Water Hub Blog

October Water Cooler newsletter: Here’s how our retreat at Mt. Hood renewed us

Exploring cycles of renewal in nature, life, and our work in our October Water Cooler newsletter.

Continue Reading
An image of Sussan standing in front of a laguna in the Andes mountains

Water Hub Staff Q&A: Sussan García

Sussan García is passionate about advancing justice movements with storytelling, accessible communications, and community building.

Continue Reading
Two children sitting on a concrete wall in the middle of a green stormwater installation in Seattle, surrounded by shrubs and grasses.

Edible shade tunnels and room for rivers: Messaging nature-based solutions

People love nature-based solutions–but they aren’t always familiar with terms like bioswales or beaver dam analogs, so we need to ...

Continue Reading
Sarah and Zakiyaa pose at the 2024 PolicyLink Equity Summit in front of a sign with text "A Revolution of the Soul" and a depiction of the U.S. flag made up with red, white, and blue flowers.

August Water Cooler newsletter: Do we have the courage to love?

The Water Hub returned from Equity Summit 2024 with love on the brain in our August Water Cooler newsletter.

Continue Reading
A photo of Nicole's family sitting by a beautiful blue pool of water in the forest

July Water Cooler newsletter: Balancing news and nature

The Water Hub is hiring and introducing our newest colleague in our July 2024 Water Cooler newsletter

Continue Reading
Briana smiles in front of a vibrant red wall that is covered in vines and purple flowers

Water Hub Staff Q&A: Briana Flin

New Water Hub Content Producer Briana shares her love of storytelling and her background in video journalism.

Continue Reading

Briefing: Community-led infrastructure in the Colorado River Basin

“We’ve had 2 record years of water down here and there was a deep concern that we could possibly flood, ...

Continue Reading
Stock image of a woman typing on a computer with both hands.

Digital Detox: Equip your team for healthy online engagement

Recap of the Water Hub training on practical strategies to foster positive engagement and combat online negativity.

Continue Reading
A photo of José next to a tree

June Water Cooler newsletter: Honoring fearless art

Healthy water justice tips, our new training, and influencers talking about water from our June 2024 Water Cooler newsletter

Continue Reading
Sun setting over a river and trees in summer nature. Colorful evening outdoor scenery with green forest and water illuminated by warm light. Aerial view on fresh wilderness.

The Water Hub’s next chapter

A sad farewell to Climate Nexus and our hopes for the future

Continue Reading
an illustration of a man in a park planting a tree

Just Infrastructure animated video envisions joyful, healthy communities

We are excited to share our new animated video featuring the voices of water warriors working on federal funding implementation ...

Continue Reading
"Vote here" sign taped to a pillar with text in Spanish, English, and Chinese.

2024 elections: What’s water got to do with it

We look at the water narratives that could shape the 2024 elections and what's at stake for the future of ...

Continue Reading
a photo of the Smith River from Jessica's travels to Northern California

River reflections, resources, and Reels

Nature-based solutions message guide, flood justice briefing recap, and partner love from our April Water Cooler newsletter.

Continue Reading
A digital poster with a blue background that reads: Virtual Media Briefing, Living in Harm’s Way: The Case for Investment and Technical Help in Community Disaster Resilience Zones. It includes headshots of five people: Rebecca Jim, L.E.A.D. Agency, Arif Ullah, South Bronx Unite, Hilton Kelley, Community In-Power and Development Association, Inc., Carletta Davis, We Matter Community Association, and Julie Nucci, Residents of the Village of Owego

Briefing: Building Resilience in Disaster Hotspots

A recap of the March 20 media briefing the Water Hub hosted in partnership with Anthropocene Alliance highlighting some of ...

Continue Reading
A digital poster with a blue background that reads: Virtual Media Briefing, Community-led Infrastructure in the Great Lakes, Grassroots groups tap federal clean water and climate resilience funds. It includes headshots of four people: Yvonka Hall from Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, Joe Fitzgerald from Milwaukee Water Commons, Tanner Yess from Groundwork Ohio River Valley, and David Ross from Junction Coalition.

Briefing: Community-led infrastructure in the Great Lakes

A recap of the Water Hub’s February 22 media briefing on community-led clean water and climate projects in the Great ...

Continue Reading
Water infrastructure art: hand under flowing faucet, green streets, river restoration, urban gardening.

