Every day I try to listen to Sublime FM, a Dutch Jazz radio channel, as besides relaxing jazz they broadcast every hour a positive news bulletin. News (nieuws van de vooruitgang) about new social and technological inventions - and therefore about people who are making together the world a better place. Sometimes you forget about all the inspiring and innovate work that is going on related to water-climate related challenges.
Almost four years ago I publised my last 'crazy' blog. Time is flying - and not perse in the right direction - so lets find that Collective Inspiration re people who are doing amazing water and climate related work. Thanks for sharing your inspirators from around the world.
Please find a new list of 25 (teams) of people who are #brave #crazy and #WalkTheTalk. It's time to change from me to WE. So this list includes people who believe in working together (WE) for the better and greater good: #WEareWE means WE are working together on #WaterEducation #WaterEmpowerment #WaterExcitement.
Hiba Noor Khan, children’s author, Connecting With Nature as a gateway to Intimacy with our creator; her books include The Little War Cat, Inspiring Inventors and One Home. One Home takes you on a glorious journey across the globe to meet eighteen inspiring young activists who are taking a stand against climate change, and find out how you can help protect our beautiful earth. Her books have been listed for national awards and translated into Swedish, Korean, Turkish, Breton and counting. She secretly wants to be an explorer, and is happiest surrounded by nature, especially near the ocean. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Imani Wilmot, Filmmaker, Founder Surf Girls Jamaica; Born and raised on the wave washed shores of Eight Mile, Bull Bay in St. Andrew, Jamaica, Imani Wilmot was a natural water baby. It was an instant connection that has shaped her life so significantly that she dedicated herself to motivating and empowering girls of all ages to try surfing. Imani is a world-renowned athlete and international role model and uses surfing as a means of transforming the tough lives of women in Jamaica. The surfboard has always been a powerful tool for Imani Wilmot. Through surfing, she’s created a safe haven for women in her community to escape abuse and sexual assault. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Leon McCarron, Explorer of the Year, Author, Broadcaster. Wounded Tigris: A 10-WEEK, 1200-MILE JOURNEY: The waters of the Tigris fed the earliest civilisations on earth, and our quest was for the enduring aspects of the river - the culture and heritage that have survived for millennia. We experienced the beauty and depth of history, but also saw clearly the impact of past decades of conflict, and the environmental and geopolitical threats that are so present in the region. Leon is known for long-distance expeditions and immersive multimedia storytelling. In the past decade he has travelled over 50,000km by human power, and is currently based in Iraq. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Marie Meade, A Symbol of Strength and Resiliency - The Water is Rising. Losing ground to climate change, this Alaskan community resolves to save itself. Water will erase Newtok, Alaska. To keep their culture and community intact, the Yup’ik residents must relocate their entire village upriver while battling government inertia. This is a story about a village seeking justice in the face of climate disaster. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Gilly McArthur, Cold water swim coach (with a passion for ice) rock climber, presenter and illustrator. She generally prefers to communicate through drawings. She is a director of the Women's Trad Festival and a qualified swim coach, lifeguard and founder of Blue Mind Men - a mens cold water swim club. Blue Mind Men was inspired by her love of swimming over winter in high up tarns and hunting for ice with a few hardy friends (not the most common of 'hobbies'!). This club takes the form of a weekly session, for men and friends for those keen to discover cold water skin (no wetsuit) swimming and the benefits it has on mental wellbeing. Listen more: #WeAreWe
Guardians of the Okavango water system, Wild Bird Trust, NGOWP, House of Pod - these river guardians have a monumental task: safeguard a remote, near pristine environment facing threats from all sides. Learn what happens when worlds connect, and at times collide, with the common goal of protecting a place. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Zandile Ndhlovu, Freediver, opens up the ocean to ‘black mermaids' - working to create a diverse representation in ocean spaces. Her work centers around enabling access to the ocean to underprivileged communities in South Africa, in the hope to diversify oceans spaces both recreationally as well as professionally, while creating a new generation of ocean guardians. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Nate Ptacek, in-house filmmaker and managing archivist at the activist outdoor brand Patagonia. Nate believes deeply in the power of images to educate, inspire, and serve as a catalyst for positive environmental action. Covering the mining threat to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With over 14 years of experience working, Nate brings a unique mix of authentic visual storytelling, post-production acumen, and nuanced environmental perspective. He strives for quality and seek to create positive environmental change through his work. