Earth Day is one of the most widely recognized environmental events in the world. Every April 22, millions of people take part in activities focused on protecting the planet. But behind the cleanups and campaigns is a deeper story about how it started, what it represents, and why it continues to matter today. Here are […]
Water has always been essential. What’s changed is how much it costs. And why? Across the U.S., water rates are climbing, driven by a “perfect storm” of crumbling infrastructure, new federal mandates, and explosive industrial demand. While annual increases might seem incremental, the cumulative trend is staggering. Here are six things you need to know […]
Drive through farm country and you’ll notice them almost immediately. Long spans of steel stretching across fields, slowly moving in wide circles, quietly watering crops hour after hour. For many, they are just part of the landscape. But those machines, known as center pivots, represent one of the most important shifts in how agriculture is […]
Most people water their landscapes based on guesswork. A little here, a little there, adjust the timer when things look dry, and hope for the best. But there’s a number—a simple coefficient—that tells you exactly how much water each plant needs. It’s called the plant species factor, and understanding it can cut your water use […]
The Colorado River water management crisis has reached another critical moment. There is a deadline on the wall, and the West just missed it. February 14th came and went without agreement among the seven Colorado River Basin states on how to manage one of the most critical water systems in North America. It wasn’t the first missed […]
If you watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, you probably noticed the passes, the tackles, and maybe even the halftime show. But did you notice the lawn? Of course you didn’t. And that’s exactly the point. The turf at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara looked flawless. Not a brown spot, not a puddle, not […]
Insights from a new UC San Diego study on the hidden drivers of drought risk I’ve always appreciated having the University of California, San Diego practically “up the street” from where I live. Beyond the ocean views and the innovation culture, UCSD continues to deliver research that reshapes how we think about climate, agriculture, and water. […]
Every November, as we gather around the table and give thanks for food, family, and friendship, it’s worth pausing to consider what quietly connects every part of that scene: water. From the fields that grew our food to the rivers that shaped our communities, water touches everything we celebrate at Thanksgiving. It’s in the soil […]
If you follow water in the American West, you’ve probably heard renewed buzz about cloud seeding, the idea that, under the right conditions, we can coax a little more snow or rain from passing storms. With reservoirs drawn down and snowpacks swinging wildly year to year, it’s fair to ask: Does cloud seeding work, and […]
There’s a quiet line item eating into NOI, and contractor margins every single day: inaction. In water management, “doing nothing” may seem harmless, keeping last year’s schedule, skipping the audit, ignoring the small leak, or postponing the retrofit. But the costs compound in ways that budgets rarely capture: water you didn’t need to buy, plants […]