Celebrating water progress: new Just Infrastructure campaign

The Water Hub’s Just Infrastructure campaign celebrates the impact federal water funding is having in communities and ecosystems across the ...

Continue Reading
Woman wearing a green tank top and black pants riding a bicycle on the road in front of a blooming rain garden.

What is resilience really? 2024 water narrative predictions

Dive into a new year of narrative predictions with the Water Hub where we look at the stories behind climate ...

Continue Reading

Color of Water Greatest Hits 2023

Recapping some of the highlights for the Color of Water network in 2023. Media love, social media shoutouts, and ...

Continue Reading
co-branded graphic image between waterloop and Color of Water promoting new podcast series

The Color of Water Podcast Series: Elevating Diverse Voices in Water Expertise and Experience

Water Hub and waterloop announce the launch of the Color of Water podcast series to highlight experts of color in ...

Continue Reading
A Zoom screenshot featuring panelists from the Great Lakes Media briefing

Briefing: Clean Water And Climate Preparedness in the Great Lakes

Two years after the Bipartisan Law allocated billions for clean water and climate readiness, we asked Great Lakes leaders to ...

Continue Reading
Photograph of a sunset over a lake with bright pink and orange clouds reflected in the water.

Salute to water solutions: Seven of our 2023 favorites

Our team looks back at some of our favorite solutions journalism from 2023.

Continue Reading
Members of WECR at the 2023 One Water Summit in Tucson, AZ.

Waves of Impact: A Recap of WECR at One Water Summit 2023

Highlights from the 2023 One Water Summit, where the Water Equity & Climate Resilience Caucus emphasized water justice and narrative ...

Continue Reading
Water Hub staff standing on a lawn in Tucson, Arizona

2023 reflections: Relationships and nature as infrastructure

The Water Hub's topline summary of water impacts for the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

Continue Reading
Arial shot of the Colorado River

Fifth National Climate Assessment water toplines

The Water Hub's topline summary of water impacts for the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

Continue Reading

Infrastructure messaging that’s close to home and heart

How water infrastructure polling data can help us develop messages that tap into people's values.

Continue Reading
Stock image of a man pointing at himself with both hands.

Frame, Tone, Messenger: How we can adapt communications to reach different audiences

Recap of our training on how we can modify the frame, tone, and messenger of our communications to reach different ...

Continue Reading
Top view shot of laptop computer, digital tablet, potted plant, diary and pen on wooden worktable.

The future is accessible: Inclusive communications and digital best practices

Takeaways from the Water Hub’s Digital Accessibility Guide and River Network’s new Inclusive Communications Guide including accessible website and graphic ...

Continue Reading
Pictured are members of the Water Equity & Climate Resilience Caucus at their water affordability panel at Capitol Hill.

Rippling effects: Water affordability advocates bring their stories to Capitol Hill

A recap on the Water Equity & Climate Resilience (WECR) Caucus' panel on water affordability and the need for a ...

Continue Reading

From ivory tower to real world: Collaborating with influencers to drive policy awareness

How to generate excitement and awareness for water and climate policy issues by partnering with social media influencers and content ...

Continue Reading
Photograph of river restoration project along the Colorado River depicting green, brown and yellow scenery along water with mountains in the distance.

Issue Brief: Are Inflation Reduction Act drought dollars funding resilience?

In this issue briefing, we look back at one year of the Inflation Reduction Act and how local leaders hope ...

Continue Reading

Water Hub Staff Q&A: Zakiyaa Taylor

New Water Hub Communications Manager Zakiyaa dives into her roots and history with environmental justice work.

Continue Reading
Water Hub flood justice briefing- a zoom screenshot with Nicole Lampe, Harriet Festing, Melissa Roberts, David Southgate, and Katherine Egland

Flood justice for frontline communities

With billions in federal dollars available to help communities prepare for rising seas and stronger storms, we asked national and ...

Continue Reading
An image with a photo of a person using a cell phone to record a speaker taking the stance.

How to use the power of images to enhance your organization’s storytelling

Learn photo and video tips including general principles and technical guidelines to help strengthen your visual storytelling skills.

Continue Reading

Memes and GIFs and graphics, oh my! 5 creative ways to tell your story.

How to reach different audiences using content like GIFs and memes and get creative with culture.

Continue Reading
Digital illustration of floodplain restoration. Background is a river flowing out of green mountains. In the foreground, two people are planting trees along the river above a depiction of an underground reservoir.

