The bigger water picture: waterloop

As advocates for inland lakes we can tend toward a kind of myopia, focused on the issues that affect our home bodies of water. But the reality is that there’s a big wide water world out there, and all water is connected. It’s enlightening and healthy more than once in a while to take our eyes off the Secchi disc in our own lakes and see the bigger picture.

A great place to do that is an online venue called waterloop. It’s a three-year-old nonprofit media outlet focused broadly on water sustainability and equity and water issues generally. The founder and host is Travis Loop, who for the past 15 years worked in water communications. That includes serving as public affairs director for the U.S. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program, as director of communications for the EPA Office of Water in Washington, D.C., and as communications director for the Water Environment Federation.

At waterloop you’ll find podcasts, videos and social media messages that spotlight the people and projects responsible for advancements and successes in the water sphere. Topics covered include the health of waterways, drinking water (including lead service line replacement), coastal resilience, Great Lakes issues, climate adaptation, environmental justice, nature-based solutions, community engagement, and more. There’s a focus on success stories – people and projects that are helping “move the needle” toward healthier waters across the U.S. Beyond featuring water sector leaders and experts, waterloop provides a platform for diverse voices that historically have been under-represented.

I believe you’ll find waterloop an enlightening place to visit and to build your water IQ. It just might help us all become better communicators about water and more effective advocates for the lakes we love.