May 2012 at a glance

May 31, 2012

Around the World in 6 Days

‘Global Marathon’ connects women engineers on six continents

The biggest challenge facing entrepreneurial-minded women engineers in the Middle East isn’t a lack of finances; it’s a lack of confidence. Women who muster the courage to start their own businesses can leapfrog over obstacles that have held others back.

That’s just one of the lessons shared at the recent Global Marathon, held for, by, and about women in engineering and technology. The annual event links women engineers from around the world in a 6-day virtual conference with presentations from North and South America, China, India, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

California Wastewater Utility Makes History as Net-Energy Producer

East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD; Oakland, Calif.) is making history. The district, which had been working to achieve net-zero energy consumption, has raised the bar. In addition to its program of collecting such

organic wastes as restaurant grease, cheese waste, poultry blood, and winery wastewater from the surrounding area and using it to produce clean energy, it unveiled on April 3 a turbine that nearly doubles its capacity to produce energy, according to an EBMUD news release.

Thousands Celebrate Girl Scouts’ Anniversary by Improving the Environment

Building rain gardens is one core aspect of Forever Green Take Action Project Girl Scouts around the country are rolling up their sleeves and working to improve the environment. To celebrate the organization’s 100-year anniversary this year, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (New York) launched the Girl Scouts Forever Green Take Action Project in July 2011.

Kartik Chandran, WEF and Water Sector Leader, Appointed to Stockholm Water Prize Nominating Committee

Kartik Chandran, a member of the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Board of Trustees and a leader in the water sector, has been appointed to the Stockholm Water Prize Nominating Committee for a 3-year term. The prize is a prestigious international award for extraordinary achievements in saving the world’s water resources.

WEFTEC Service Project Leaves Green Footprint That Continues To Grow

During each of the past four WEFTEC® events, volunteers have worked together to leave a green footprint on conference host cities. Take a look at the results.