Groundwater: The unsung hero

It's Groundwater Awareness Week! In this blog, we dive into the invisible water source beneath our feet.

Continue Reading
Photograph of a clear crystal ball in front of a canyon with orange rocks and a blue river running through it.

Forecasting the year’s hottest water stories

We put on our looking glasses to predict some of the hottest themes we expect (and hope) to see covered ...

Continue Reading
Photo of people playing in the Platte River in Denver, Colorado.

What’s up in Western water news?

We look back on the media conversation around Western water supply, safety, and access in this year’s scan of water ...

Continue Reading
A quote graphic that reads: “We believe the underpinnings of inequality and injustice in our societies are largely based on severed and appropriated land relationships, so we focus on securing land tenure for farmers of color as the fundamental way of righting those wrongs. - Javier Román-Nieves, Director of Strategic Storytelling Minnow. Including a picture of Javier

Rising Voices: New nonprofit Minnow combats the inextricable link between land, water, and justice

In this issue of the Maven’s Notebook Rising Voices column, Water Hub checks in with Javier Román-Nieves, Director of Strategic ...

Continue Reading
A graphic image with four different photos of people looking at the stars with text that says, “Telling your organization’s story: A discussion on how to get noticed, be heard, and elevate your story as an organization.”

Learning how to tell your organization’s story

Telling your organization’s story: A discussion on how to get noticed, be heard, and elevate your story as an ...

Continue Reading

Multi-solving with nature in the Colorado River Basin

Recap of our recent media briefing on Colorado River solutions that work with nature and provide multiple benefits to the ...

Continue Reading
Water words that connect: A discussion about water language that is accessible, inclusive, and emotionally resonant.

Continuing the conversation on water words

Briget Arndell recaps a recent Water Hub workshop that discussed the the impact and importance of using water words that ...

Continue Reading
The Milwaukee River winds right through downtown, and is pictured here after a major rainstorm

The language of One Water

Nicole Lampe reflects on her experience at the One Water Summit, and the ways the language we use to talk ...

Continue Reading
Residential tap water running in a sink

Building Water Trust: Nuestra Casa Tackles Water Justice in the Bay Area

In this issue of the Maven’s Notebook Rising Voices column, the Water Hub checks in with Water Justice Program Coordinator ...

Continue Reading
Communications Associate, Briget Arndell standing on top of the Hoover Dam

Making Connections: Communicating Climate Change & Changing Our Ways

In this issue briefing on the impacts and health concerns of toxic algae, we also dig into the climate connection ...

Continue Reading
Klamath River near the Pacific Coast in Klamath, Del Norte County, California

Rising Voices: Dam Removal and the Future of Algal Blooms

In this issue briefing on the impacts and health concerns of toxic algae, we also dig into the climate connection ...

Continue Reading

Issue briefing: Toxic algae

In this issue briefing on the impacts and health concerns of toxic algae, we also dig into the climate connection ...

Continue Reading

Time to break out the podium?

Recap of our latest workshop on the key elements of planning a successful press event.

Continue Reading

Water, food, soil, and California’s need for holistic climate policy

Arohi Sharma shares the importance of soil health, soil's relationship to water quality, and key takeaways from NRDC’s latest regenerative ...

Continue Reading
High-angle selfie of José wearing a face cover with colorful Native American designs. The background is filled with thousands of yellow maple leaves that cover the floor. He was taking a walk in Berkeley, CA, during the fall and right after it rained.

Water Hub Staff Spotlight Q&A: José Aranda

I draw from past experiences, and incorporate new learnings, to help uplift underrepresented voices in water through the Color of ...

Continue Reading

4 artists and organizers on equitable engagement in climate, water & movement work

Strategies from four artists and organizers on equitable engagement in climate & movement work.

Continue Reading

Round up: 4 artists and organizers inspiring the water and climate movement

Four artists and organizers whose work give insight into how to work equitably with creators and inspire change. 

Continue Reading
Panelists

Envisioning Central Valley 2040

A panel discussion with local environmental justice leaders highlights practices and policies that can build drought resilience and address long ...

Continue Reading
Image of a Black news reporter

Control your narrative = shaping public perception and dismantling dominant narratives

Coverage of Covid-19 crisis and police brutality made 2021 a stand-out year for climate coverage, however, the problematic trend of ...

Continue Reading
Graphic with a statistic that reads, "78% of U.S. voters support increasing federal spending on water infrastructure."

Western water polling: what’s top of mind for voters?

