Reflections from a newsroom powered by water
Staff Editorial, Powering a Nation 2012
Water.
It’s essential. It’s life.
We don’t always see it, but water is everywhere. It’s in the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the electricity we use. Our ancestors evolved from it, and our bodies develop within it. We float on top of it and explore its depths. We wield it to propel our goods and power our civilizations. Water is life, and, without it, we simply would not exist.
Moment to moment, water finds a place in our memories and in our lives. We celebrate it in our fountains and amusement parks, and admire on its shores, banks and falls.
Water fills our spirit, but it also carries away our waste. It helps grow our food but it can also make us sick. We swim in its oceans, yet we cover it with miles of trash.
As far as we know, we’re the only living creatures in the universe, buoyed into existence by liquid water.
This year, the Powering a Nation team chose to explore how our most critical resource goes far beyond traditional power. More than fossil fuels, commerce or industry, water powers life.
When we started researching for this project, we had all heard that water was in trouble. A not-so-distant war was brewing over water; it was going to be the next oil; it was blue gold. But when we started asking questions, we realized how little we actually knew.
There is no countdown to the last gallon of water. All the water we have on this planet has been here for almost as long as the planet itself. While it cycles through phases and locations, there is a set amount on the planet. Scientists don’t know exactly what that number is, but they know it’s not changing.
We are the ones who are changing. The global population recently surpassed 7 billion, and humans have charted almost every square mile of this planet. Our cities have subsumed rivers, our farms have sucked up aquifers, our industry has turned streams into dams, and our lifestyle has altered our climate. We’re changing, and we’re changing our planet.
Our project is not meant to scare or guilt people into changing their behavior, but rather to encourage people to appreciate water and to better understand the issues surrounding it. The time has come for us to start thinking about water as a precious resource. More and more, issues of water scarcity and water quality affect people across the country.
“100 Gallons” is not meant to be critical of our consumption, but rather to engender critical thinking about it. Consider every moment you spend using water each day, then imagine your day without it.
We need water. All the water on our planet won’t do us any good if we can’t drink it, bathe in it or play in it. We need water to be accessible and clean. We need water for life.
2012 Team
The 2012 Team
Pictured, from left to right: front row — Kelly McHugh, Stephanie Bullins, Jan Yopp, Kelly Izlar, Vanessa Patchett; second row — Spencer Bakalar, Joshua Davis, Laura Ruel, Dylan Gilroy, Chad Stevens; back row — Jon Kasbe, Cyrus Huneycutt, Terence Oliver, Daren Brabham; not pictured — Andy Bechtel, Bob Sacha, Matt Brozowski
About the 2012 project
Our 2012 Fellows present a Powering a Nation special report, “100 Gallons.”
"100 Gallons” explores how our most critical resource goes far beyond traditional power. More than fossil fuels, commerce or industry, water powers life.
The purpose of this project is to restore and encourage a sense of respect and wonder to our cultural view of water and to start a conversation about water problems and solutions in our country. We also seek to put those issues into a global context.
Content gathering for this project adheres to strict journalistic principles. Even for our centerpiece video, which takes a creative look at our everyday water usage, we photographed real people and real moments. The experimental element of "100 Gallons" is taking that creative concept presentation and using it as an interface to engage the user in an immersive exploration with a single click.
