Plumbing Connection Spring 2016

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5 4 PLUMBING CONNECTION SPRING 2016
PLUMBING ISSUES, THE SAME THE
WORLD OVER...
T he IETS concept was originated
by IAPMO but has since
been joined by eight other
US/Canadian plumbing sector
organisations to host the event.
In a world where there is a poor
exchange of plumbing technology
across borders, such events are
important – given the industry lives off
Hygeia’s tag of preventative sickness
of the public.
I chaired the first morning of this
two-day event and was delighted that
a fellow Australian, Professor Stuart
White, the Director of the Institute
for Sustainable Futures, based at the
University of Technology Sydney gave
the keynote address.
Some 13 States across the US
including California are currently in
drought (with more likely to follow) and
the US Federal Government has looked
to Australia for guidance and to see
what lessons we learnt from our recent
significant drought from 2000-2010.
Stuart had been co-opted by the
Californians and the US Alliance for
Water Efficiency to write an extensive
report on the Australian experience.
If you have the time and interest (and
you all should) Stuart’s report is a
good read and puts in context all those
Federal, State and local government
programs many contractors were
involved in over that decade and it
makes you realise how far we have
come with our water-saving initiatives.
The report also points to some
downsides such as the ‘distressed
assets’ we own (and still paying for)
in the way of desalination plants
around our coastline. You can access
Stuart’s report for free here:
EVERY TWO YEARS AN IMPORTANT PLUMBING INDUSTRY EDUCATION EVENT IS HELD IN THE USA, IT’S CALLED
THE INTERNATIONAL EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM (IETS) AND JEFF PATCHELL ACCEPTED AN INVITATION
TO ATTEND THE FIFTH OF THESE EVENTS HELD IN CHICAGO IN MAY. HE RECOUNTS HIS EXPERIENCE, LESSONS
LEARNED AND WHAT WE AS A NATION CAN TAKE FROM IT.
1: A healthy crowd turned out to listen to a great range of speakers over the two
days. 2: Jeff Patchell chaired the first morning of the two-day event. 3: Professor
Stuart White, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures.
CHICAGO SYMPOSIUM WRAP
IN A WORLD
WHERE THERE IS A
POOR EXCHANGE
OF PLUMBING
TECHNOLOGY
ACROSS BORDERS,
SUCH EVENTS ARE
IMPORTANT
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