The TN Recycling Coalition held the听Inaugural Women’s Environment Leadership Summit in October 2024 at the Sonesta Hotel in Nashville, TN. The summit was the first event held for women in sustainability and leadership. It was a unique opportunity to connect with over 120 women who are leaders in the sustainability field. The goal of the summit was to share transformative ideas, provide guidance, and cultivate abilities as a leader. During the two-day event, participants had the opportunity to listen to inspiring speakers, engage in environmental panel discussions, visit a female-owned business called Jackalope Brewing Company, and tour the Omohundro Water Treatment Facility in Nashville.
“It was an honor to be in a room filled with so many women who are leaders in this industry. They shared their experiences and insights in the environmental field, discussed the obstacles they have overcome, and talked about the challenges of balancing professional and home life,” said Amber Greene, TN Recycling Coalition Executive Director,” By sharing passion, leadership aspirations, and ideas within this industry, we inspire and encourage the next generation of leaders entering this profession.”
Jackalope Brewing Company was founded by听Bailey Spaulding听and听Robyn Virball. Jackalope eliminates waste by installing a grain silo at the ranch for brewing that eliminated two-row barley bags from the waste stream. In 2019, Jackalope became the first brewery in Tennessee to use CiCiTM, a C02 recapture system developed by Earthly Labs that captures carbon-dioxide from the brewing process to be used later in the canning and kegging processes. This means some of the C02 in Jackalope beer is made by their beer.
The Omohundro Water Treatment Plant began in 1889 with the completion of the George Reyer Pumping Station and boiler house designed by Nashville architect, C.K. Colley. Steam-powered pumps were used to pull water from the river and send it to the City Reservoir, originally constructed as a settling basin for the water before it was distributed. The first filtration treatment began in 1929 with the completion of the filtration building at the Omohundro campus. Although now using electric power rather than steam, all of these facilities remain in operation today. Omohundro Water Plant has been providing clean drinking water to the Nashville area since 1889 and 1978, respectively.
Currently, Metro Water Services provides clean and safe drinking water to 191,000 citizens in Davidson County and the surrounding areas through over 3,000 miles of water mains. Each water treatment plant has a capacity of 90 million gallons per day, and the new system will increase the volume of water output by up to 50 percent. 鈥淲alking through the Omohundro Water Treatment Plant is like stepping through a living timeline of Nashville’s commitment to public health,” said Tiffany Wilmot, President of Wilmot, Inc. “This 1889 engineering marvel is being transformed into the most sustainable water treatment facility in the world. Our team at Wilmot is proud to guide the certification of six LEED buildings and implement the Envision framework across the campus. This project beautifully demonstrates how we can honor our historical infrastructure while reimagining its future through sustainable design,” said Tiffany Wilmot, President of Wilmot, INC.
The 2025 Women鈥檚 Environmental Leadership Summit will be held on October 1st and 2nd.
For more information and to register, visit .
For more information on Omohundro Water Treatment Facility, visit .
For more information on Jackalope Brewing Company, visit .
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