Webinar: Indigenous Roots of Circularity and How Traditional Knowledge Can Guide Water Management
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 01:00 PM EST
Presented by:
- Dr. Shanondora Billiot (United Houma Nation Citizen), Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University
- Dr. Yolanda López-Maldonado (Yucatan, Mexico), Human Ecologist and Geographer
Current demands on freshwater, driven by climate change and population growth, have led municipalities, water stewards, and academics to focus on conserving scarce freshwater resources. This shift has spotlighted the concept of a circular water economy—a system that emphasizes conserving and reusing freshwater instead of conventional methods of limited treatment and discharge. While circularity may seem novel from a modern, Western perspective, Indigenous cultures have practiced it for millennia, embedding it into their ways of life and environmental stewardship. This webinar will explore these enduring cultural practices and their modern implications for conservation, policy, and ecology. Participants will gain insight into the foundational principles of circularity and the essential role Indigenous peoples play in sustaining these practices. This session, featuring Indigenous scholars Dr. Shanondora Billiot (United Houma Nation Citizen) and Dr. Yolanda López-Maldonado (Yucatan, Mexico) alongside other experts in policy and water rights, will highlight how traditional knowledge can guide contemporary water management approaches.
Hosted by: Ocean Sewage Alliance and OCTO