LAS VEGAS, Aug. 6 -- His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan, who as a chairman of the Royal Water Committee is active in water resource management and alternative water resources, will be the keynote opening session speaker at the inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Oct. 8-10, 2008, in Las Vegas.
Presented by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) WaterSense Program, WaterSmart Innovations will serve to broaden the knowledge of innovations in urban water efficiency and water conservation including products, programs and outreach. More information is available at http://www.WaterSmartInnovations.com.
Slated to speak at the conference's opening session October 8, HRH Prince Feisal chairs the water committee that his brother, King Abdullah II, created earlier this year to upgrade Jordan's water strategy and develop policies and programs in light of the kingdom's scarce water resources.
A recent World Bank report noted that Jordan is one of the world's 10 most water-deprived nations. According to the United States Agency for International Development, the average Jordanian has access to fewer than 150 cubic meters of water, or less than 40,000 gallons annually. In contrast, the average U.S. citizen has more than 9,000 cubic meters, or about 2.4 million gallons, of fresh water available per year. Exacerbating Jordan's water challenges is its growing population, expected to double by 2029.
At a meeting in April, His Royal Highness urged the Royal Water Committee to develop a comprehensive national water strategy focusing on water resource management, alternative sources and sewage system management.
In addition to his commitment to efficient use of Jordan's limited water resources, HRH Prince Feisal is head of the Jordanian Olympic Committee and serves as a Lieutenant General in the Royal Jordanian Air Force. He graduated from Brown University in Providence, R.I., in 1985 with a degree in electrical engineering, and has been a supervisor and advisor to Royal Wings Airlines, a regional subsidiary of Royal Jordanian Airlines, since 1995.
WaterSmart Innovations will be held at the South Point Hotel and Casino, at the south end of the famed Las Vegas Strip. Full conference registration of $390 is available through the conference's Web site, http://www.WaterSmartInnovations.com.
Other organizations collaborating with the SNWA and the EPA on WaterSmart Innovations include the Alliance for Water Efficiency, California Urban Water Conservation Council, the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association, Irrigation Association, American Society of Irrigation Consultants, Audubon International, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials and the International Center for Water Technology.
Major commercial conference sponsors include Rain Bird Corp., Caroma USA, MWH Americas, Inc., TOTO USA, Inc., the National Association of Home Builders, AECOM, Inc., Ewing Irrigation, Black & Veatch, Global Water, Hunter Industries, Inc., the Springs Preserve and Water Management, Inc.
