Equity In Every Drop - A Waterkeeper Alliance Podcast

In this episode of Equity in Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes sits down with the legendary Diane Wilson—a fourth-generation fisherwoman, author, San Antonio Bay Waterkeeper, and winner of the prestigious 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize.  Diane shares her incredible 38-year journey fighting massive petrochemical plants on the Texas Gulf Coast. Discover how an introverted boat captain led a team of v...

How do you build bipartisan alliances in a deeply divided political landscape? You meet people where they are—even if that means sitting on a truck tailgate drinking beer out of a cooler. In this episode of Equity in Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes sat down with Tonya Bonitatibus, the multi-talented Executive Director and Riverkeeper for Savannah Riverkeeper. With a 400-mile-long river system to pr...

Millicent Olal Muchilwa is more than an activist; she is the North Basin Lake Victoria Waterkeeper in Kenya, a civic educator, a human rights defender standing at the intersection of ecological and historical land injustices, and a mother. While Lake Victoria serves as a lifeblood for millions, it has become a battleground for untreated industrial effluent, illegal sand harvesting, and a lack of g...

Justinn Overton of Coosa Riverkeeper joins to discuss how growing up outdoors in Alabama on Logan Martin Lake and the Coosa River shaped her love for waterways and led her into advocacy and Waterkeeper work, beginning with volunteering for Black Warrior Riverkeeper in exchange for concert tickets. She describes the challenge of protecting rivers across 12 Alabama counties with limited funding and...

In the fifth season of Equity in Every Drop , we continue our journey alongside Waterkeepers across the globe—bringing you closer to the people working every day to defend our most vital resource. This season, we explore the ever-changing nature of water advocacy. From emerging threats to new opportunities, these stories reveal a movement that is constantly evolving—just like the rivers, lakes, an...

Host Thomas Hynes speaks with Laura Reinsborough of Ottawa Riverkeeper about the Ottawa River’s swimmability and watershed protection. Reinsborough outlines her background in environmental studies, founding an urban fruit tree nonprofit in Toronto, and leading Food for All New Brunswick. She describes the Ottawa River as a 1,200+ km river with a vast drainage basin, the largest tributary to the St...

In this episode of Equity in Every Drop, host Thomas welcomes Nabil Musa of Waterkeepers Iraq Kurdistan. Nabil’s unconventional background in the arts, rather than science, has uniquely positioned him to protect Iraq’s waterways through creativity and passion. Growing up by a river during the tumultuous Iran-Iraq war, Nabil found solace and developed a deep love for nature, which he now channels i...

In this episode of 'Equity in Every Drop,' host Thomas Hynes sits down with Dr. Rosalia Arteaga, a leading environmental advocate and education leader. The discussion covers Dr. Arteaga's distinguished career, including her roles as the former President and Vice President of Ecuador, and her involvement with Waterkeeper Alliance. Dr. Arteaga shares her early influences, her passion for integrating...

In this episode of Equity in Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes speaks with Dr. Michelle Ryan, senior lecturer in ecology and environmental science at Western Sydney University and the Hawkesbury Nepean Waterkeeper. Dr. Ryan shares her journey from an early fascination with freshwater turtles to her current focus on the ecological health of freshwater systems and the part the iconic platypus plays in...

In this episode, host Thomas Hynes interviews Sharif Jamil, the Buriganga Riverkeeper and coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh. Sharif, a global environmental leader, shares his journey from personal connection to Bangladesh's rivers to becoming an activist and leader in water protection. He discusses the challenges faced by rivers in Bangladesh, such as industrial pollution and urban encroachme...

In the first episode of Season 4 of 'Equity in Every Drop,' host Thomas Hynes is joined by Godfrey Kitimbo of Lake Kyoga Nile Waterkeeper in Uganda and Hartwell Carson, Clean Water Director for Mountain True and former French Broad Riverkeeper in Asheville, North Carolina. Recorded in Dakar, Senegal, where Godfrey and Hartwell were attending the Waterkeeper Alliance Africa Regional Summit, the dis...

In the fourth season of Equity in Every Drop , we’re taking listeners on a journey across the globe to hear stories from Waterkeepers working on the frontlines of clean water defense. This season, we spotlight the unique threats, challenges, and opportunities these advocates face in their regions—while also uncovering the shared mission that connects their work: ensuring everyone’s right to clean...

