Water and Environment Task Force

Please join us for this month’s featured presentation on Facebook’s new innovative water reuse project at their headquarters in Menlo Park.

Facebook recently completed installation of a district-scale (multi-building) onsite reuse system to recycle wastewater from two Frank Gehry-designed buildings at their headquarters campus.  As the first large-scale commercial building system to be approved by California state regulatory agencies, the approval process was long and challenging. The project also involved obtaining approvals and permits from local agencies that were not familiar with onsite reuse systems and did not have an existing permitting process in place. The Facebook system is currently the largest district-scale onsite reuse system in the United States. Similar systems are being planned and developed by other high-tech companies in the Bay Area, especially in the Silicon Valley area.  
 
Facebook’s Sustainability Lead, Lauren Swezey, and Project Manager, Marinus Lamprecht, will provide insight into the journey through the approval, permitting and construction processes for this innovative project. 

Following our presentation from Facebook, we will hear from Dennis Murphy of Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) who will provide a regional perspective on onsite (decentralized) reuse projects in the South Bay and SSV’s work on related water and environmental issues.

About our Speakers: 

Lauren Swezey manages sustainability for Facebook Real Estate and Facilities where she directs green building initiatives in the Bay Area and oversees design of Facebook’s landscapes, including their new 4-acre green roof. Since joining Facebook in 2010, she’s been partnering with local and regional environmental nonprofits to help protect and restore the natural environment, including the wetlands and endangered species adjacent to Facebook’s headquarters. Lauren serves on the Board of Directors for Save the Bay.

Dennis Murphy directs both the Water & Sustainable Life Programs at SSV, a “think & do” tank focused on intelligent water use & reuse, air quality and mobility in a decarbonizing Bay Area. Originally founded in 2000 as a carbon registry for Cal EPA, SSV manages innovative policy, market and business development by connecting key players and promoting collaborative solutions to the toughest sustainability problems. SSV works on fostering public/private cooperation and good governance.