Conserving Water through
Local Action
Nature's Voice - Our Choice is a nonprofit organization that uses engineering principles
and community engagement to proactively conserve water
through local action. Through 3 key programs we focus on
bringing water to the forefront of
public concern and developing
water management solutions that
combine
energy,
economic,
ecological, and social elements:
Global Sustainable Water designs, promotes, and delivers
solutions for sustaining water resources globally.
Give Water a Voice promotes youth education and increasing community awareness around
water issues.
Water Resource Management for Energy Conservation (WRMEC) provides local
governments with water resource management solutions to meet climate change mitigation and
adaptation goals.
Our Beginning—Global Sustainable Water
Since its founding in 2003, Nature’s Voice-Our Choice
(NVOC), has been evolving to meet the water challenges
facing communities. Our organization began in Mauritania,
West Africa, as a demonstration project for the treatment of domestic wastewater and its reuse in
urban agriculture. Following the success of this project, NVOC was established in the United
States. We continue our aim to achieve global sustainable water by providing people in the U.S.
and abroad with information and technical support to implement balanced community water
resource projects.
Give Water A Voice
Through our high school summer internship program,
we engage students by addressing and finding
solutions to the current water crisis. One of our 2010
interns is continuing the research he began last
summer by traveling to New Orleans to investigate
the roll of bacteria in cleaning up the oil spill.
We are now in the 4th year of our very popular
‘Students Give Water a Voice' art competition.
Through posters, poems, and videos, students use their creativity to draw attention to water
issues in their communities. This year we expect over 10,000 students from 50 countries to
participate.
Flooding, drought...what if we could turn these water problems into solutions ? Water Resource Management
For Energy Conservations
Energy efficiency and carbon emissions have garnered national attention in recent years, muting the voice of water and its role in climate change. Our WRMEC program seeks to amplify water’s function in a changing global environment. The program delivers solutions for managing water as a resource, like that of oil, gas, and other precious assets that must be carefully regulated. WRMEC demonstrates that by reducing our water use, we also reduce the amount of energy and CO2 emissions associated with treating and distributing water and wastewater. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 40% of municipal energy use is consumed in the treatment and distribution of water. WRMEC is focused on decreasing this energy demand by heightening community  Green Infrastructure awareness and technical innovation to  Greywater Reuse improve water resource management. The program promotes five key areas of water  Water Conservation Devices management through energy saving case  Municipal Operations and Distribution studies, technical and economic analysis,  Renewable Energy at Water and municipal education, and community Wastewater Treatment Plants outreach. The program focus areas include: Virtual River Project—NEW! Creating a new water source through conservation The EPA states that 36 states will experience local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013, even under non‐drought conditions. Water conservation is a much more cost‐effective and low‐energy method of meeting this need than developing new sources. The Virtual River Project aims to create a new water source through conservation by inspiring and tracking real world water savings. Through the combined efforts of individuals, businesses, and the government, we are creating a water revolution, and the Virtual River runs through it, bringing these efforts to life. This year we aim to add over 5 billion gallons to the Virtual River. As each sector contributes to and advances the water conservation movement, the virtual river grows. ‐ ‐ Drop by Drop the River Flows ‐ ‐ West African Proverb www.nv‐oc.org Contact Information Nature’s Voice, Our Choice Headquarters Office 1940 Duke Street, Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (202) 360‐8373 Great Lakes Regional Office 314 S. Ashley Street Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Phone (734) 826‐2666 Cell (202) 713‐6657 For information contact: Brandy Lellou Executive Director