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Julie Wormser, Partner Mystic River Watershed Association which protects and restores the Mystic River, its tributaries and watershed lands. The Mystic Greenways Initiative will connect 25 miles of paths, improve hundreds of acres of parkland and engage thousands of community members from the Mystic Lakes to the Boston Harbor. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Shrishtee Bajpai, researcher-activist, member of Kalpvriksh, advisor at Inner Climate Academy, and executive committee member of Rights of Nature. The River Sings. Her research focuses on documenting, researching, and networking on radical alternatives to dominant systems with specific focus on exploring indigenous, traditional, and customary ways of living, decision-making and their underlying worldviews. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Calum Maclean, Presenter, film-maker, writer, The Outdoor Swimming Society, 'It’s often said that there are only seven narrative plots in all of storytelling. Any story will fit into one of: Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Comedy, Tragedy, and Overcoming the Monster. The following story CALUM VS THE MONSTER (A 12km walk in, a 310m deep loch, and a serious case of deep water fear…) fits within that final plot type. This story takes place at Loch Mòrar, in the west highlands of Scotland. At 310m, it’s the deepest freshwater in the whole of Britain. Loch Mòrar is also said to be home to a monster, or a creature: Mòrag. However, this tale has nothing to do with Mòrag.' Learn more: #WeAreWe
Lesia Topolnyk, Architect, STUDIO SPACE STATION, Research focuses on the changing global political arenas forced by climate change and will explore their local and spatial effects. Although architects are seen as people who design spaces, we also design relationships. Especially in these turbulent political times, it's necessary to look at how the world is designed to understand the larger context in which a project is taking place. She reflects on major problems at a global level, while other times she focuses on the space inside someone's mind. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Paul Steinbrück and Louisa Vermoere, Architect, activist and water recreation experts, Pool is Cool, involved in processes of urban transformation. Leading an independent citizen’s group whose aim is to re-introduce outdoor swimming to the city of Brussels. They never wanted to build pools. They wanted to make decision-takers, politicians, and administrations build the pools themselves. It's not about whether they want to build a pool, it’s more about swimming as an activity, and promoting the culture around it. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Neal Moore, American writer and canoeist, “the modern-day Huckleberry Finn” - 22Rivers: a journey into the soul of America; He is the author of two non-fiction books – Down the Mississippi and Homelands. Neal spent most of the last two years on a canoe trip across America, the country where he was born and raised, and which he left at 18. In the three decades since he lived and adventured all over the world. He spent little time in the U.S., aside from his 2009 source-to-sea paddle on the Mississippi River, and also the months he spent in 2018 fighting high water on the Columbia River and its tributaries, all the way up and over the Continental Divide, only to call it quits in North Dakota. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Hanli Prinsloo, Founder I am Water Foundation. She is a South African freediver, speaker, writer and ocean conservationist dedicated to conserving and protecting the world's oceans through human experience. The foundation teaches children how to love the ocean. For many people in South Africa, particularly those from poorer urban areas, the ocean is a place of fear - and too often death. Reconnecting young minds with an underwater world full of intrigue, adventure and hope has become, for Hanli Prinsloo, a life’s mission. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Felipe Cancino, Trail runner, Outdoor Educator - Run to Salvar una Cuenca. Felipe's quest to raise awareness around the impacts of hydropower in Chile. Felipe takes us through the Maipo River Valley in Central Chile on a 120km traverse that highlights the impacts of the Alto Maipo hydropower project. His run reveals the effects the project has had on Andean ecosystems, local communities and traditions, and the threat it poses to the water supply for Santiago’s 7.1 million residents. The outdoor education became a huge tool to teach and share his enthusiasm about nature and the natural world. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Director Jennifer Peedom, writer Robert Macfarlane, actor William Dafoe, filmmaker of the world’s great waterways: 'Rivers run through us'. Throughout history, rivers have shaped our landscapes and our journeys; flowed through our cultures and dreams. 