UTEP hosts “World Water Week” to raise awareness about water issues in the region
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- This week, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is honoring and celebrating World Water Week, a global event focused on raising awareness about water issues. The week-long event is packed with various activities to expand on water challenges around the globe.
The theme for this year's World Water Week is "Bridging Borders: Leveraging Water for Peace.” The presentations and round table discussions are set by the border, highlighting the urgencies and needs of the local community. The focus of the interdisciplinary conference is water scarcity, access, and justice.
Keynote speakers, including environmental historian and professor C.J Alvarez, from Utah and choreographer Allison Orr from Austin, are shedding light on the relationship between water and peace.
According to Melissa Melpignano, co-chair of World Water Week, the goal is for everyone to understand the relation between “locality and globality," she says, “So it's, you know, little steps. It's about taking action every day. Increase awareness for yourself by getting informed and having conversations and spread the word about everything that you discover about water and getting engaged.”
Luis Antonio Garnica, co-chair of World Water Week, stresses the importance of community awareness about water sources and processing. “I think there is a vision for this conference to kind of become the regional conference where we talk about these water issues from all of the different perspectives," says Garnica.
If you are unable to attend in person, some of the events will be available virtually. For more information and full agenda click here.
