That is why Xylem created its Xylem Worldwide Water Show – a virtual event offering more than 100 speakers providing insights and solutions for the many challenges facing water professionals. Some of the world’s leading authorities shared their insights, perspectives and visions. In addition, a robust conference program includes educational sessions divided in three topic areas: Transport & Treatment; Residential, Commercial & Industrial, and Water Analysis.

If you missed the debut on November 29, you can still experience the Xylem Worldwide Water Show for the next three months by registering below.  However, you will have the opportunity to benefit from much more than just the presentations. You will be able to experience all the latest products and technologies that make these solutions possible by visiting the 18 booths on the virtual show floor.

The Xylem Worldwide Water Show is a great opportunity to see all the different market-leading brands from Xylem and how they are providing valuable water solutions in more than 150 countries. You will discover how brands such as Bell & Gossett, Goulds Water Technology, Lowara, Flygt and many others play an important role in improving quality of life, helping communities to grow, farms to prosper and industries to thrive.

So if you would like to experience this unique virtual event and learn more about solving the world’s water issues, register today at Xylem Worldwide Water Show.

And the best part is that you can do it all from the comfort of your home or office – not while waiting at the airport for your plane or consuming convention center cuisine.

When you stop and think about it, the same principle applies to HVACR professionals. There are always new technologies and techniques to learn about and everyday routines that can be improved and perfected.

That’s what they do at Xylem’s Bell & Gossett Little Red Schoolhouse^® – the instructors “Coach Them Up”. This week, the Little Red Schoolhouse started a unique eight-week program aimed at providing a group of professionals a thorough hands-on hydronic training experience.

While the courses cover a wide range of topics tailored to different occupations in the industry, the focus is on the application of pumps and related products to enable water and energy conservation, and the improvement of building system efficiency.

One of the unique aspects of the Bell & Gossett Little Red Schoolhouse training is it is approved by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) as a provider of continuing education for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^TM) professionals.

Classes such as Large Chilled Water Design Seminar and Modern Hydronic System Design Basic Seminar are the first such courses to be approved by GBCI to provide credit toward the credential maintenance requirements of the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP certifications.

And speaking of LEED certification, the eight-week course covers more than just classroom instruction. The students also enjoyed a tour to one of the first school buildings to achieve LEED certification from US Green Building Council (USGBC) in the US.

Niles West High School, just a short distance from the Little Red Schoolhouse in Skokie, Illinois, is a marvel in energy efficiency and sustainability and was awarded the Energy Star in 2010 by the US EPA and the LEED EBOM Certification in 2011. Since 2001 all additions have been designed and built according to Energy Star and LEED specifications. The 800,000 square foot facility utilizes green roofs, refillable bottle drinking stations, solar technology, BIM software, energy efficient HVAC systems, light delamping and many other green features. Occupying 72 acres of land, the facility not only reduces the operational expenses, but also helps raise student and public awareness about environmental and energy issues.

Visit the Niles West High School building energy dashboard to learn more about this impressive installation.

The value of classroom and field-trip training is evident when speaking to the contractors, engineers and architects in attendance. They value gaining certification through training that provides them the necessary insights into transforming the way buildings are designed, built and operated.

Upon leaving the tour, the school football team was practicing for an upcoming game so it was a good reminder that you are never too young or too experienced to be “coached up”.

In addition to playing havoc with the city’s potable water supply, it also devastated the lucrative local convention industry. That’s why it was both ironic and heart warming to see 18,000 water and wastewater professionals filling the aisles of the convention center at WEFTEC 2012 this past week.

Billed as the largest annual water quality conference and exhibition in North America, WEFTEC 2012 was a great place to discover new solutions to water challenges and discuss “best in practices” during the many technical and educational sessions. The show floor was also a great place to actually see the cutting-edge products in action.

At the Xylem booth we showcased an impressive array of new products and innovative solutions from Flygt, Wedeco, Godwin, and Sanitaire. Visitors to our booth learned about some innovative solutions for moving, treating and analyzing water and wastewater.

One of the special highlights of the show was the Water Leaders Seminar, “Rethinking Water Services”. Gretchen McClain, Xylem’s Chief Executive Officer, joined a panel  of industry thought leaders to share their perspectives and vision for the future of water services.

This seminar and WEFTEC in general reinforces the fact that the water sector is at a crossroads. We are stewards of the most critical of our natural resources and we recognize that we must find smarter ways of managing water to meet the challenges of growing populations, climate change and contaminants.  Many of us must also deal with an aging infrastructure and the challenge of constrained budgets.