In this episode of 'Equity in Every Drop,' host Thomas Hynes interviews Ivy Frignoca, Casco Baykeeper in Maine. Ivy highlights the importance of addressing stormwater runoff, its various pollutants, and the solutions being implemented, including low-impact development and green infrastructure. Ivy emphasizes the necessity of practical and sensible approaches to mitigate these issues and calls for...

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes speaks with two influential leaders dedicated to the preservation of critical ecosystems. The episode opens with Great Salt Lake Waterkeeper Amy Wicks , who discusses her efforts to protect the largest remaining wetland ecosystem in the American West. Amy elaborates on her background in child advocacy and transition into water policy, sha...

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes speaks with Brent Walls of Upper Potomac Riverkeeper and Luis Cruz of Hispanic Access Foundation. Brent discusses his participation in Waterkeeper Alliance’s PFAS monitoring initiative, as well as an overview of his work defending the Potomac River and his innovative use of drone technology to monitor water pollution. Luis Cruz discusses...

In this episode of 'Equity in Every Drop,' host Thomas Hynes sits down with Sean Dixon , a prominent and prolific environmental advocate who currently serves as Executive Director and Soundkeeper for Puget Soundkeeper in Seattle, Washington. The discussion primarily focuses on the harmful effects of 6PPD-quinone, a highly toxic chemical derived from tire particles, which has a particularly devasta...

In this episode of Equity in Every Drop, host Thomas Hynes speaks with Captain Evan Clark of Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Eric Harder of Youghiogheny Riverkeeper. They discuss their efforts to protect waterways from  plastic pollution, specifically focusing on the pre-production pellets also known as nurdles. Later in the episode, Hynes speaks with Daru Setyorini, the Brantas Riverkeeper in Indone...

In the Series 3 premiere of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes speaks with Chelsea McDonald, manager of Waterkeeper Alliance’s Clean Water Defense campaign, about how the organization and its network of locally based Waterkeeper groups around the world are addressing threats to clean water. Chelsea explores the wide range of critical issues facing our communities today, including pervasive p...

In series two of Equity In Every Drop , we exposed the true costs of factory farms and shed light on the harmful impacts of this industrial pollution to our water, air, and surrounding communities. In this upcoming series, we’re taking a closer look at clean water defense, examining the challenges we face and the progress we’re making to protect our waterways, restore fragile ecosystems, and ensur...

In this final episode of series two of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes speaks with Reverend Jimmy Melvin, senior pastor of Mount Zion Church in Magnolia, North Carolina. With 40 years of pastoral experience, Reverend Melvin shares his transition from ministry to environmental advocacy, driven by the disproportionate impacts of factory farms on his community. He gives first-hand accounts o...

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes sits down with Buck Ryan, the Snake River Waterkeeper from Boise, Idaho, to discuss the extensive impact of concentrated animal feeding operations, or factory farms, on local waterways and ecosystems. Buck details his journey from a river guide to an environmental lawyer dedicated to protecting fisheries and water quality.   The conversat...

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes is joined by Dr. Christopher D. Heaney, Ph. D., an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Heaney's research focuses on the human health impacts of concentrated animal feeding operations, more commonly known as factory farms. Throughout the episode, they explore the significant hazards these...

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop , host Thomas Hynes speaks with Kelly Hunter Foster, Senior Attorney at Waterkeeper Alliance and a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Animal Agriculture and Water Quality subcommittee . Kelly offers an in-depth look at the regulatory challenges surrounding concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), exposing industry loopholes and the i...

In this episode, host Thomas Hynes delves deep into the environmental impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) with expert insights from Dr. Michael Mallin, a research professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Cape Fear Riverkeeper, Kemp Burdette.  The discussion covers the extensive pollution caused by swine and poultry farms in North Carolina, the devastating...

In this episode of Equity in Every Drop, Jamie Berger, a filmmaker whose movie, The Smell of Money, highlights the impacts of factory farming in North Carolina, and Larry Baldwin, the coordinator of Waterkeeper Alliance's Pure Farms, Pure Waters campaign, join to discuss the true costs of industrialized animal agriculture.  The conversation provides an overview of factory farming, including the im...