Last month, St. Johns RIVERKEEPER attended the 2026 Waterkeeper Alliance Global Conference in Quito, Ecuador. Hosted by Guayllabamba Waterkeeper Patricio Chambers and his family, the conference brought together people working every day to protect rivers, lakes, coastlines, and communities to discuss a central theme of Water Quality and Pollution Control.
We participated in deeply informative workshops on biosolids and PFAS, learned strategies to tackle emerging environmental challenges, and celebrated our waterways through a minga ceremony – a Quichua term used to describe the tradition of collective community work.
We came away with several lessons we hope to apply here in our beloved watershed, including:
- Devising strategies to curtail the land application of sewage sludge and limit the expansion of data centers
- Understanding the principles of river personhood and their relevance to our work
- Utilizing storytelling for grassroots campaigns and transformative change
- Addressing complex drinking water protection challenges by balancing competing interests and sustaining long-term stewardship
- Community organizing against hazardous waste management
We are excited to set our learnings into motion and continue fighting for the St. Johns River’s health and well-being for generations to come.