Celebrate Earth Day at the SERCAP Water Is Life! Luncheon and Conference 

You are cordially invited to attend SERCAP’s 46th Anniversary Water Is Life! Luncheon & Conference on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at the Roanoke Sheraton Hotel. Our Keynote Speaker will be Johnny Georges, Shark Tank contestant and inventor of the Tree T-Pee.

Johnny Georges’ invention, the Tree T-PEE®, conserves water, reduces fuel and fertilizer costs and  promotes strong root growth. In 2013, Georges “got a deal” after pitching his product on ABC’s Shark Tank. Georges is taking the T-PEE® worldwide with the mission to save water and make a difference in the agricultural industry one tree at a time.

Register Now! 

 

Conference Workshop Schedule 

 

Workshop 1: VFC Alternative Break: Best Practices for Working with Student Volunteers

Description: Ashton Fallen, SERCAP Special Projects Manager, will share best practices for working with student volunteers from personal experience and stories from the program’s supervisors. She will also answer your questions and lead a group discussion about successes and challenges faced by workshop participants. Time: 9:00 - 11:45.

Workshop 2: Basics of Operator Math

Description: Paul Parker, SERCAP State Technical Assistance Provider in North Carolina, will present a workshop covering the basic math skills to improve operator knowledge of mathematical problem solving. It will also look at mathematical questions often found within operator exams and how to become proficient at solving these questions, and describe how each of these mathematical problems relates to the day-to-day operator responsibilities. Time: 9:00 - 9:45.

Workshop 3: Bottled Water: Panacea or Plague?

Description: Dr. Tamim Younos, President & CEO of the Cabell Brand Center and former Research Professor of Water Resources at Virginia Tech, will present the rationale behind global expansion of bottled water, components of the bottled water industry, and problems associated with bottled water production and consumption, including energy demand, health concerns, and plastic pollution. He'll discuss futuristic approaches for safe and sustainable bottled water production and infrastructure system design. Time: 10:00 - 10:45.

Workshop 4: Virginia Household Water Quality Program

Description: Erin Ling, Senior Extension Associate in the Biological Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, will discuss the Virginia Household Water Quality Program. The program improves the water quality and health of the 1 in 5 Virginians who rely on private water supplies such as wells, springs and cisterns through affordable water testing and education programs. Ling will cover key concepts, partnerships, and impacts of the program. A new initiative with the Virginia Water Well Association, WellCheck, which provides easy to understand well inspections for homeowners, will also be discussed. Time: 10:00 - 10:45

Workshop 5: Overview of USDA Rural Development Programs

Description: Janice Stroud-Bickes, Community Programs Director with USDA Rural Development, will highlight both the single family housing and the rural utility programs. She will discuss what is new with Rural Development’s programs while giving an overall refresher of the programs. This workshop will give useful factsheets for future reference. We will discuss tips of having a successful application for the rural utilities programs and ways for lower income communities to secure funds for the preliminary planning and engineering costs. Time: 11:00 - 11:45.

Workshop 6: CoLab, Local Entrepreneurship and StarTank

Description: Ariel Lev, Director of the CoLab, will present a workshop explaining the vision of CoLab for urban development. She will also discuss how fostering entrepreneurship in any community creates job opportunity and positively impacts economic development, and how CoLab's StarTank, which is a spinoff of SharkTank, offers local entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors. Time: 11:00 - 11:45.