'Rivers run through us' takes its audience on a journey through space and time; spanning six continents, and drawing on extraordinary contemporary cinematography, including satellite filming, the film shows rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before. Its union of image, music and sparse, poetic script create a film that is both dream-like and powerful, honouring the wildness of rivers but also recognising their vulnerability. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Mariana Mazzucato, founding director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Firebrand Economist. Academic Advisor Communicator. Global Commission on Water Economics. She is making waves as an economist — and in the pool. "WATER must be THE issue to bring the planet together. Or we all FAIL". Her work challenges orthodox thinking about the role of the state and the private sector in driving innovation; how economic value is created, measured and shared; and how market-shaping policy can be designed in a ‘mission oriented way’ to solve the grand challenges facing humanity. When she’s not tackling the failings of modern capitalism, the Italian-American economist hits the swimming pool to unwind. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Pete McBride and John Waterman, Photo Journalists, Running Dry and Chasing Water. Follow the Colorado River, source to sea. In Chasing Water sets out to document the flow of the Colorado River from source to sea. A Colorado native, McBride hails from a ranching family that depends on the Colorado for irrigation, and this is the story of his backyard. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Yvette Tetteh, a Ghanaian activist and agribusiness entrepreneur, has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first person to swim across the Volta River, spanning a distance of approximately 450 kilometres, from Buipe to Ada. Yvette’s courageous swim was driven by her strong determination to raise awareness about the escalating water pollution issues plaguing Ghana. As a passionate activist hailing from the Dangme community, she took on the challenging task of swimming through the lengthy Volta River to shed light on the deteriorating state of water quality in the country. Her unique initiative not only raises awareness about textile waste but also brings attention to the urgent need for environmental conservation and sustainable practices. Yvette’s pioneering efforts and groundbreaking firsts serve as an inspiration for future endeavour aimed at safeguarding Ghana’s natural resources and fostering a cleaner, healthier environment for all. Learn more: #WeAreWe
James Otter, Riding the Waves, Do Book author. James Otter is a TEDx speaker, and founder of Otter Surfboards: a family-owned workshop nestled in a small village in Cornwall, handcrafting custom wooden surfboards since 2008. James wants to get people out of their heads and making things with their hands. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Martin Hartley, polar explorer and expedition photographer on climate change & mental health; Martin has spent the last 16 years documenting the polar regions. During this time, he has covered cumulatively over 2,000 miles skiing, living for 400 days on the sea ice, including a mammoth 99-day crossing of the ocean from Russia to Canada across the top of the planet. Several of these endeavours have focused on collecting data to help scientists better understand our planet. Time magazine has acknowledged Martin’s contribution to science with its prestigious Hero of the Environment award for his research work on multiple surveys of the frozen Arctic Ocean. Listen more: #WeAreWe
Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer, North Shore’s first lifeguard and big-wave surfing pioneer. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, he saved over 500 people and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational ("The Eddie") is named in his honor. He was also a crew member on the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Asit K Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada, Professors, Authors, WaterLeaders, University of Glasgow. Prof Asit K. Biswas is universally acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on water, environment and development-related issues. He was a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum. Cecilia Tortajada has been an advisor to major international institutions like FAO, UNDP, JICA, ADB, OECD, IDRC and GIZ, and has worked in numerous countries in Africa, Asia, North and South America and Europe on water and natural resources management and environment policies. She is a member of the OECD Initiative on Water Governance. Winner of the prestigious Crystal Drop Award of the International Water Resources Association. Learn more: #WeAreWe
Hamzeh AlMaaytah, 4th generation book seller in Amman. “Mahal al-Maa”—“Water Shop”. ‘Pay as you like’ bookstore. Books Are Like Water: The 24-Hour Bookshop. Selling books is Hamzeh al-Maaytah’s calling. He believes in books. Books are like boats, he says. Some can keep people afloat, while others make them drown. Books are like food for the mind. Books are like water. In 2016, Hamzeh actually renamed his shop “Mahal al-Maa”—“Water Shop”—to reflect the necessary nature of books, and specifically of good books, which help people develop in positive ways. “Water is free,” he says. “Every person needs water, and books also are like water.” Learn more: #WeAreWe