Late last month, the Water Hub offered a Western water polling update for our network, sharing toplines from seven recent ...

Continue Reading
Photo of Lake Mead with visible low water levels.

Photo essay: Eyes on the Colorado River

In this photo essay, we toured water infrastructure, restoration projects, Tribal lands, and agricultural areas along the Colorado River.

Continue Reading
Groundwater in the street while raining graphic

Making Groundwater Research Visible

As another Groundwater Awareness Week goes by and World Water Day arrives, we’ve compiled facts and resources about a lesser ...

Continue Reading
Birds flying over the marshlands in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary

Rising Voices: Where does it go? Water allocations & algae blooms in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary

In this March Maven’s Notebook column, we spoke with Restore the Delta’s Science Coordinator, Spencer Fern, and Policy Analyst, Tim ...

Continue Reading
11 Women Making History in the Water Justice Movement. Photos of Nayyirah Shariff, Nana Fofie Amina Bashir, Karma Mayet, Nana A. Korantemah Pierce Williams, Dr. Ife Afriye Fagbulu Kilimanjaro and Brenda Coley

11 Women Making History in the Water Justice Movement

In the United States, unfair water laws and outdated water infrastructure have created inequity in many communities. Despite these challenges, ...

Continue Reading
IPCC water messaging: workers install a rain garden in Portland, Oregon.

Climate-water talking points for IPCC’s global climate report

Talking points for use around the February 28 IPCC report, to help elevate water in the climate conversation, and make ...

Continue Reading
Rendering of solar panels over a water irrigation canal

What will be this year’s biggest water stories?

Infrastructure implementation, climate, and industrial ag: we’re looking ahead at the key themes we expect to see in 2022 water ...

Continue Reading
Computer keyboard with a pen and note that reads: “KPI Measurement” for the twitter water movement post

Twitter Tips: 2021 Themes and KPIs for the Water Movement

Spotting themes and data trends on Water Twitter in 2021.

Continue Reading
Quote graphic with photo of smiling man. Text: It's a top priority that we invest in local and sustainable water, with the goal of creating good jobs.

Rising Voices: Water, power and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

We spoke with Kameron Hurt about drought impacts in LA, the importance of water and power as a human right, ...

Continue Reading
Nicole Lampe talking water with family during a hike alongside Oregon's Sandy River.

Water rising: A year of increased attention on our issues

The Water Hub is grateful to have had the opportunity this past year to work on some impactful efforts for ...

Continue Reading
Color of Water diverse speakers bureau

2021 recap: Color of Water greatest hits

How our Color of Water diverse speakers bureau shined in water media and online in 2021.

Continue Reading
Text: Mastering the Art of Media Interviews. Image: Hands holding recorders in front of a person delivering remarks.

Tips: Mastering the art of interview basics

The Water Hub covers media interview tips including the elements of a compelling message, what to do before, during, and ...

Continue Reading
hands holding nutrient rich composted soil

Rising Voices: LA Compost on healthy soil for healthy waters and community

As the global community meets in Glasgow for the latest UN climate talks, we spoke with the Union of Concerned ...

Continue Reading
Rocky beach with a message in a bottle

Communicating at the water-climate nexus

Communicating at the Water-Climate Nexus lays out the latest research and best practices to communicate at the intersection of water, ...

Continue Reading
Sunset by a well, image courtesy of @canuck1133 via Twenty20

Rising Voices: California adapts to water change

As the global community meets in Glasgow for the latest UN climate talks, we spoke with the Union of Concerned ...

Continue Reading
woman drinking a glass of water

Rising Voices: Water affordability and shrinking wells

In our October Maven’s Notebook column, we check in with Clean Water Action’s Program Associate, Cristal Gonzalez & California Director, ...

Continue Reading
Illustration of tree saplings being hand watered. Text: #WaterAtWork.

5 takeaways: Testing water infrastructure and jobs messages

New Water Hub digital campaign sheds light on the water infrastructure and jobs messages that move policymakers and “purple” ...

Continue Reading
Photo of a woman looking at contaminated water..

Rising Voices: Realizing the human right to water

In this September issue, we spoke with Community Water Center’s Senior Policy Advocate, Uriel Saldivar, about the expiration of California’s ...

Continue Reading
ethical-imagery/

Water Hub Staff Q&A: Briget Arndell

New Water Hub Communications Associate Briget Arndell shares her journey and connection to environmental justice work.

