Rethinking H2O

 Water Walkers is a water sports based youth education and mentoring program in Nashville, TN. Water Walkers aim to build confidence and community among kids who have little exposure to the world beyond the boundaries of the inner-city. By bringing kids outside these limitations and into the beauty of creation, Water Walkers hopes to open a sense of wonder, ambition, and inspiration in their lives.

In this conversation, you will hear from president & Founder Clint Bandy and Assistant director Dan Eggenschwiller. Clint and Dan provide us context on how the organization started, why it is important to get inner city kids on the water and what Water Walker does in the offseason when they can’t utilize the lake. 

To learn more please visit https://www.waterwalkerstn.org/ 

 What does it mean to ‘Eat Less Water’? Have you ever thought about how much water it actually takes to make the food that we consume? Turns out, it takes a lot of water…

Florencia Ramirez, author of Eat Less Water, tells us how her journey towards water conservation initially started in the shower. While living in drought prone California, she commonly heard the normal drought procedures such as take shorter showers and don’t water your lawn. This set off Florencia to introduce shower timers to the public, making it easier for people to actively conserve water. After selling over 80,000 water shower timers, Florencia then had an “A-Ha” moment and realized she was actually focusing on the wrong room in the house. While people can conserve water in the bathroom, the impact of water conversation is much larger in the kitchen.

In her book Eat Less Water, Florencia gives us a vivid journey about the water and food crisis in America.  We learn about how individuals can make a difference with our diet choices while also further understanding where our food comes from. At the beginning of every chapter we learn some startling water facts about our favorite foods: 

1 pound of red meat = 1,800 gallons of water 

1 pound of chocolate requires = 7,727 gallons of water 

1 six-pack of beer requires 178 gallons of water 

Florencia walks us through the many misconceptions around the term “organic” and “sustainable” farming, and provides us with a roadmap on how to fix our water & food problems. Most significantly, she even provides delicious “eat less water” recipes at the end of every chapter in the book.

Florencia inspires us to believe that there is power in the collective, and that we as individuals can make a tangible difference in the world around us. All starting with what you eat for breakfast tomorrow.

To learn more please visit: https://eatlesswater.com/ 

The Republic of South Sudan is the world’s youngest and poorest countries in the world.

South Sudan’s environment is starkly beautiful but harsh. It has just two seasons: one dramatically wet, the other dry with temperatures often rising above 120°F during both seasons. During the rainy season, water is plentiful for villagers, their crops and their animals. But during the annual six-month dry season, life changes for the worst.

The dry season forces millions of South Sudanese each year to leave their village homes in search for water. Some have to abandon their homes and move all together while others, usually, women and children, are forced to trek miles every day to collect water from ponds, marshes, ditches, or hand-dug wells, where the water is often contaminated with disease-causing parasites and bacteria. The results are pain, sickness, even death, especially among infants and children.

Through the challenges and despair, the story of Salva Dutt provides us inspiration to move forward and never give up; even when things get tough. Salva was born in a rural village in southwestern Sudan to the Dinka Tribe. At 11 years old, the Sudanese civil war reached his village and separated Salva from his family. He joined thousands of boys, famously known as the "Lost Boys" on their journey by foot to seek safety in a refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. After living in refugee camps for 10 years, Salva was given the opportunity to move to the United States, where he would be embraced by a family in Rochester, NY. A few years later Salva learned that his father was still alive in Southern Sudan but was suffering from a water-borne parasites and disease. This inspired Salva to help his father and his country by bringing clean water to those in need. This was the beginning of Water for South Sudan.

In this podcast with President Bob Shea and Executive Director Lynn, we learn about the positive impacts that Water For South Sudan makes in South Sudan.  Water For South Sudan delivers direct, transformative and sustainable quality-of-life service to the people of South Sudan by efficiently providing access to clean, safe water and improving hygiene and sanitation.

We will learn that while instability can grow in some places, SO CAN STABILITY. With the foundation of safe drinking water, the future of South Sudan is bright. 

To learn more please visit www.WaterForSouthSudan.com

What is the status of water efficiency in Florida? 

Because Florida experiences some of the highest amounts of rainfall in the United States, this creates a breadth of water opportunities and water challenges for Florida.  In this podcast with Deirdre Irwin, the Water Conservation Coordinator at the St Johns River Water Management District, we learn about issues of water efficiency as it pertains to water runoff in urban environments and widespread irrigation for farming.  Deirdre will help us answer questions such as: What are the risks to the aquifers? What storm water rules exist to prevent excessive run offs? And what strategies can be imposed to ensure a healthy watershed for all water users? 

