Time: 12:00 pm - 1:20 pm
Location: Architecture and Urban Planning Building 345

Speaker:
Karen Sands (Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District - MMSD)

Description:
Sustainability is a rich part of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s history, integral to present-day operations, and critical to the future. Although the Milwaukee region is rich in water, there is a recognition that water is a resource not to be squandered but rather used for the gift it is. MMSD does their part to manage that gift well, stewarding regional efforts, maintaining grey infrastructure, and innovating approaches to carry the region through the future. In recent years MMSD has put additional focus on reducing stormwater in the system through private property inflow/infiltration and green infrastructure efforts. With a changing climate that’s bringing more intense precipitation events more frequently, it has never been more important to manage precipitation that falls on the land.

This lecture will…
1. Consider the importance of planning for and implementing green infrastructure in the context of water abundance
2. Highlight some of the MMSD’s successful programs and projects, from a major land conservation program known as Greenseams that’s acquired over 2,200 acres of property to a major rain barrel program that’s fabricated and distributed over 16,000 rain barrels.
3. Showcase MMSD’s new sustainability plan that focuses on water resource protection measures through 2035 (anticipated plan release: October 2011).

Speaker Bio:
Karen L. Sands, AICP is the Manager of Sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District where she works on green infrastructure, energy and climate change projects and programs that benefit the region’s water resources. Besides sustainability, Karen has also worked on a number of high-profile planning, public involvement and watercourse programs for nearly 10 years at MMSD. With over 20 years of professional planning experience altogether, she has a Masters degree in Regional Planning and a Bachelors degree in Geography, both from the State University of New York at Albany. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and has a certificate from the International Association for Public Participation. She serves as Vice Chair of the Village of Whitefish Bay’s Environmental Advisory Commission and is on the board of the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail.

Lecture attendees are eligible to receive 1.0 AICP Certificate Maintenance Credit for each lecture attended. All Innovative Cities Lectures count for 1.0 AICP CM credit.

Need Parking?
Please visit http://www4.uwm.edu/parking/visitors/campus_first_timers.cfm.
Pizza lunch and refreshments are provided.

Please RSVP to Brian Peterson,
Department of Urban Planning Project Assistant,
peter559@uwm.edu.