A panel including Dr. Kerry Black, second from left, discusses water challenges and solutions at the Creating Tomorrow event.
Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
Oct. 28, 2024
Creating Tomorrow speaker challenges society's collective indifference toward water’s value
Kerry Black urged attendees to reconnect with water management and rethink our responsibilities.
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“What do you do when nobody cares?”
That was the question posed by Dr. Kerry Black, PhD, an associate professor at UCalgary and Canada Research Chair in the Schulich School of Engineering, at the Creating Tomorrow event on Oct. 22.
The event, the third in the Creating Tomorrow series, explored the relationships, partnerships and people involved in crucial water security and wastewater research projects.
In her keynote address, Black pointed to a widespread indifference that can paralyze action. She noted that water is fundamental to all life, yet many feel overwhelmed and disconnected from its significance.
Black acknowledged the privilege of speaking on Treaty 7 territory, urging attendees to consider the historical context of water management. “We’ve been innovating in the wrong space,” she stated, stressing that solutions must dig deeper than surface-level fixes. “Often we're innovating at the leaves of the trees when we have to start looking at where the roots of the trees are.”
“We need to put our connections with people and nature at the very center of our decision-making.”
She concluded by challenging the audience at the at TELUS Spark Science Centre: “What does it look like to care differently?” Her call to action aims to inspire a collective movement toward responsible water stewardship.