Coastal-Water Quality: Challenges, Solutions, and Economic Impact

Article authored by:

Holly Elmore - LAI At-Large Member & LAI Assistant Communications Director

Holly's eclectic career path includes multiple facets ranging from the corporate arena (Arthur Andersen Auditor & Trammell Crow Controller) to the foodservice industry (owner of a corporate catering business & restaurants) to sustainability-industry leader (Zero Waste Zones & Elemental Impact Founder). In addition, Holly is an avid nature & documentary photographer and respected journalist with prominent articles and photographs featured in national publications.

On February 17 LAI hosted the Global Webinar Coastal-Water Quality: Challenges, Solutions, and Economic Impact presented by Sarasota’s environmental leadership. As a member of the LAI executive committee, Elemental Impact Founder & CEO Holly Elmore orchestrated the webinar.

The global webinar was the second program in an eighteen-month series about water and land economics around the globe hosted by the LAI Global Water Group.

LAI At-Large Members from Florida’s Central Gulf Coast shared on global-coastal-water challenges along with the economic impact to the local and regional communities. With a well-orchestrated plan, via the Water-Quality Playbook, community organizations execute programs designed to prevent water contamination from land use and to cleanse contaminates in the water.

The Sarasota Bay Report Card documents achievements and remaining challenging scenarios. Teamwork is required for success with support provided by local, state, and federal governments as well as the community (foundations and taxpayers.)

THANK YOU to the panelists for your empowering, impressive presentations:
•   David Tomasko, Ph,D, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Executive Director
•   Jon Thaxton, Gulf Coast Community Foundation Senior Vice President Community Investment
•   Christine Johnson, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast President
•   Sandy Gilbert, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide Chair

Sarasota ROCKS when it comes to water-quality commitments; after all, the local economy and way of life depend on healthy waters!

Listen to the webinar recording on LAI TV to learn about Sarasota’s successful collaborative water-quality projects and programs; the Coastal-Water Quality: Challenges, Solutions, and Economic Impact article provides an in-depth synopsis of the webinar content; panelist PPT presentations are available for download within the article copy.