This presentation is an experiment in journalistic storytelling. We welcome feedback about your experience: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Our 2012 Fellows
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Kelly IzlarFor Powering a Nation, Kelly’s roles include editor-in-chief, writer, copy editor and researcher. Kelly is a science communicator and writer. She received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Appalachian State University and recently completed her master’s degree in medical and science journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Roy H. Park Fellow. She spent much of the past five years writing about science, grappling with multimedia tools, and researching young solar analogue stars and exoplanet host stars at the Dark Sky Observatory on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Kelly likes swimming, hiking, eating good cheese and secretly reading young adult fiction. Projects: Smelling the Rain || Beyond the Pale Blue Dot || The Purest of Them All || Tracking the Water Connect: @kellyizlar || E-mail |
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Stephanie BullinsFor Powering a Nation, Stephanie's roles include marketer, social media editor and programmer. Stephanie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in multimedia journalism and English. She was the managing editor and web designer for Uncharted, UNC's first arts magazine, programmer for Carolina Photojournalism Workshop 2012, and web developer for Resound, an online music magazine. Stephanie received honors for her thesis on Ernest Hemingway and recognition as a public service scholar. She is also a recipient of the Phillips Travel Scholarship, allowing her to backpack Europe to take cooking classes in the fall. Though she never formally studied strategic communication, Powering a Nation has allowed Stephanie to pursue her love of Twitter and delve deeper into the fascinating world of marketing. Projects: Blog || Twitter || Facebook || Google+ Connect: @sbullins || Blog || LinkedIn || This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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Joshua DavisFor Powering a Nation, Joshua’s roles include managing editor, videographer, video editor, social media consultant, writer and copy editor. Joshua Davis is a May 2012 graduate and was a Roy H. Park Fellow in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His master’s thesis, the undocumentary, told stories about immigrant youth living without papers in North Carolina. While at UNC, Joshua produced award-winning videos for multimedia projects Reframing Mexico and Finding the Uwharries. He also coached photojournalism students in the 2012 Carolina Photojournalism Workshop. Prior to graduate school, Joshua worked as an editor on news and documentary projects for RollingStone.com, PBS Frontline, Arte and the Travel Channel. He has served as adjunct faculty for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University, and taught courses as an Apple Certified Final Cut Pro editing instructor. In his free time, Joshua enjoys traveling and practicing Spanish. Projects: Fractured || The Cloud Juicer Connect: joshdavis.org ||@joshabla || Vimeo |
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Dylan GilroyFor Powering a Nation, Dylan’s roles include programmer, graphic designer and researcher. Dylan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in graphic design and a minor in linguistics. Once a beautiful, vibrant baby, Dylan grew up to enjoy web coding and graphic design. Through the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he had the opportunity to take courses fostering both, and along the way got to develop websites for Living Galapagos, a UNC web-documentary project started in 2009, Reese News, the school's day-to-day digital newsroom, and Powering a Nation. Dylan’s other interests involve playing piano, drawing, and wishing he were better at Spanish. Projects: 100gallons.org || Sizing up Water || What does 100 gallons cost? Connect: dylangilroy.com |
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Jon KasbeFor Powering a Nation, Jon's roles include videographer and video editor. "I like meeting people and finding stories. Video is a way for me to share the stories I care about." At least that's what Jon says about himself when he's asked to write a bio. Jon is a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying communications. He has worked with Students of the World, Carolina Photojournalism Workshop, Reese Felts Digital Newsroom and Living Galapagos. Jon is the 2012 Hearst National Multimedia champion, and his videos have also won recognition from Pictures of the Year International, National Press Photographer's Association and Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Projects: Life Reflected || A Beautiful Waste Connect: jonkasbe.com
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Kelly McHughFor Powering a Nation, Kelly's roles include visual editor, graphic designer, motion graphic artist and researcher. Kelly is a graphic designer and motion graphic artist who recently was graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in visual journalism. As an undergraduate, she was the managing editor of The Daily Tar Heel, where she led the first redesign in more than 10 years. Kelly was a graphics intern for National Geographic Magazine in 2011 and the art director of the Journalism School's first iPad magazine, Bean & Leaf. She also researched color use in information graphics for her undergraduate honors thesis. Kelly has been the recipient of many awards, including the Stuart Sechreist Award for the outstanding graduate in visual communication and the first place award for infographics from the MSU student Society for News Design competition. When she isn't designing, Kelly spends her time feeding her addiction to Pinterest. Projects: Every Drop || What does 100 gallons cost? || Is it Safe to Drink? Connect: http://www.kellymchughdesign.com || @kellymchugh || E-mail |
