At the Water Table: Conversations with River Network

Learn more about the important water and climate justice work led by four individuals in the U.S. Midwest region who received funding through River Network's Climate Justice Flow Fund Circle. These leaders and organizations were selected by Monica Lewis-Patrick, President and CEO of We the People of Detroit and Climate Justice Flow Funder. Enjoyed this episode? Learn more and join the nationa...

How has community organizing and disaster preparedness evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic? For Doris Brown at West Street Recovery (WSR) in Houston, Texas, this kind of advocacy has only expanded. WSR is a survivor-led organization focused on community organizing and disaster resilience. Water is a critical issue for WSR, with many residents facing high bills and unsafe drinking water. In this ep...

From healthcare to “filter sharks” to advocacy on every level, no one understands the drinking water issue in California better than Susana De Anda. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Community Water Center , Susana is  an expert in community organizing and building a movement in which residents are empowered to engage in local governance and stand up for their right to clean and affordab...

How can we tell the story of program funding in a way that maps long-term, interconnected impacts in a community? River Network staff member Renée Mazurek came upon one potential answer in Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), a storytelling and evaluation tool that traces the outward ripples of community initiatives via interactive story-sharing from community members. In this bonus episode, Renée narrat...

Many water organizations offer environmental education and training for the next generation of climate leaders, but what happens when youth age out of these programs? Plaster Creek Stewards is the lead organization of Project GreenER , an adult educational program in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that fosters understanding and builds agency for watershed care. In this episode of At the Water Table, Andr...

Have you been curious about new federal funding opportunities, but worry that your organization can’t take on the administrative challenges? Here, Jerry Calderon at the Tataviam Land Conservancy (TLC) and Amanda Zeidner at the Council for Watershed Health (CWH) share their experience with securing federal funding, the challenges faced by community-based organizations, and the importance of diversi...

What’s your environmental advocacy origin story, and does it have anything to do with the disaster movies of the 2000s? In this episode of At the Water Table, Hana Katz, Policy and Project Manager at the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) , traces her environmental activism journey, from influential movies to her experience growing up with flood evacuations. These days, sh...

How do you know whether you’re a “lumper” or a “splitter,” and does good facilitation always involve Post-its? In this episode of At the Water Table, Joy Jackson, Senior Associate at the Institute for Conservation Leadership, leads us on a journey through her vibrant, dynamic world of facilitation. From tennis balls to transformation, Joy illustrates the many elements of creating and holding space...

What does urban tree planting have to do with healing a city’s relationship to water? In this episode, Brenda Coley and Kirsten Shead, Co-Executive Directors of Milwaukee Water Commons (MWC), weave together some of the many threads that make up Milwaukee’s environmental justice story. Guided by principles from generations of resilient communities – Indigenous folks, Black feminists, and LGBTQ+ act...

Welcome to River Network's podcast, At The Water Table! Enjoyed this episode? Learn more and join the national network of water, justice, and river advocates at rivernetwork.org .

What does it mean to engage in equitable development – and to center community health and needs at every step of the way? Arif Ullah, Executive Director of South Bronx Unite (SBU), joins River Network's Ayana Harscoet to tell the story of this small but mighty community-founded organization. Tune in to hear about SBU’s journey to transform the South Bronx’s polluted waterfront into a hub for...

How do we spark a lifelong passion for rivers and waterways? In this episode, Saraly Gonzalez, Environmental Education Director at UrbanPromise , joins River Network's Carly Schmidt to discuss environmental education and experiential learning through outdoor experiences and direct training. Saraly shares her experience shaping the next generation of water stewards in Camden, New Jersey, throu...