Water & Stormwater

During the 2022 Spring semester, the Office of Sustainability and Prof. Jenny Kehl led a group of nine graduate students through Freshwater 783: Water Stewardship. The class was designed to offer advanced understanding and practical application of water policy, as well as professional job training in strategic planning for water conservation with local businesses and community partners. In 2022, the students used the framework of the AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) International Water Stewardship Standard to help a major local brewery progress in water stewardship and compliment existing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The students assisted with a comprehensive review of site and catchment-related water data as well as shared water challenges as voiced by local stakeholders. Ultimately, the students offered a series of water stewardship-related recommendations for the beverage company to consider.