Our 2012 Student Contributors
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Spencer BakalarFor Powering a Nation, Spencer's roles as a student contributor include video editor, videographer, photographer and writer. Spencer is a rising senior at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studies visual communication and history. She is drawn to document the human condition — what drives us, what inspires us, what we live for each day. At UNC, Spencer has worked on award-winning team projects, from Badin, N.C., all the way to Uganda as a photographer, videographer and video editor. In 2011, Spencer was named North Carolina Student Photographer of the Year. She is currently preparing for a semester abroad in London where she will pursue personal projects before returning to finish her senior year. Projects: Giving Way || Dry Promises Connect: Portfolio || @spencermary214 || instagram: sbakalar || Vimeo || This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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Cyrus HuneycuttFor Powering a Nation, Cyrus' roles include graphic designer and researcher. Cyrus is a recent graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied journalism with a specialization in editing and graphic design. During his time at UNC, he explored various approaches to design and storytelling, from classes in infographics and multimedia programming to numerous projects for UNC Housing and campus organizations. He wrote a novel during his senior year, a step towards bringing a childhood dream of epic storytelling to life. Since earning his degree, he has done various freelance work for non-profit organizations Foster Friends of North Carolina and Kicking4Hunger, as well as ad development for corporations such as HondaJet in Greensboro, N.C. Projects: Heavy Skies || Water Parks || Eating Water Connect: Portfolio || This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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Vanessa PatchettFor Powering a Nation, Vanessa's roles include video editor, researcher and copy editor. Vanessa is a Roy H. Park Fellow and master’s candidate of visual journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in documentary storytelling. She has a background in anthropology and fine arts. Before attending graduate school, she worked in the non-profit sector for three years in the field of childhood-trauma treatment. Vanessa was a contributing producer to award-winning team projects Reframing Mexico and Finding the Uwharries. In her free time, when she is not dreaming of owning a puppy, she enjoys rock climbing, riding rollercoasters and grabbing coffee with friends. Connect: @vpatchett || Vimeo |
100 Gallons Press Room
Visit 100Gallons.org || General Press Release || About Powering a Nation || Awards and Recognition || Meet the TeamTo embed or share the official 100 Gallons trailer, mouse over the top right corner of the video while playing and select the appropriate option.
Images
Click on the thumbnail to see the full-size image. To download the image, right-click and choose "Save image as..."
Life Reflected
Fractured
A Beautiful Waste
Giving Way
Dry Promises
The Cloud Juicer
Every Drop
How much does 100 gallons cost?
Sizing Up Water
Graphics
WHAT WE SENSE
- VIDEO/TEXT: The Cloud Juicer
- TEXT: The purest of them all
- TEXT: Smelling the rain
- GRAPHIC: Heavy skies
The Cloud Juicer
On a slice of land in the Texas Hill Country sit thousands of gallons of the sweetest and softest water in the world, says the “proud purveyor” of Tank Town. Meet Richard Heinichen, the first licensed bottler of rainwater in the United States.
Richard Heinichen may be the first person licensed to bottle rainwater in the U.S. He calls rain the "gold standard because it’s the source of all water, goddammit!"
Most states don’t have any statutes or regulations when it comes to collecting or harvesting rainwater. For the areas that do have something to say, the law varies from city to city. In the drier Western states, rain ownership is naturally a subject of more scrutiny.
In Utah, for instance up, until 2010, the state itself claimed every single drop that fell from the sky. Now rainwater harvesting is legal all across the state, although storage is limited to one underground 2500-gallon container or two above-ground 100-gallon containers.
In Colorado, the rain is owned by the state as a public resource. Since 2009, only landowners who have no access to public water are allowed to collect rain, and even then only in small amounts.
In Oregon, residents can only harvest rain from rooftop surfaces. Other places, like the city of Tucson, Ariz., encourage residents to collect rainwater by offering rebates and tax incentives.
CREDITS
Camera and sound by Jon Kasbe and Joshua Davis
Editing by Joshua Davis
Music by Keith Kenniff
Graphics by Kelly McHugh
Text by Kelly Izlar
WHAT WE SENSE
- VIDEO/TEXT: The Cloud Juicer
- TEXT: The purest of them all
- TEXT: Smelling the rain
- GRAPHIC: Heavy skies
CREDITS
Graphic by Cyrus HuneycuttSOURCES
Aviation weather - principles. (n.d.). Free Online Private Pilot Ground School. Retrieved July 27, 2012, from http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/Aviation-Weather-Principles.html
How much does a cloud weigh? (2009, August 8). Green Earth Facts. Retrieved July 27, 2012, from http://greenearthfacts.com/weather/how-much-does-a-cloud-weigh/
A cloud weighs more than you might think. (2011, January 13). Zidbits. Retrieved July 27, 2012, from http://zidbits.com/2011/01/a-cloud-weighs-more-than-you-might-think/
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