Sharlene Leurig, Water Program Director at Ceres, discusses the impact of climate change on water. Sharlene takes us on economy-wide tour of water’s impact on climate. Sharlene addresses how cities are using innovative green infrastructure programs & provides examples from San Francisco and Philadelphia. She also identifies some of the challenges of funding the investments needed to cope with our infrastructure needs, from rating agencies issues to government-imposed limits in debt instruments, like bonds

Mark Peterman, CEO of OndaVia, discusses water testing and technological advancements occurring in the water industry. Mark shares how OndaVia technology provides rapid testing results, which provides a better alternative to off-site laboratory testing that can take weeks. Mark cites examples such as perchlorate in groundwater and water at oil refineries and how on-site testing at the micro level can better optimize industrial processes, along with a host of other technological advancements.

Phil Rolchigo, Vice President of Technology at Pentair, joins The Water Values Podcast this week to discuss new products and technologies his company is developing to feed the world through innovations in sustainable aquaponics systems and the recovering of resources from water. He also talks about some of the challenges and processes that Pentair is using to drive productivity and growth in the marketplace with new business models, and how these applications create value for the customer.

Ann Tartre explains the efforts businesses in the Colorado River Basin undertake to educate themselves, their customers and others on sustainably using the Colorado River with Protect the Flows. Ann takes us through the powerful findings of an Arizona State University study commissioned by Protect the Flows quantifying the economic impact of the Colorado River on the Southwest (& by extension the United States). Hint – the economic impact of the Colorado River is roughly equivalent to the GNP of Australia

Jeff Hughes of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina joins The Water Values Podcast for an in-depth discussion about environmental finance. Environmental finance concerns how to pay for programs that provide environmental services. Jeff guides us from traditional rate-making to several more creative approaches to implementing water rates and explores some of the obstacles to getting these more creative rate design mechanism adopted and implemented.

The CEO of San Antonio Water System (SAWS), Robert Puente, joins The Water Values Podcast to discuss the numerous successes of its water system through water supply limitations and droughts. He also discusses how SAWS works to conserve water through these drought periods, different infrastructure projects, resources, and the creative opportunities SAWS pursues to help its stay ahead of the game in the water industry. Tune in for this innovative and inspiring session with Robert!

Head of investment banking firm Blue Star Capital, Jud Hill has spent his career exploring the smartest and most innovative ways to invest in the water sector – and why water is such a unique commodity. Jud discusses the growing trend in water equities and what opportunities are on the horizon for investors.

Ed Pawlowski, mayor of Allentown, PA, discusses how a public–private partnership (or P3) helped to save the city from financial ruin and revitalize the city, turning a multi-million dollar deficit into a multi-million dollar surplus. The Mayor discusses the nuts and bolts of the P3 arrangement from the RFP process and building political support for the P3 to the details of the P3 such as how rate increases, capital expenditures and environmental risks are handled.

It’s been a fantastic year since we launched The Water Values Podcast in late March 2014. You’ve been absolutely terrific. I know I don’t say that enough, but your emails, your comments and your listenership each are greatly appreciated. And I just hope you keep up the engagement as we head into 2015. We’ve got some great guests scheduled for you in 2015, so keep on listening and spreading the word about The Water Values Podcast.

John Oldfield, CEO of WASH Advocates, discusses advocacy for WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene). John tells us that implementing WASH in communities leads to other important development goals in the developing world. John discusses the history and current political climate surrounding this important humanitarian issue. John explains that with cooperation from governments, private philanthropists, corporations, NGOs, & academics all across the globe, there are opportunities to solve this problem.