By Paula White I first started working at The Watershed Project as an intern in 2010 for the Taking Out the Trash Project. This was a partnership with Clean Water Action that involved tracing street litter to the point of sale. I had recently finished researching trash impaired watersheds for my master’s thesis project and was interested in exploring practical solutions to the trash problem. The goal of the project was to identify the mostly commonly littered items and determine which could be reduced through changes in local business practices. We developed a checklist of commonly …
Ebb & Flow
The Newsletter of The Watershed Project
On Waste Reduction and Being Outside|Watershed Voices
By Paula White I first started working at The Watershed Project as an intern in 2010 for the Taking Out the Trash Project. This was a partnership with Clean Water Action that involved tracing street litter to the point of sale. I had recently finished researching trash impaired watersheds for my master’s thesis project and was interested in exploring practical solutions to the trash problem. The goal of the project was to identify the mostly commonly littered items and determine which could be reduced through changes in local business practices. We developed a checklist of commonly litter …
So Much Rain, So Little Storage|Thinking Outside the Dam
By Juliana Gonzalez, Executive Director The winter’s storms have brought some welcome relief to our parched California lands. But our dams filling to the rim from atmospheric rivers are not a sign of the end of the of the state’s water challenges. This is a symptom of our falling infrastructure, and the need for new ways of thinking about storing and cleaning our water. In California, we see a renew interest in building new and larger dams, despite uncontroversial evidence of the negative effects dams have on natural flowing systems that feed the Bay. But what are the alternatives? We need …
Catch the Rain!|Home Rainwater Harvesting Tips
By Kat Sawyer The Bay Area is experiencing our wettest winter in years, and although it has been overwhelming at times, the soaking rains offer California relief from its prolonged drought. Those of us with rainwater harvesting systems installed on our homes finally have the satisfaction of catching some raindrops! Most residential rainwater harvesting systems are made up of small tanks due to size constraints. We often catch much more than we can hold, but even small rainwater harvesting systems can play a role in urban stormwater management. Diverting rainwater out of the municipal sewer …
What’s in Your Watershed|People (Volunteering on Earth Day!)
By Lauren Woodfill We often focus on the plants, animals, and waterways of watersheds, but let’s not forget arguably the most powerful player in our SF Bay Area watershed: people! We humans often can be seen as separate from nature but we are intrinsically linked to our natural world. Our actions play a big role in shaping our watersheds, and our decision can have far reaching effects on the non-human aspects of the environment. We have so many opportunities for individual choice – to bring a reusable water bottle or take public transportation – and many other choices on a larger level – …
Thinking Outside the Dam
By Juliana Gonzalez, Executive Director The winter’s storms have brought some welcome relief to our parched California lands. But our dams filling to the rim from atmospheric rivers are not a sign of the end of the of the state’s water challenges. This is a symptom of our falling infrastructure, and the need for new ways of thinking about storing and cleaning our water. In California, we see a renew interest in building new and larger dams, despite uncontroversial evidence of the negative effects dams have on natural flowing systems that feed the Bay. But what are the alternatives? We …
Home Rainwater Harvesting Tips
By Kat Sawyer The Bay Area is experiencing our wettest winter in years, and although it has been overwhelming at times, the soaking rains offer California relief from its prolonged drought. Those of us with rainwater harvesting systems installed on our homes finally have the satisfaction of catching some raindrops! Most residential rainwater harvesting systems are made up of small tanks due to size constraints. We often catch much more than we can hold, but even small rainwater harvesting systems can play a role in urban stormwater management. Diverting rainwater out of the municipal …
What’s In Your Watershed: People!
By Lauren Woodfill We often focus on the plants, animals, and waterways of watersheds, but let’s not forget arguably the most powerful player in our SF Bay Area watershed: people! We humans often can be seen as separate from nature but we are intrinsically linked to our natural world. Our actions play a big role in shaping our watersheds, and our decision can have far reaching effects on the non-human aspects of the environment. We have so many opportunities for individual choice – to bring a reusable water bottle or take public transportation – and many other choices on a larger level …