While businesses and farming operations play a significant role in the Florida watershed story, the individual households also play a significant role.  It may seem insignificant, but you will learn about what you as the individual can do to make an impact on the water shed environment. Some ideas, such as washing your jeans a few less times a year or skipping a week of watering you lawn, can make a significant impact on the watershed if everyone works together.

Deirdre is a true water advocate that shows us how the St. Johns River Management District lives true to their mission, which is “to protect our natural resources and support Florida’s growth by ensuring the sustainable use of Florida’s water for the benefit of the people of the District and the state.”

To learn more please visit https://www.sjrwmd.com/ 

Many people may think operating an organization in a fragile state like Central African Republic (CAR) is a crazy idea. Yet, Water For Good jumped right into the opportunity.

How do you go about tackling water poverty in one of the world’s most forgotten countries? Because there is no “one size fits all” solution, this requires a grass roots approach to tackle the water crisis. Water For Good incorporates capacity building from the ground up that includes well drilling, sustainable maintenance teams and accountability throughout the entire process.

Through a market based approach that keeps the revenue within the country of CAR, Water For Good continues to create opportunity for the people of CAR.

The journey is far from over, but there is hope. We invite you to learn more about this remarkable organization through the interview with CEO Richard Klopp.

Learn more at www.WaterForGood.org 

Sometimes our purpose in life hits us in the face when we least expect it. When Katina Rankin was going through some of the daily stresses of her normal life as a reporter, she realized she had a calling to do something more in order to help those in need. One night she had an “A-HA” moment to do something more for others in the world, which caused her to start her own organization called Katina's Klassroom, which helps those in Jamestown Ghana with education and health opportunities. 

Katina started Katina’s Klassrom along the premise of a quote by John Adams: “Before any great things are accomplished, a memorable change must be made in the system of education...to raise the lower ranks of society nearer to the higher.”

Katina’s Klassroom stands on a firm principle: With Books You Can Go Places. Thus, Katina's mission is to significantly improve the reading skills and educational opportunities of pre-k to middle school children in underserved communities.  By developing action plans with schools and parents, creating techniques for getting a child engaged in reading beyond the classroom, and tackling food insecurity which is directly tied to a child’s learning - Katina’s Klassroom brings empowerment to the youth.

Katina’s Klassroom and Wristsponsible are working together to bring safe water to the NOYAA school academy. This will continue to build a foundation for positive learning and opportunity for the children of Jamestown Ghana. To learn more about Katina’s Klassroom, please visit http://katinarankin.com/klassroom.html 

How is it possible to connect veterans with a mission to protect our oceans?  In this podcast, we learn from founder Jim Ritterhoff about how Force Blue unites the community of Special Operations veterans with the world of marine conservation for the betterment of both.

We discuss stories of how veterans that struggled with PTSD get back in the water with a renewed mission to help themselves and the world around them.  We learn about the different threats to coral reefs and how trained divers can help reverse coral bleaching and improve the ocean for everyone to enjoy.

The Core Values of Force Blue are:

HEROES

Humility

Excellence

Respect

Openness

Empathy

Service Before Self

To learn more, visit https://forceblueteam.org/ 

Why does the health of the Chicago River matter? Mark Hauser, the Ecology Outreach Manager from the Friends of the Chicago River, gives us context on how the entire ecosystem within Chicago is connected.

In this podcast, we will learn about different Friends of The Chicago River initiatives that include the Litter Free Campaign, river shed restoration efforts and interaction with schools across the Chicagoland area.

Mark promotes service learning across the community and gets kids to help with clean ups across the river. 

Who is the Friends of the Chicago River?  Friends of the Chicago River is the leading charity to support the health of the river and since 1979, Friends has been working to improve the health of the Chicago River system for the benefit of people, plants and animals; and by doing so, has laid the foundation for the river to be a beautiful, continuous, and easily accessible corridor of open space in the Chicago region.

https://www.chicagoriver.org/

Enjoy a captivating conversation with Amy Churchill, the founder and director of operations of Just One Africa.

Amy gives us insight into the vision of Just One Africa which is to inspire the individual to effect change, resulting in thriving communities with access to clean water and with the capability of providing for their basic needs.

Just One Africa cares for orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya by providing access to clean water and by partnering with local leaders to provide sustainable solutions which create hope through care, education, and community development.

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Check out https://www.justoneafrica.org/ to learn more.