Updated: Fri Oct. 22 2010 15:48:15

ctvcalgary.ca

"Waterlution" is a word being used by a number of Canadians taking part in a discussion about water issues this week.

Almost 200 people between the ages of 18 and 35 who are passionate about water are involved.

Organizers are calling it an "unconference", because participants aren't sitting listening to experts. They are the experts.

Kristian Dubrawski is one of 180 young people invited to the Canadian Water Innovation Lab. He rode his bike to Calgary from Vancouver to take part.

"We've been talking about water rights, water issues in Alberta. There's big land use issues and I think public opinion has to change and people need to get concerned about their water because the government is sort of neglecting the public general in Alberta," he says.

Participants are not being lectured to, but rather they're out on field trips, including to an Enmax facility in downtown Calgary, which is similar in idea to ones in England that have operated for the last century.

"We heat the water here, we transfer the water to a building such as the municipal building, It goes through a heat exchanger, they take the energy and give us the water back, so we reheat the water and keep using it. It's a closed loop system, so no water leaves the system. It's very environmentally friendly," says Gary Czaikowski with Enmax.

Organizers say if there's a goal for the week long event it's to increase the dialogue about water issues between all Canadians