Article authored by:
Holly Elmore - LAI FL Suncoast Member & LAI Global Water-Land Series Group Co-Chair
Holly's eclectic career path includes multiple facets ranging from the corporate arena (Arthur Andersen Auditor & Trammell Crow Controller) to the foodservice industry (owner of a corporate catering business & restaurants) to sustainability-industry leader (Zero Waste Zones & Earth Impact Founder). In addition, Holly is an avid nature & documentary photographer and respected journalist with prominent articles and photographs featured in national publications.
On June 13, the LAI Global Water-Land Series Group (Group) hosted the Introduction to Water and Land Economics Global Webinar; introductory in nature, the webinar was designed as a foundation for a plethora of future webinars on more specific topics.
LAI Group Co-Chairs, Economic & Planning Systems Managing Principal Jim Musbach, LAI Golden Gate Chapter member, and Elemental Impact Founder & CEO Holly Elmore, LAI FL Suncoast member, introduced and moderated the webinar.
LAI VP Craig Binning, LAI Simcoe Chapter member, welcomed webinar attendees and gave an overview of the nearly 95-years-old land economics honorary. Craig mentioned that the three panelists were LAI members from across North America. As he introduced Jim, Craig highlighted Jim's 30 years of LAI membership.
In his introductory remarks, Jim explained that the Group is a subcommittee of the LAI Global Initiatives Committee; the Group's purpose is to create global programming tied to many facets of water and how it relates to land economics.
A vast array of water and land economics topics include policy allocations of scarce resources, infrastructure investment, conservation, environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation, sea-level rise, public health, and population growth. According to Jim, "water and land use is a topic that is deep and wide, literally speaking."
The Group intends to educate on the many dimensions of water-land economics, focus on the array of challenges facing diverse geographic regions, and highlight regional success stories.
Following Jim, Holly gave a webinar overview followed by personalized introductions of the panelists.
The esteemed panelists included Sacramento Chapter member Jay Lund, Ph.D, Vice Director, Center for Watershed Sciences & UC Davis Distinguished Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, LAI FL Suncoast member Steve Suau, P.E., Consultant at Carbon Life, and Simcoe Chapter member Brad Bass, Ph.D, Senior Policy Analysist, Employment & Social Development Canada & University of Toronto Status Professor.
Within her introductory remarks, Holly showcased the diversity of expertise within the panelists: Jay shares his engineering acumen from an academia perspective, Steve is "boots-on-the-ground" with implementation of watershed-management projects, and Brad represents a federal government viewpoint as well as his background in science and economics.
Below is a synopsis of the webinar agenda:
Jay Lund - Overview & History
- Overview of the current water supply and quality scenario and its implications on land economics; give history and name institutions involved in water management.
- Western N America specific challenges, solutions, and success stories.
Steve Suau - Integrated Watershed Management
- Four elements of integrated watershed management.
- Florida specific challenges, solutions, and success stories.
Brad Bass - Algal Blooms, a Economic Perspective
- Overview of the algae blooms that segue into challenges with non-native/invasive species.
- Solutions available at a regional level as well as examples of successful local programs in the Canadian Great Lakes region.
Following the excellent presentations, Jim moderated a superb Question & Answer session; topics ran the gamut from local and federal government policy and regulations to carbon sequestration to solutions for Big Sugar’s impact on the Everglades to the implications of sea-level rise on coastal communities.
Holly closed the webinar with announcement of the fall webinar topic: Agriculture’s Impact on Water Quality & Quantity and Land Economics that will be orchestrated in a similar format.
To view the recorded Introduction to Water and Land Economics webinar, click HERE.
The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine article, Introduction to Water and Land Economics, gives an in-depth synopsis of the impressive webinar.
The panelist PPT presentations are available for download: Jay Lund, Steve Suau, Brad Bass
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