She Is - Water Sheroes: Book Launch

Red Dot Foundation in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India & the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai, has launched a book She Is - Water Sheroes, written by ElsaMarie D’silva and Supreet K Singh, in partnership with Prof. Irena Creed. 

3rd in the series, She Is - Water Sheroes, makes visible the accomplishments of Indian and Canadian women in the field of water. They represent scientists, researchers, community organisers, entrepreneurs and youth leaders. Their work is collaborative, often community driven and definitely has a social impact that is sustainable. As we are in the decade of action to achieve the United Nations mandated Sustainable Development Goals, it is critical that each of us understands our role in ensuring that water as a resource is available both in quality and quantity. Women scientists have contributed a lot to climate change, especially on water-related issues and women leaders are often left out of public view because of patriarchy. 

Through the She Is book series, ElsaMarie and Supreet have been amplifying the stories of women leaders, capturing their unique journeys and their valuable professional contributions. These have proved to be instrumental in providing visibility amongst youth as role models and motivators for young girls to challenge gender stereotypes.

Red Dot Foundation has focussed on this topic in this book, in line with the She Leads Here campaign of Canada.

 

SPOKESPERSON QUOTES:

“I am delighted to host the launch of “She Is - Water Sheroes” to highlight the work of women scientists and community leaders in water management from Canada & India. This project is connecting these women leaders to exchange knowledge and experiences that can break down gender barriers and stereotypes. 

We all have a role to play in breaking down these barriers and Canada will continue to work with like minded organisations and people to prioritize the meaningful participation of women in STEM.” - Diedrah Kelly, Consul General of Canada in Mumbai

“Water is the best investment the world can provide to improve health, empower women, enable access to education, increase family income and change lives. The book “She Is - Water Sheroes” showcases stories of women who have contributed immensely to the field of water and climate change. This initiative is a step in the right direction as there is a need to recognise these women and to make their work visible. It also inspires young girls to follow their dreams. Hearty Congratulations to the women scientists and innovators who have been featured in the book.”- Dr Sapna Poti, Director Strategic Alliance Division, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

“Water is the source of life and as much as we have a right to this resource, we also have a responsibility to preserve and ensure that it is available both in quantity and quality. I believe that the different perspective of women’s leadership is integral to resolving issues and challenges that we face today. Through this book we have tried to make visible stories of women scientists and community leaders from Canada and India to provide reference points to inspire others. Their journey of grit and determination to leave this world a better place is going to inspire young girls who want to explore a career in STEM.” - Supreet K Singh, Co-Author | Co-Founder & CEO, Red Dot Foundation | Co-Founder, Beyond Black.

The women featured were selected by an esteemed jury who shortlisted them based on the social impact and future impact of their achievements, the contributions towards the sustainable development goals and efforts to pay it forward for gender equality. The esteemed jury members included :

· Dr Charles Trick - University of Toronto, Professor of Health and Society

· Ms. Amanda Strohan Deputy High Commissioner of Canada in India and Deputy Ambassador to Nepal and Bhutan

· Omair Ahmad - Managing Editor, South Asia, Third Pole

· Dr Prabhakar Sivaraman, Former Head, NDDP & AUGF, BARCF, Kalpakkam Former Head, Separation Technology Section, Desalination Division, BARC

· Dr Swati Basu - Former Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA, Government of India

The water sheroes featured in this book are listed below:

1. Annabelle Rayson, Internationally Awarded Youth Limnologist Researcher and Water  Activist, Sarnia, Ontario

2. Bobbi Rose Koe, Owner/Operator, Dinjii Zhuh Adventures and Community Connector, Western Arctic Youth Collective, Northern Canada

3. Charu Joshi, Deputy Director, Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON), Jaipur

4. Chaya D Rao, Managing Director, M/s Pai & Pai Chemicals (I) Pvt Ltd., Bengaluru 

5. Chelsea Rochman, Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Head of Operations & Science Programming and Application Lead, U of T Trash Team, University of Toronto

6. Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Associate Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

7. Dr Aditi Mukherji is Director, Climate Impact Platform, CGIAR and Principal Researcher, International Water Management Institute.  Part of the 6th Assessment Report (AR6) team,  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Coordinating Lead Author (CLA), Water Chapter in Working Group II on Adaptation and Vulnerability

8. Dr Akanksha Agarwal, Founder, Agromorph Technosolutions Private Limited, Navi Mumbai

9. Dr Indumathi Nambi, Founder and Director of WasteChakra Startup;  Professor of Environmental and Water Resources, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

10. Dr K Sri Bala Kameswari, Senior Principal Scientist and Head, Environmental Engineering Department, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai and Scientist-in-charge, CLRI Regional Centre, Kolkata

11. Dr Lori Elisabet Ann Bradford, Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Incorporating Social and Cultural Sciences into Engineering Design and Assistant Professor, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan

12. Dr Nupur Bahadur, Senior Fellow & Associate Director and Head, NMCG-TERI Centre of Excellence on Water Reuse, Environment and Waste Management Division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi

13. Dr Purnima Jalihal, Head, Renewable Ocean Energies and Fresh Water, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai

14. Dr Ranjana Ray Chaudhari, Assistant Professor, Department of Regional Water Studies, TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, and Member of India Sanitation Coalition Task Force and International Water Association (IWA)

15. Dr Riddhi Singh, Associate Professor, specialising in Water Resources Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

16. Garvita Gulhati, Founder, Why Waste

17. Kalpana Ramesh, Founder, The Rainwater Project, Hyderabad

18. Merrell-Ann Phare, Commissioner, International Joint Commission, Winnipeg

19. Merrin Macrae, Professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Management, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada    

20. Mita Dasog, Associate Professor and Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Research Chair Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Canada

21. Natalie Ban, Professor, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria

22. Nora Casson, Associate Professor, University of Winnipeg

23. Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Earth Sciences, University of Toronto

24. Professor Nandita Basu, Canada Research Chair in Global Water Sustainability and Ecohydrology, Director, Collaborative Water Program, Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo

25.  Qurratulain Contractor, Consultant (Gender and Agriculture), International Water Management Institute, Netherlands

26. Roxane Maranger, Full Professor and Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Aquatic  Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Université de Montréal

27. Sapna Sharma, Associate Professor, York University

28. Stella M Bowles, M.S.M., O.N.S., Environmental Activist, Student, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada and Citizen Scientist

29. Suruchi Bhadwal, Programme Director and Senior Fellow, Climate and Air Programme at TERI, New Delhi