The morning of the second day of the AESabesp – Fenasan 2011 Technical Meeting, the largest event in environmental sanitation in Latin America, saw the continuation of the presentation of technical projects and round table discussions.

The AESabesp Carbon Neutrality Project

Concern over the environment, and more specifically CO2 emissions, was the subject of the presentation by the chemist Maria Aparecida Paula Santos, coordinator of the AESabesp Costa Carvalho/Centro Center and the Socio-environmental Projects Department. During the exhibition "The AESabesp Carbon Neutrality Project", she highlighted the importance of promoting these kinds of events in a sustainable manner. "Just like at Fenasan 2010, this year we have worked to promote initiatives to reduce the amount of CO2 we emit". Among these initiatives, the lecturer cited mass transit, recycling as well as reductions in water consumption, the quantity of leaflets printed and waste produced.

Round Table Discussions

"The rational use of water - evolution and commitment by municipalities" was the subject which filled the auditorium to capacity. Explaining it in a wide-ranging manner, the Metropolitan Director of Sabesp, Paulo Massato Yashimoto, talked about the initiatives carried out in the state capital, while Luiz Paulo de Almeida Neto, Director of Regional Systems for Sabesp, covered the performance of the regional units of the company along the coast and in the countryside of the state of São Paulo. Giovanni Palermo, for the São Paulo City Hall, and Anicia Pio, from FIESP also took part in the event. During the presentations, the Rational Use of Water Program (PURA) was emphsized. This program is a partnership between Sabesp and the São Paulo City Hall, and its aim is to reduce water consumption by 10%. The program has also been taken to schools, where students are encouraged to practice its concepts at home.

The round table discussion "The quality of the ventures of sanitation companies" brought together the Director of Technology and the Environment of Sabesp, Marcelo Salles Holanda Freitas; the national chairman of the Architects' and Engineers' Union, João Alberto Viol; and Arisnandes Antonio da Silva (Sabesp), in order to discuss the structure of the largest construction projects of the sector, the recognition of the latter in the overall infrastructure of the country, the issue of how it is dealt with in terms of budgets and taxation, as well as the quality of the services offered to society.

"The application of collaborative governance in solving technical issues in the sanitation sector" was the discussion held by  Ronaldo Carlos Leite and Nelson Bevilacqua, both from Sabesp, and Maira Rodrigues, of the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP), in which the incentives by public authorities towards the dissemination of high technology was evaluated.

The technology of automation was the subject of the round table discussion entitled "Research and technological innovation in the environmental sanitation sector", which consisted of Oto Elias Filho, the superintendent for Sabesp in the Vale do Paraíba region, a representative from FAPESP (Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo) and Wady Roberto Bon (Sabesp). Great challenges such as the reduction of waste, more efficient services and simultaneous call-out capacity are part of the necessities of the sector, and were covered in the debate. Oto Elias highlighted the importance of research to Sabesp, since "new water-treatment companies are being formed all over the world and they are rapid adopters of technological innovation. Shortly, they will be knocking on our door over here". He also mentioned studies undertaken by Sabesp in the Technological Industrial Park of São José dos Campos, in partnership with the local government: research is being carried out on filtration membranes, telemetry and monitoring of underground aquifers. "It is an investment with returns for society".

The afternoon at the Technical Congress was filled up with another 12 presentations, such as "Professional qualification, adding vale to reliability", by Célio Cunha Almeida Prado, Director of Abraman (The Brazilian Maintenance Association), as weel as technical lectures by exhibitors at Fenasan: Pieralisi do Brasil, Centroprojeckt do Brasil, Netzsch do Brasil, McBauchemie, Vogelsan Brasil, Asperbrás Nordeste, Saint-Gobain Canalização and Zell Ambiental.

Also in the afternoon, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., the second day of Fenasan 2011 was opened to members of the public interested in the technological novelties presented at the Fair, which brought together exhibitors from all over Brazil and many from abroad also.

Closing ceremony with a lecture by Max Gehringer

There was a unique moment for AESabesp the 22-year history of its Technical Meeting and Fenasan: all the auditoriums needed to be joined together to form a single public space for 500 people. And even so, this space was completely crowded, with standing-room only, for the lecture by CBN Radio Host and presenter of TV Globo's Fantástico program, Max Gehringer, who, with a successful and interactive lecture, didn't leave the crowd disappointed.

In his lecture, he demonstrated his talent as a communicator by managing to create an intimate tone with the large public audience, with personal stories from this career as one of the most important executives in the country, before devoting himself to the field of communication.

With a dose of good humor, he also presented the phases that people normally pass through in their 20s, 40s and 60s. He encouraged young people to do technical courses, in order to sustain the country's demand for growth, and above all, not to abandon our human values, such as creating good relationships in the labor market, maintaining harmony within the family environment and tips for survival in the corporate world. Examples: find out who the boss is; adapt yourself to your working environment or find something else; try to understand what people need and how each person goes about things and also to take a shot a being an entrepreneur, considering that employees will probably become an endangered species in the 21^st Century.

As the driving force behind his presentation, Max Gehringer recommended people join an association that defends their interests, and he praised AESabesp in the form of its president, Hiroshi Ietsugu. Later he signed autographs and took photos with a line of fans. When leaving Fenasan, much later than planned, the commentator stated that he felt very much in tune with the public and that he had felt at home, talking with friends and asking for his visit to be recorded in the report on the event, about which he said "he really liked the AESabesp president, Hiroshi Ietsugu”.