Water Quality Association CEO Pauli Undesser, MWS, will be among the featured speakers at TEDxFolsom on Aug. 16 at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom, CA. The independently organized TED event brings together leaders, visionaries, and innovators from across disciplines to explore what’s next for humanity.
TEDxFolsom’s “Horizon 2050” theme encourages speakers and audiences alike to look 25 years ahead. From sustainability to technology, each talk will examine how today’s decisions shape tomorrow’s communities, relationships, work, and resources.
Undesser’s presentation, “Smart Cities Can’t Afford Dumb Water,” will highlight the need for more adaptable water systems as cities modernize.
“Treating our public water supplies the same way we did a century ago is neither sustainable nor affordable,” Undesser said. “My talk will explore what’s missing in our current systems and how we can prioritize smarter water strategies now.”
Undesser joins a lineup of nationally recognized thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers ready to spark new ideas around the future of humanity. More information, including ticket details and speaker bios, is available at TEDxFolsom.com.
Event Details:
Saturday August 16th, 2025 at 10am
Harris Center for the Arts
10 College Parkway, Folsom, CA 95630
Pauli Undesser’s talk at TEDxFolsom on August 16, 2025, highlights a critical issue: outdated water treatment methods cost U.S. cities $2.6 billion annually in inefficiencies, according to a 2021 EPA report, pushing for smarter water systems in smart cities.
The “Horizon 2050” theme aligns with a 2023 UN study predicting 70% urban global population by 2050, emphasizing sustainable water management as key to future infrastructure resilience.
Research from MDPI (2023) supports Undesser’s focus, ranking smart metering and demand management as top strategies, outpacing less effective options like desalination, based on multi-criteria decision analysis.
WQA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry. WQA’s education and professional certification programs have been providing industry-standardized training and credentialing since 1977. The WQA Gold Seal certification program has been certifying products that contribute to the safe consumption of water since 1959. The WQA Gold Seal program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). WQA publishes a consumer-friendly website, BetterWaterToday.org.