The good news is we know that there are better ways of managing water and providing water services. We are thinking more holistically, using data to make better decisions and recovering the value of resources in wastewater. We know that new thinking in technology, policy, and practices can help save water and other precious resources.

New Orleans has done a wonderful job of recovering since Hurricane Katrina and it’s no coincidence that many of the companies and people participating in WEFTEC played a part in helping with the recovery over the last seven years. So as they say in ‘Nawlins, “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” let the good times roll.

If you did not have a chance to attend, take a moment and enjoy a few videos showing activities during the show.

WEFTEC 2012: Investing in the Water Industry

Water’s Worth It

With Latin America focused on modernization and implementation of technology for commercial and residential building projects, many consider this to be the show to go to. It’s full of innovation, green building and technology trends in the HVACR and buildings market. Some even call it the biggest product playground in Mexico for the HVACR industry.

“As the demand for energy-efficient HVACR systems continue to grow in Latin America, being at events like this is important. We had great interaction with attendees as they were introduced to our pumps, balance valves, and software. I see a bright future ahead,” said Jorge Alvarado, managing director Latin America.

The 2012 show hosted more than 300 exhibitors from around the globe with attendees walking the floor seeing what’s new. The focus in the Xylem booth was on complete solutions for modern engineers, contractors and other HVACR professionals looking for the most efficient hydronic and plumbing systems.  Whether it’s water transport, heat transfer, system balancing, potable water, pressure boosting or wastewater, the products on display demonstrated Xylem’s applications and systems expertise within the HVACR industry.

On display at AHR Expo Mexico were the following Bell & Gossett products:

• B&G Series 1510 End Suction Centrifugal Pumps
• B&G Series VSX Double Suction, Vertical Split Case Centrifugal Pumps
• B&G Circuit Setter Plus Calibrated Balance Valves
• B&G Circuit Sentry Flo-Setter Balance Valves
• B&G Circuit Sentry Ultra Set Balance Valve
• B&G Suction Diffuser Pump Accessories
• B&G Triple Duty Valves Pump Accessories
• B&G NRF-22 Circulator Pump
• B&G Series CRS Coalescing Air and Dirt Separator
• B&G Impact Wastewater Pumps
• ESP Design Plus Selection Software

With the prospects for Latin America’s HVACR sector showing positive signs, shows like AHR Expo Mexico provide unique opportunities to meet customers and potential buyers eager to discuss products, services and solutions. If you did not attend, we hope to see you at the 2013 AHR Expo in Dallas, January 28-30, 2103.

But at any point during those activities do you wonder where that water comes from or if it is truly safe to consume? Although most of the water we consume comes from lakes, streams, coastal waters or wells, we tend to take it for granted – until we read about our water source becoming polluted or somehow compromised.

Contaminated water causes a range of diseases that can be life threatening. In developing countries, having access to clean water is often a very daunting problem as both biological disease agents and chemical pollutants are compromising drinking-water quality. According to World Health Organization, 780 million people lack access to clean water worldwide and 3.4 million die each year from a water-related disease.

In an effort to educate and create outreach programs that build public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world, two international nonprofit organizations, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA), partnered to launch the World Water Monitoring Challenge (WWMC).

The purpose of the challenge is to encourage people everywhere to test the quality of their waterways, share their findings, and help protect our most precious resource. More than 60,000 people from over 40 countries are taking part in this year’s program by using their monitoring kits to enter their test results into an international database.

It’s not too late to get involved. Monitoring kits are available for anyone interested in participating. By supporting basic water monitoring, WWMC encourages people all over the world to be more conscientious and responsible for their water resources.

Xylem Inc. is proud to join such other primary sponsors as the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in supporting this critical effort. For more details about World Water Monitoring Challenge and how to participate in 2012 and beyond, visit www.MonitorWater.org.

Did you get involved? We’d be interested in hearing what you did.

The reason I bring this up is that last week with help and coordination from one of our media partners, we hosted a webinar entitled,

“High Efficiency Hydronic Circulators: A Quantum Leap in Performance”.

Moderated by industry guru John Siegenthaler, the seminar explored ECM-based circulators and compared these new circulators to standard circulators from the standpoint of technical performance, operating characteristics, and life cycle operating cost. We discussed the optimal application of ECM circulators within residential and light commercial systems, and identified some novel applications for which they are ideally suited. The webinar concluded with rationale for why the future of small hydronic circulators will be based on ECM technology.

