The Collective Tap: Conversations About Water

The Collective Tap: Conversations About Water

by The White River Alliance

Non-Profit News Commentary Nature

Season 4

Wildlife

This podcast has focused on the many ways that humans use water, but there are many more creatures big and small that depend on our waterways as well. In this episode, we talk about wetland habitats, unique species, conflicts with development, and how to help protect water and wildlife.

Community

From earliest times, waterways have been the backbone of human communities. That history hasn’t always been positive, but there are signs that our relationship to these waterways is changing for the better.

Series Teaser: On the Water

THE COLLECTIVE TAP is a podcast about water and the many ways we interact with this critical resource every day. Some of those uses are obvious: washing dishes, swimming, or watering plants. Others are less obvious: generating energy, building roads, and manufacturing goods that travel far from the water’s source to reach their destination. But even given those many uses—and the many more users who expect clean water on demand—it’s easy to take for granted how critical this one resource is to life. What, exactly, is the value of water? We try to answer this question through a series of engaging conversations with experts in their fields, and, hopefully, inspire a new appreciation of the waters you call home.

Season 3

Environmental Justice

This season we’ve looked at some of the hidden uses of water. Energy production, manufacturing processes, and wastewater treatment (did you know stormwater is treated as a waste stream for which municipalities must comply with a regulatory permit?) all have the potential to produce pollutants that are felt in different ways. In this episode, we explore some of the hidden impacts of that pollution–impacts that have often been ignored.

Let’s Talk about Wastewater

After we use water–to wash dishes, shower, use the toilet, or even as part of an industrial process–where does it go? What’s in it, what happens to it, and how does it affect our water resources? In this episode, we talk with some of the people involved in treating and testing wastewater about this critical infrastructure.

Water and Manufacturing in Indiana

A 2014 study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce reported that Indiana’s manufacturing economy is more reliant on a sustainable and adequate supply of water than any other state in the nation, and manufacturing is the largest part of Indiana’s economy. In this episode, we talk with the Chamber as well as a couple of the state’s best known manufacturers about the relationship between water, production, and the state’s economy.

Boiler Up! Water and Energy in Indiana

When you flip on your light switch, no water comes out, but you are using water all the same. In fact, Indiana ranks third in the nation in total coal consumption, and water is a big part of that consumption. We discuss the role water plays in producing the energy we use every day and how the state is planning for the future of Indiana’s energy needs.

Series Teaser: The Hidden Life of Water

THE COLLECTIVE TAP is a podcast about water and the many ways we interact with this critical resource every day. Some of those uses are obvious: washing dishes, swimming, or watering plants. Others are less obvious: generating energy, building roads, and manufacturing goods that travel far from the water’s source to reach their destination. But even given those many uses—and the many more users who expect clean water on demand—it’s easy to take for granted how critical this one resource is to life. What, exactly, is the value of water? We try to answer this question through a series of engaging conversations with experts in their fields, and, hopefully, inspire a new appreciation of the waters you call home.

Season 2

Who Wants a Drink?

Who knew Indiana's waters could be so refreshing? Join us as we talk with some of the people turning our water into the adult beverages that have become such a big part of the area's food and beverage economy.

Big Gulps - Water at the Industrial Scale

Indiana water is used in the production of food and beverage products that ship well beyond the state's borders. How is water used in these food and beverage operations? What do companies do to reduce their usage, and how are they involved in protecting supply in the community? What does the future look like for these industries in Indiana?

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