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The old saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." In the case of wastewater, what a city flushes is an entire treasure trove of resources: nutrients, water, and energy. The key is developing the infrastructure and a culture, internally and externally, that supports recovering these resources through wastewater treatment facilities.March 28 and 29, 2012, in Raleigh, N.C., the Water Environment Federation (WEF) hosted the Energy Roadmap Summit. This summit brought together nearly 40 water professionals with experience in generating renewable energy at wastewater treatment plants. The goal of the summit was to create a "road map" to help plants increase renewable energy production, reduce energy consumption and focus on overall energy management.This roadmap leverages the Smart Grid Maturity Model (SGMM), a framework developed by the electric power sector to move towards "Smart Grid" technology. How Do We Get There?WEF's Energy Roadmap is a series of steps to help wastewater utilities plan and implement a wastewater energy program. The road map is applicable whether plants choose simply to increase energy efficiency or to build a full-scale cogeneration system. Steps will be arranged under various topics, from technical needs to managerial aspects, and will be applicable to small, medium, and large facilities.Wastewater treatment plants are not waste disposal facilities but are water resource recovery facilities that produce clean water, recover nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen), and have the potential to reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels through the production and use of renewable energy and the implementation of energy conservation. -Water Environment Federation 2011 Renewable Energy Position StatementEnergy sustainability is achieved through a combination of advancements in technical and organizational aspects of a utility.The steps are arranged under six topics:Under the six topics, the steps are organized into levels of progression. The first set of steps enables the organization. The second set integrates energy efficiency and generation into the organization's structure, culture, communications strategy, and technology. The last set of steps involves optimizing current processes and procedures. Strategic Management:High-level management policies and practices that lay the foundation for sustainable energy managementOrganizational Culture: Implementation of an energy vision to create an organizational culture that values energy efficiency at all levels and supports an energy champion and crossfunctional energy team Communication and Outreach: Tools for effective two-way communication with key stakeholders around energy management Demand Side Management: Methods to assess and reduce energy use and energy costs Energy Generation: Tools for utilities to evaluate whether and how to increase onsite renewable energy production and/or investments