What also made this webinar especially valuable is that John provided great insight from the perspective of an engineer with over 25 years of experience in designing modern hydronic heating systems. He is also the author of the text Modern Hydronic Heating, and writes for several other industry publications dealing with hydronic heating, including Plumbing & Mechanical, PM Engineer and Heating Piping & Air Conditioning.

If you were not able to join us, you can still gain access to the archived webinar registering here. For many of us in the building services industry, webinars have become a great way to gain technical knowledge on specific topics without ever needing to leave the office, as well as a convenient way to earn industry educational accreditation.

If you have any questions about this webinar or would like to be invited to a future webinar, please contact us at socialmedia@xylemknowsh2o.com.

Started in 1991, World Water Week is organized by the Stockholm International Water Week Institute (SIWI) and focuses on new thinking and positive action toward water-related challenges and their impact on the world’s environment, health, climate, economic and poverty reduction agendas.

Last week’s World Water Week focused the world’s attention on water and food security. Today, over 900 million people suffer from hunger, and two billion more face serious health risks from undernourishment. At the same time, 1.5 billion people overeat and more than 1/3 of all food is lost or wasted. Demand for food is projected to increase by 70 percent by mid-century and without intervention, untenable pressure on water resources in many regions in the world will threaten food and water security.

Long gone is the talk of what governments, corporations and thought leaders should be doing to solve these critical problems. Now the focus is on what must be done to solve these challenges.

Xylem is committed to working with the world’s thought leaders to solve water-related challenges. Our commitment continues to focus on being a leading global provider of efficient and sustainable water technologies and applications to help solve the world’s water challenges. We strive to meet the most critical water challenges head on by engineering products that create efficient systems and sustainable solutions. We also help people and communities through our Watermark program.

In support of the next generation of problem solvers, we also support the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The international competition brings together the world’s brightest young student scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment.

Each year, thousands of participants in over 30 countries join national competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the international final held during World Water Week. During their time in Stockholm, winners of the national competitions have the opportunity to meet and learn from the leaders of the global water community who share a passion for water and science.

This year, H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the 2012 Stockholm Junior Water Prize to Luigi Marshall Cham, Jun Yong Nicholas Lim and Tian Ting Carrie-Anne Ng, all are 18 years old and are from Singapore.

Xylem is proud to have been involved with this inspiring program every year since its founding in 1995 and encourage young people to pursue careers in water to ensure we have enough bright minds working on these complex issues.

What are you doing to make a difference? Don’t forget to put World Water Monitoring Day on your calendar, September 18, 2012 and the 2013 World Water Week, September 1 – 6, 2013. The theme for 2013 WWW will be Water Cooperation - Bridging Divides.

When you hear a term like line of fire, scenes from an action movie or instructions shouted by a drill sergeant come to mind. At Xylem Applied Water Systems and many manufacturing companies around the world, the phrase line of fire has a very important and specific meaning when it comes to ensuring a safe work environment for employees.

Hazard awareness in the workplace, and especially in a manufacturing environment, is a critical skill to have as an employee. Identifying potential hazards (i.e. moving equipment or vehicles, falling objects or debris, or contact with stationary objects) helps to prevent and ultimately eliminate them from the shop floor, enabling everyone to be injury-free.

Get Out of the line of fire

To help keep our employees out of the line of fire, and support increased awareness of hazards in the workplace, it is important to know the four behavioral states that cause line-of-fire injuries and incidents:

1. Rushing – You are in a hurry to complete a task
2. Frustration – You are angry, irritated or annoyed
3. Fatigue – You are tired
4. Complacency – You have completed a task many times and have never been hurt before

Keeping Yourself Safe from line of fire Hazards

The key to reducing onsite injuries is learning how to recognize and avoid line-of-fire hazards. By taking three easy steps, you can steer clear of the line of fire:

1. Be aware of the hazards around you
2. Understand the machines and operations in your work area
3. Take time to think about the consequences that could result from what you are about to do

Office Applications

Staying out of the line of fire in an office environment is just as important as practicing safety in a manufacturing facility. Examples of line of fire hazards in the office include:

1. Standing on a chair or cart with wheels to reach something high
2. Texting or talking on a cell phone while walking down hallways with blind corners
3. Failure to use crosswalks or sidewalks in parking lots or driveways

Providing safe environments for employees around the world starts with each of us. To prevent injuries and ensure we all go home to our loved ones each night, we need to be more aware of hazards in our environments and make smart decisions that keep us out of the line of fire.

What are you doing to promote safety in your workplaces?