However, these trips piqued my interest, and the more I learned about climate change and sustainability, the more I was hooked. Over time, “hooked” deepened into the strongly-held belief that sustainability would be a defining issue of our time. I worked to rebrand and re-engineer an environmental engineering company that I co-founded into a sustainability strategy firm focused on water, climate, and energy.
There was no going back for me despite my experience that building a consulting practice “ahead of its time” was financially challenging, to say the least. However, I persisted and now focus on water strategy, technology innovation, and investing in water technology startup and growth stage companies. It has been quite a journey and I am fortunate that the world caught up with those folks
who recognized the importance of sustainability issues such as climate change, water, biodiversity, and energy. I have landed in a place where my professional career focus on freshwater is combined with my passion(enthusiasm?) for rowing (Cherry Creek Reservoir in Denver, CO). I am grateful to have friends who were also early on this journey and who are all “unreasonable people”.
I have authored numerous
books, journals, and articles,
including:
Sarni, W and Dunnigan, T., Outskirts Press
September 2022
Sarni, W
Routledge, 2021
Sarni, W. and Grant, D
Routledge, 2018
Sarni, W., Koch, Greg
Routledge, 2018
Sarni, W.
2015
Sarni, W. and Pechet, T.
Routledge 2013
Sarni, W.
Earthscan 2011Recent Presentations
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