Watch the new WEFTEC 2015 video on YouTube https://youtu.be/qtZgfGuww1Q
Enjoy watching and see the 13 minutes film. Thanks to the sponsors, IFAT, DWA, City of Düsseldorf, Bonn and Nürnberg and the self payer.
Team Sprit at the IFAT booth
See you during the IFAT Munich 2016.
Rüdiger Heidebrecht
1. University Challenge during IFAT Mumbai 2015
This week I have been to Mumbai/India. After 9 hours flight I arrived again this amazing dynamic and crazy city. It is the third time of IFAT India; the trade show I always attend to lead the German Pavilion.
This time we have prepared, together with our friend Prof. Singh, the 1. University Challenge in IWRM (Integrated Waters Resources Management).
Eight teams from e.g. Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Pune, Warangal, Gujarat showed up. The Tasked was to create a smart “green province” by using the 62 DWA Environmental Cards. These cards cover water structures, water supply, wastewater, waste and energy subjects. To place them in the green province was the challenge.
The Team from Jaipur won and they will travel to the IFAT Munich in 2016. This is possible because the Ludwig Obländer Federation (founder of the company WILO) supports this event. The WILO Company invited the first and second team from MSU Gujarat to his pump factory. A great and nice support for this event.
The Jury and the students in Action
It is great to see the young people active. The winner team is happy and looking forward to travel the first time to Germany and to participate on the 1. World University Challenge in IWRM during IFAT Munich 2016.
The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) organized an Alumni Programme during this week and the 15 participants, most Professors from various countries, participated on the “serious game” competition “Aqua Republica”. Thanks to the company DHI who supports us in this new discipline.
I enjoyed it very much to keep professors and students busy for 3 hours during the trade show.
The winner from Jaipur, remember these faces, a great future ahead
Rüdiger Heidebrecht 16.10.2015
Looking back to my professional live of 32 years I must state that this trip to Chicago was something special.
I have seen the Annapurna and Mt. Everest basecamp, travelled to Lhasa, Angkor Wat, Jerusalem, New York, Petra and the Egyptian Pyramide and Capetown. I took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Peking to Moscow, a boot trip on the Yangtse River in China, on the Nil in Egypt.
Team Sprit at the IFAT booth
It is not the windy city Chicago what was special to me, it were the people I met, the teams I travelled with and the spirit I/we all felt. From age 19 to 63. We created a team spirit what a wonderful experience.
The american collegues were absolutly amaizing, friendly, open minded, helpful and to the point. The Chicago Sewer Rats trained us with patiant and in an absolute professional way. Talking with other teams were easy, many showed interest in the German Teams and asked a lot. Steve, Laila, Eileen from WEF helped a lot and supported us very much.
Walking with a German flag and a group of 14 people into a trade show and getting so many positiv feedback was unique. I would not have done that 10 years ago, now things have changed. Proudness, confidence to represent the country I’m living in is a new and nice feeling. A challenge is emotional, you loose, you win, we won many sympathy from our neigbour teams, we won experiences and respect to the dedication of our american collegues towards there work.
Proud to be at the challenge
Thanks to all – I keep that trip as a special trip in my mind.
Rüdiger Heidebrecht
Oktober 2015
Achim und Donnie at the training
Maren and a lady from another team
Ulli and his coach
Michael and Stephen
A question which I often get asked. Why do you support such an event?
What are the benefits for you, for your DWA organization?
I asked that question a lot when I joint DWA in 1992. I asked my boss at that time. Why are more than 2300 German professionals work voluntarily for DWA? I could not understand why they work without getting money. I learned that these professionals are willing to make chances, to network, to give, to learn form each other to be the best of it´s subject. Most of these professionals are highly educated and pasted the University. They “burn” for there subject, they want to be good.
Why are wastewater technicians are engaged in such an skills competition? For me the answer is pretty easy. It is the same motivation as discribed above. To make a difference, to chance behaviours, to be proud to be good in the job, to network, to learn and to be flexible in the ways to do things. The also “burn” for there job.
DWA is an non-profit making and an non-government organization. We are networkers, we train people, we get people together, we are a learning companies. That´s all about.
Why I´m so crazy to go to Chicago? Karl Imhoff, a pioneer in wastewater in the early last century, travelled a lot to the US and to other countries. He got new ideas, developed them and made a lot of changes in Germany. I travelled more than 60 countries in the world. I have seen many water utilities. Individuales can make a lot of changes if they are open mineded, flexible and interested in the things we do.
Look into these faces and see the “Spirit of Chicago” – see the engagement, the joy of makeing things happen, enthusiasem, motivation.
You does not want to have such employees? In a time where many staff has lost it´s interest in work, in times to find hardly new motivated staff.
Let us put more staff under “fire”, let them “burn” for a new idea. Motivation is the key to success. I enjoy personally to work together with people who are motivated, engaged and dedicated to it´s job – to the clean water.
Looking from outside to Germany you see how small this country is, how powerful it can be and how much it has achieved. The way we see and do things is one out of many ways, be open to the changes in the world, stay open minded, do a good job where ever you work.
Whatch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTznEIZRkLg
I love it.
Rüdiger Heidebrecht
Team Düsseldorf – Winner “Best Fan Team” and “Most Friendliest” Team
DWA/IFAT ALL Star Team and Düsseldorf 3 Prizes, super!
Party – all went well – amaizing!
Team Düsseldorf got place 29 and DWA/IFAT All Star Team got 32 out of 44 Teams.
Not the last and not the best – that was the slogan of coach Rüdiger. So we did it well. First time on the competition and a lot of new impressions – they did an excellent job. Congratulations!
We got three pizes. Team Düsseldorf won the prize for the “Best Fan Support” and got the prize for the “Most Friendliest” team. The All Star Team won the prize “Best Effort”. Every morning and evening we went into the trade show with music and flags – a lot of positive feedback from the audience.
What a show. On Tuesday the Collection Event, Pump Event and Safety Event took place. All teams did a good job. It was exiting and we were all busy.
After the ceremony we went to a party – nice and late.
Rüdiger Heidebrecht
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