Water Rally 2020 has been postponed. We will let you know the new date ASAP. Stay tuned!

Click here to view and download the Water Rally agenda!

Our goal for Alabama Water Rally 2020 is to build effective organizations and alliances for the future we want to have:  an inclusive, just and equitable future where our communities have clean water, a healthy environment and are prepared to face the challenges of climate change.

Our environmental challenges are growing greater each day and at the forefront of them all is the overwhelming threat of climate change. The environmental movement has been at the center of the climate change conversation for many years, but it is not just an environmental problem. It is much bigger than just us and we need a much bigger, broader more inclusive movement to tackle it.

While it remains a controversial topic in some circles, there is no doubt that many predictions are already coming true and we must be prepared to address immediate disasters while debating long-term policy solutions.

Take a moment and check out our keynote speaker’s recently released Ted Talk to get inspired, then register for Alabama Water Rally today and join many other Alabamians in making a difference for your community and its waterways!

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS include:

COLETTE PICHON BATTLE, Esq.

Colette is a generational native of Bayou Liberty, Louisiana.  As founder and executive director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, she develops programming focused on Equitable Disaster Recovery, Global Migration, Community Economic Development, Climate Justice and Energy Democracy.

SCOT DUNCAN

[one_full] Scot is a Professor of Biology at Birmingham-Southern College.  Scot is the author of Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity.  His latest research focuses on how climate change is affecting rivers and streams in the Southeast.

SPEAKERS, TOPICS & SPECIAL EVENTS INCLUDE:

Click here to view and download the Water Rally agenda!

• BRINGING LIGHT TO IMPACTED COMMUNITIES led by Colette Pichon Battle, The Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy | Friday evening by the fire!

Communities across Alabama have been battling environmental and public health threats due to injustices in our state political, business, and government systems for decades. Residents of these communities are living on the front lines of these problems everyday. This is an opportunity to hear their stories and learn from their experiences.

• WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING OUR WATER AND HOW CAN WE INFLUENCE THEM? led by Cindy Lowry, Alabama Rivers Alliance (and featuring the debut of our new Policy & Advocacy Director!)  | Friday afternoon in depth session from 1 – 3:30 pm

In the current federal political landscape, more and more of the responsibility to protect and regulate our environment is being moved to the states. There is a complex web of state and federal (and even local) agencies who have some responsibility over our waterways in Alabama. This in-depth session will provide an overview of those agencies and their responsibilities, review the history of our environmental movement’s interactions with some of the most important agencies (including efforts to reform certain agencies), and provide opportunities for group discussions and brainstorming about how we, as a movement, can be the most effective in our interactions with these agencies moving forward to protect our environment. This session is designed to benefit both the experienced environmental advocates and the novice concerned citizens as we must build these strategies together to effectively #DefendRivers in Alabama.

PLUS:

• REGENERATIVE DESIGN with Alan Booker, Institute of Integrated Regenerative Design
• ALABAMA’S BIODIVERSITY with Scot Duncan, Birmingham-Southern College
• TRANSPARENCY & NOTIFICATIONS with Eva Dillard, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, Haley Lewis, Gasp & Steven Dudley, Coosa Riverkeeper
• POINTS OF LEVERAGE: HOW TO INFLUENCE YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY with Daniel Tait, Energy Alabama
• BUILDING STRONG BOARDS AND JUNIOR BOARDS with Beth Stewart & LaTanya Scott, Cahaba River Society
• WETLANDS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT with Cleo Stubbs, WELP
• GEOLOGY OF MCDOWELL with Camp McDowell staff
• A CLOSER LOOK AT PFAS/PFOS with Michael Freeman, Auburn University & Amble Johnson, Southern Environmental Law Center
• A STORY ABOUT HURRICANE CREEK with Eric Courchesne
• SOCIAL SCIENCE AT THE GRASSROOTS with Ryan Thompson, Auburn University
• ORGANIZING 101 with the Poor People’s Campaign & Sunrise Movement
• STREAM WALK & TALK with Camp McDowell staff
• RIVER AWARDS CELEBRATION featuring Scot Duncan, keynote speaker

And don’t miss our ever-popular Junior Board-led panel discussion on Sunday morning! This year’s focus will be on the youth-led climate movement in Alabama and beyond.

Click here to view and download the Water Rally agenda!

What is Alabama Water Rally?

Water Rally is Alabama’s clean water conference and celebration that unites citizens, connects conservation groups, shares ideas and educates attendees to strengthen the voices for clean water throughout our state.

Water Rally gives you the opportunity to learn the latest from experts from across the country, share successes and challenges with like-minded folks, and mix & mingle with the most fun group of people this side of the Tombigbee.