Sustainable Breakfast Series

press release: Join us for the February Sustainable Breakfast Series, PFAS Community Impact & Management, on Tues. Feb 28, from 8:30-9:30am at the Starting Block 3rd floor cafe. PFAS stands for Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. These are a class of chemicals that do not break down in the environment and are commonly found in dust, air, soil and water. In 2022, the EPA updated their guidelines on adequate levels of PFAS which highlighted that levels are higher than recommended and we need to reduce their concentration.

Join us to learn about these chemicals: where they come from, their impact on our environment and health, the ways our community is working to reduce their prevalence, and how you can get involved.

Agenda

• Breakfast & Networking 8:00—8:30AM
• Program 8:30—9:30AM
• Networking 9:30—10:00AM

Speakers include:

Christina Remucal, associate professor, civil and environmental engineering, environmental chemistry and technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Associate professor Christy Remucal leads the Aquatic Chemistry group at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is the Director of the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory. She is a faculty member in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. She holds an MS (2004) and a PhD (2009) in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS (2003) in Environmental Engineering Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the fate of organic chemicals, including PFAS, in natural and engineered aquatic systems.

Martye Griffin, director of ecosystem services, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District: Martye Griffin has always been about the ‘WE’ in ‘WATER’ and how human decisions impact water quality. Martye received his graduate degree in biology from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, examining the impacts of excess nutrients on coastal ecosystems. He has over 20 years of experience working in the public and private sectors looking holistically at the interaction between human land use and water quality. With increasing societal and regulatory pressure to produce cleaner water than ever, it costs more to clean water after it is polluted than preventing the pollution in the first place. In his role with the District, Martye focuses on solving problems adaptively to move at the speed of trust. Working in communities focusing on pollution prevention is just the way we must do business. Martye joined the District in 2017.

Joe Grande, water quality manager, city of Madison Water Utility: Joe is responsible for water quality monitoring & reporting of Madison’s drinking water, and the utility’s cross connection control, private well permitting, and wellhead protection programs. Over the last decade, he has led the utility’s response to emerging water quality issues including radium, chromium (VI), pharmaceuticals and personal care products, road salt, and now PFAS. Joe is currently leading Madison’s effort to add a PFAS treatment system at idled Well #15 on Madison’s east-side. He holds Masters degrees in Biological Systems Engineering and Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.