Wisconsin has water in abundance. It has two of the world’s largest lakes on its northern and eastern borders, plus plenty of internal lakes, rivers and ground water, and abundant rainfall.
So what could these two different places offer to each other when it comes to knowledge and use of water?
Plenty, said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle in a telephone interview on Dec. 21 — so much, in fact, that the two polities have agreed to work on such issues together.
Doyle was in Israel Nov. 16-20 leading a Wisconsin trade mission. Among the things he did there was to sign an agreement on Nov. 17 with Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade, and Labor Benyamin Ben-Eliezer to promote Wisconsin-Israel collaboration in research and development of water technologies.
In the interview, Doyle said that Israel and Wisconsin have much to learn from each other precisely because of the contrasting situations of scarcity for the one and plenty for the other.
“Israel has had to develop extremely high tech and innovative solutions to water,” he said. In fact, “Israel has done something all regions had better learn from; it has learned to use every drop.”
“We [in Wisconsin] have acted as if water has no end,” Doyle said. “But even in Wisconsin, water is a resource that has to be conserved,” which means Wisconsin can learn from Israel.
On the other hand, Wisconsin, because of its plentitude of water, has “businesses that have expertise in all aspects of water: How you get it out of the ground, how you use it in the most economical manner, how you measure its use, how you clean it and return it to the water cycle,” Doyle said. Israel has much to learn and gain from all that, he said.
With the agreement signed, the next step is “to connect our scientists and technical experts and so on” in universities and private businesses to determine “how to promote research and development opportunities together” and “how to identify partnerships that can be mutually beneficial,” Doyle said.
In fact, said Doyle, the focus on research and development makes this agreement with Israel somewhat different from other international business agreements Wisconsin has made.
This agreement “really recognized that opportunities in Wisconsin and Israel will come from advanced technology and what comes from laboratories,” Doyle said.
Therefore, it is “more focused on how we work together to further R&D and how we take what we have discovered and are able to commercialize it in a way beneficial to both Israel and Wisconsin,” he said.
The trade mission included Wisconsin business, university, and government leaders. Also participating were leaders of the Jewish communities of Milwaukee and Madison, including Richard H. Meyer, executive vice president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and Steven H. Morrison, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Madison.
In addition to signing the agreement with Israel, Doyle spoke at the Fifth Annual International Water Technologies, Renewable Energy and Environmental Control Exhibition, which was held this year in Tel Aviv.
He also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While “it’s hard to be in Israel and not touch on issues of security and relations with the Palestinians,” Doyle said, his meeting with Netanyahu focused primarily on economic development.
In fact, Doyle said that he generally saw “a different aspect” of Israel than he had seen during his two previous trips, both made when he was Wisconsin’s attorney general.
“It’s been about 10 years since I’ve been there last,” Doyle said. “To see the level of development, particularly technological development, was really dramatic.”
Doyle also said he went to neighboring Jordan during the mission. That country is getting ready to undertake “a multi-billion-dollar” water project; and both that and Israel’s work offer “great opportunities” for Wisconsin, Doyle said.
Formerly op-ed editor, Leon Cohen has written for The Chronicle for more than 25 years.
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