A Conversation with Charles Fishman, Author of <i>The Big Thirst</i> - Metropolitan Planning Council

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A Conversation with Charles Fishman, Author of The Big Thirst

August 18, 2011, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

This is a past event

Union League Club of Chicago 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago

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REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS CLOSED DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND.

On Aug. 18, 2011, the Metropolitan Planning Council, Openlands, and the Union League Club Authors Group will present "A Conversation with Charles Fishman, Author of The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water."  Space is limited, so register now!


We love water—but we don’t always appreciate or respect it.  We will pay a thousand times the price of tap water to drink our preferred brand of the bottled version, but we balk at paying a few cents extra on monthly bills to fix failing pipes.  We delight in watching waves roll in from the lake, but we cannot seem to stop polluting the water.

In The Big Thirst, New York Times bestselling author Charles Fishman vividly shows that we’ve left behind a century-long golden age when water was thoughtlessly abundant, free and safe and entered a new era of high-stakes and increasingly costly water. But as dramatic as the challenges are, the deeper truth Fishman reveals is that there is no good reason for us to be overtaken by a global water crisis. We have more than enough water. We just don’t think about it or use it wisely.  As Fishman shows, a host of advances are under way, from the simplicity of harvesting rainwater to the work of such water-intensive corporations as IBM, GE, and Royal Caribbean.

The luncheon and discussion will cost $30 per person. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. 

About Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman is a former metro and national reporter for the Washington Post, and was a reporter and editor at the Orlando Sentinel and the News & Observer in Raleigh, NC. Since 1996, he has worked for the innovative business magazine Fast Company. Fishman has won numerous awards, including three times receiving UCLA’s Gerald Loeb Award, the most prestigious award in business journalism.

Reviews of The Big Thirst:

“An engrossing, globe-trotting narrative [and] a comprehensive, remarkably readable panorama of our dependence on- and responsibilities to- a priceless resource.” — Publishers Weekly

"The Big Thirst" is overflowing with stories large and small about water.” — Daniel Weintraub, The Wall Street Journal

“’The Big Thirst’” is more than a drop in the bucket.”— Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post

Thanks to Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. for sponsoring this event.

This page can be found online at http://archive.metroplanning.org/events/event/116

Metropolitan Planning Council 140 S. Dearborn St.
Suite 1400
Chicago, Ill. 60603
312 922 5616 info@metroplanning.org

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