US Water Alliance presents awards
Each year, the US Water Alliance honors organizations that are leading the way with creative ‘One Water’ solutions and inspiring efforts across the country for sustainable and integrated water resource management. This year, the US Water Alliance awarded the US Water Prize to Aurora Water for its Prairie Waters program, Kohler for its water sustainability efforts and Change the Course for its national freshwater restoration campaign. This year, the Alliance added two new categories to the US Water Prize — Outstanding Journalism on the Value of Water and Outstanding Public Official. These awards were given to Mark Schleifstein, for his decades of reporting on water and the environment at the New Orleans The Times-Picayune, and Adam Putnam, for his work as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture.
MillerCoors cuts water use by 15 billion gallons in 2016
MillerCoors used 15 billion fewer gallons of water across its value chain in 2016 – equivalent to more than 500 million kegs of beer. The reduction is attributed to changes in farming techniques that include innovative tools and irrigation initiatives that use less water while still producing high-quality barley, along with increased brewery efficiencies. In 2016, MillerCoors launched the Grower Portal, a digital platform for information gathering to further enhance water savings and eventually lead to data sharing among growers. These water reduction initiatives help MillerCoors get closer to reaching its 2020 goal to manage and reduce agricultural risks, including water risks, in all key barley-growing regions.
DuBois Chemicals buys BHS Specialty Chemicals from Post Capital Partners
Post Capital Partners announced the sale of food safety and water treatment company BHS Specialty Chemicals to DuBois Chemicals, a portfolio company of The Jordan Company L.P. The latter is a developer of specialty chemicals for general manufacturing, pulp and paper making, transportation cleaning and water treatment segments. This is Post Capital’s second exit in just more than six months, following the recapitalization of Invo HealthCare Associates late last year.
Water Council announces BREW Accelerator winners
The Water Council and guest of honor Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch announced the fifth round of winners of the BREW Accelerator and graduated the fourth round of startups during a special ceremony at City Lights Brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The BREW Accelerator is a seed accelerator focused on innovation-driven startups with commercialization potential in solving global water challenges. The startups selected to participate in the fifth year of the program include Ecoli-Sense from Ontario, Canada; Pulsed Burst Systems LLC from Richfield, Wisconsin; Hydrate Gel Filtration from Brisbane, Australia; Water Resources Monitoring Group from Lancaster, Wisconsin; and Plasma Environmental from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The "class of 2017" BREW Accelerator startups graduated during the ceremony include CORNCOB Inc. from Waukesha, Wisconsin; DMR International from Woodstock, Illinois; Energy Tech Innovations from Milwaukee; MetaMateria from Columbus, Ohio; Smart Waters from British Columbia, Canada; and WISRAN from Sunnyvale, California.