Continue Reading
Image of four Indigenous water protectors in kayaks on the water in protest with their backs turned

5 tips to walk the talk on ethical imagery

Survival Media Agency and Resource Media join the Water Hub for an “Ask Me Anything” discussion about how to create ...

Continue Reading

Water Hub Staff Q&A: Sade Moore

New Water Hub Communications Associate Sade Moore shares her experiences and passions for environmental justice and storytelling. What’s your name, ...

Continue Reading

Rising Voices: Pacoima Beautiful, water and heat in the San Fernando Valley

Rising Voices is a column the Water Hub pens for Maven’s Notebook listening to advocates and organizers in California talk ...

Continue Reading

Reflecting on digital comms and nonprofit grantmaking

Last year, our team set out to pilot a small digital grants program for groups working in the Los Angeles area. The ...

Continue Reading

Ethical imagery: using photos and videos for good

I was drawn to work in communications because I love words–– there are so many, and such a variety! Over ...

Continue Reading

Navigating the media as a BIPOC-focused organization

Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) community organizers, movement leaders, grassroots staff–– have you ever felt like you ...

Continue Reading

Staff spotlight: Jessica Jewell

Hi there. Jessica here, the Water Hub’s new digital director. I’m incredibly humbled to introduce myself and to have the ...

Continue Reading

How to craft soundbites that stick

More people than ever before are turning to social media and TV for news, scrolling and channel surfing to get the ...

Continue Reading

How to look good on video

The pandemic has changed the way many nonprofits are doing communications and outreach. Meeting on Zoom and video has become ...

Continue Reading

The opportunity on water

In my 10+ years of work on water, I’ve seen a steady increase in the amount of attention this vital ...

Continue Reading

Voters want U.S. to invest in water

More than 9 in 10 voters (93%) believe fixing America’s outdated and unsafe drinking water systems should be a top ...

Continue Reading

Tracking water news in the West

Following up on last summer’s analysis of water news in COVID times, the Water Hub team just completed a February 2021 Western water ...

Continue Reading

To op-ed or not … what’s the alternative?

If you’re in comms, submitting op-eds is probably part of your go-to arsenal of tactics. And if you’re an advocate, ...

Continue Reading

Reflecting on our first year

Last winter, the Water Hub team met with our Advisory Group* for the first time. We ate arepas and discussed our Western ...

Continue Reading

The future of water infrastructure

With Congress considering billions of dollars in infrastructure funding to help rebuild the economy, we worked with WaterNow Alliance on a video ...

Continue Reading

Announcing the digital strategies & communications grantees

When I think about what it means to lead with equity in the movement space, I tend to think about ...

Continue Reading

Wildfires and water in the West

This year’s catastrophic Western wildfires made headlines across the country. With rains returning to much of the region, we invited ...

Continue Reading

The Color of Water: Building voice & visibility for BIPOC in the water movement

When I started my career as a reporter 20 years ago, I didn’t know the first thing about power and ...

Continue Reading

Digital organizing with Community Water Center

I am thrilled to share the virtual recording with you of our latest workshop at Water Hub about Digital Organizing. ...

Continue Reading

Water justice in a warming world

I joined the Water Hub team a few weeks ago and am excited to introduce myself to our community of ...

Continue Reading

Media outreach: ‘business as usual’ has been obliterated

Anyone else tired of hearing about the “new normal”? Yes, the pandemic has shifted a lot. But there’s nothing normal ...

Continue Reading

Think beyond the paper: getting water news on TV

Many of us working in communications seem to be forever chasing the mythical front-page newspaper story. There are good reasons ...

Continue Reading

Yes You Canva!

I have some exciting news: the Water Hub did its first-ever workshop and it was a Canva workshop! We talked ...

Continue Reading

The intersection of race and water during the COVID-19 crisis

As the mother of a soon-to-be first grader, I have always been pretty into handwashing. But the frequency and rigor ...

Continue Reading

Relating with COVID-19 and the frank 2020 gathering

Once upon a time in a land far far away, I hopped on two planes to head to Gainesville, Florida ...

Continue Reading

Telling more human and hopeful stories

I started working in public affairs at a time when sending a press release meant thumbing through the trusty rolodex, ...

Continue Reading

Join the Water Hub team: We’re hiring!

 The Water Hub is currently hiring for two full-time staff positions! We’re seeking a seasoned communications leader to join the ...

Continue Reading