waterloop

Greg Characklis is Director of the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Greg explains the financial risk to society from variability in the environment, including rainfall, water levels, and temperature, as well as extreme weather events. He discusses the increased attention on the risk from lenders, investors, insurance companies,...

Greg Characklis is Director of the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Greg explains the financial risk to society from variability in the environment, including rainfall, water levels, and temperature, as well as extreme weather events. He discusses the increased attention on the risk from lenders, investors, insurance companies,...

Philip Berke is the Director of the Center for Resilient Communities and the Environment at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Philip explains the pressing need for communities to focus on planning to become more resilient to climate change. He discusses a variety of approaches, from hardening of infrastructure to managed retreats, that communities are taking in places like Virginia...

Kathryn Lucero is Community Environmental Management Specialist at Communities Unlimited. In this episode Kathryn talks about colonias, the Spanish word for neighborhood, which is used in reference to residential areas along the U.S.-Mexico border that often have substandard housing and lack basic infrastructure such as water. She discusses how efforts of the past 20 years have brought drinking wa...

Heather Stapleton is a professor and Lee Ferguson is an associate professor at Duke University. In this episode Heather and Lee discuss how discovery of GenX in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River sparked testing for PFAS in waterways across the state, which found elevated levels of the forever chemicals in the Haw River. They explain how an exposure study is examining PFAS in drinking water, residen...

An estimated one million people in California lack access to safe, reliable drinking water and most of them are Latino and low-income individuals. Susana De Anda is the Executive Director of the Community Water Center and explains how it uses a blend of education, organizing, and advocacy to address the drinking water crisis in the state. She also discusses the importance of local involvement in s...

Marc Edwards is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech University. In this episode Marc discusses how he became involved in the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan and that it was a failure of responsibility across all levels and aspects of government. He explains the model of investigative science that he and his team uses to examine drinking water quality, and while he dislikes c...

Felicia Marcus is a Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program and member of the Water Policy Group. In this episode Felicia discusses many of the major water issues in California, drawing from her experience in leadership roles at the U.S. EPA, state Water Resources Control Board, and City of Los Angeles. She talks about California’s response to drought, including the emphasis on w...

Peter Colohan is the Executive Director of the Internet of Water project at Duke University and Stacy Timmons is the Associate Director of Hydrology Programs for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources. In this episode Peter and Stacy discuss the challenges of finding and using water data because it is not modernized, integrated, and organized. Peter explains the effort to build t...

Tim Male is Executive Director of the Environmental Policy Innovation Center and Seyi Fabode is CEO and Co-Founder of Varuna. In this episode Tim and Seyi discuss the need to reinvent the Consumer Confidence Reports that drinking water utilities are required to provide to customers. They explain that the public can’t understand most reports because they are too technical, difficult to understand,...

Diane Durance is the Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). In this episode Diane explains that the term Blue Economy refers to a range of economic uses of ocean and coastal resources including energy, shipping, fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism. She discusses efforts by UNCW to grow the Blue Economy in southeastern North...

Nathan Ohle is the CEO of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership. In this episode Nathan talks about the communities and character of rural America, and how water challenges often stem from resource and capacity issues. He explains that RCAP provides a blend of training and technical assistance through a network of partners across the country. Nathan also discusses the concept of regionalizati...

Rick Luettich is Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Rick explains that climate change is warming the ocean and atmosphere and raising sea level, leading to hurricanes that are stronger and wetter. He discusses the use of computer modeling to study and predict storm surge along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as for resil...

Colin Wellenkamp is the Executive Director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. In this episode Colin discusses how mayors for more than 100 cities and towns on the main stem of the Mississippi River work together on common goals for clean water, sustainable economies, food security, climate resilience, and culture. He explains how climate change is delivering devastating impacts,...

Dan Bena is a former water and sustainability executive at PepsiCo and currently a senior consultant for the Safe Water Network. In this episode Dan discusses how a global company like PepsiCo views its relationship to water and how corporations are approaching water risk and management. He talks about the position of water as a human right and the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Deve...

Mariah Davis is Policy and Campaigns Manager at the Choose Clean Water Coalition. In this episode Mariah talks about her journey as a Black woman in the environmental field and how she feels about the intense focus on equity the past several months. She discusses the efforts and roles of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, Chesapeake Bay Program, and funders in advancing diversity, equity, and inclu...

Chris Moore is Senior Scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. In this episode Chris discusses the incredible ability of oysters to filter water and provide habitat for other species. He explains how policy changes, restoration projects, and aquaculture are helping to improve oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay, particularly in some tributaries. Chris also talks about eating oysters, what...

Bill Teichmiller is the CEO of the EJ Water Cooperative. In this episode Bill discusses how a not-for-profit, member-owned water cooperative provides services to over 77,000 people and is an alternative to public and private water utilities. He shares what he believes to be the advantages of a co-op, including better service, lower rates, cleaner water, and equity for customers. Bill talks about t...

Haley Plaas is a PhD student in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina. In this episode Haley discusses the science of harmful algal blooms, including causes, toxins they can produce, and concerns for human health. She talks about the increase of harmful algal blooms across the U.S. and how nutrient pollution and warmer water from climate change are major factors. Haley ex...

Jaimal Yogis is the author of Saltwater Buddha, The Fear Project, All Our Waves Are Water, and Mop Rides the Waves of Life. In this episode Jaimal shares his perspective on the spiritual connection people feel to the ocean and life lessons that can be learned from surfing and waves. He also talks about fatherhood, meditation, and Buddhism. Jaimal discusses his new children’s book, which teaches mi...

Vipe Desai is Founder of VoteTheOcean, Chair of the Board of the Ocean Institute, and Founding Member of the Business Alliance to Protect the Pacific Coast. In this episode Vipe discusses the value of disruptive branding and cause-marketing in the environmental field and why the action sports industry is an effective advocate for nature. He talks about the importance of political activism on ocean...

Judith Enck is founder of Beyond Plastics and a Senior Fellow and Visiting Faculty member at Bennington College, as well as a former Regional Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for New York, New Jersey, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. In this episode Judith explains how advocacy, education, legislation, and individual action are all part of reducing plastic pollut...

Mark Mattson is the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper and President of Swim Drink Fish Canada. In this episode Mark talks about the improvements made in Lake Ontario, particularly in the Toronto area, over the past few decades and the role of laws in driving the change. He discusses the importance of connecting people to water by providing public access and opportunities to swim, paddle, and fish. Mark als...

Jeremy Orr is a Staff Attorney for the Safe Water Initiative of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In this episode Jeremy explains that he went into environmental law because he saw a glaring lack of Black representation in the decision-making positions that impacted Black people. He discusses how racism and discriminatory practices created inequitable access to drinking water for commu...

Heather Sackett is Managing Editor at Aspen Journalism and Editor and Report of its Water Desk. In this episode Heather discusses the rise and importance of nonprofit media outlets such as Aspen Journalism that cover environmental issues. She explains water rights in Colorado and the impact of climate change and the Colorado River Compact on water management. Heather also talks about private inves...