Author: Julia Apland Hitz5

Julia is currently with the Findhorn Foundation ecovillage in Scotland. For two years she served as Communications Manager for the Columbia Water Center, Earth Institute, Columbia University. She has also worked as a planning consultant and development officer in environment, sustainable development, social services, and health, in Central America, the UK and the USA. Visit website »

Sustainable water systems in rural Brazil

One of Columbia Water Center’s major programs, funded by the PepsiCo Foundation, is to develop water infrastructure in rural Brazil, in areas that have had no public water service. CWC’s local Director, Francisco de Assis de Souza Filho, was recently in New York, and on April 23 gave a talk about ‘Designing Sustainable Water Systems:…
The Desert Margins – vulnerable to desertification, but not hopeless

Most people are aware that vegetative cover, such as trees or other shade producing plants, helps to keep moisture in the soil, especially in the driest climates. Not all plants have the same effect, though.
The Bottled Water Risk: ‘Tapped’ Awareness Event (photos)

On April 21, the Tapped Truck visited the Columbia University campus, as part of an event organized by Teacher’s College Program in Social Studies and the Go Green Committee. The truck pulled up on 120th Street and began exchanging plastic water bottles for Klean Kanteen eco-friendly aluminum ones. The line formed quickly, and the first…
T. Boone Pickens vs. Texas Water Conservation Board

T Boone Pickens, well known for his strong opinions on renewable energy, is hoping that selling water to thirsty cities will be as commercially profitable as he’s found oil to be, and has been investing heavily in purchasing water rights. He opposes a public groundwater management plan that interferes with that.
Addressing urban water scarcity in developing countries: Chennai, India

Ensuring an adequate water supply isn’t only an issue for large urban centers like New York or Los Angeles. It’s also a vital concern of the growing populations of cities in the developing world. Veena Srinivasan, of the Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, shared her work on ‘The integrated water paradigm: a…
Tapped: Earth Week Water Documentary/Give Away/Town Hall at Teacher’s College

The documentary film Tapped will be screened on Wednesday, April 21, sponsored by the Program in Social Studies and the Teacher’s College Go Green Committee. But it won’t just be a film showing – it’s a whole event designed to entertain, inspire and mobilize students and the public around drinking water. Look at your hand.…
New York City Water Summit (photos)

About 150 people attended the first New York City Water Summit on April 9th, which was organized by Professors William Becker and Kartik Chandran of the Columbia University Dept. of Earth and Environmental Engineering. The morning sessions dealt with drinking water issues, while the afternoon sessions concentrated on wastewater treatment. The event had a focus…
Rainfall forecasting key to efficient hydropower in Ethiopia

Hydropower is a tremendous potential energy source for many developing countries, but managing water reserves to maximize energy production is a tricky business. Let too much water out of the reservoir and you may not have enough later. Let out too little, and you aren’t producing all the energy that you could. Paul Block presented…
Run for Water with CWC in Earth Week event

Students and non-students alike are invited to join the Columbia Water Center in a run to raise awareness and funds for clean water, at the Dow Live Earth Run For Water on April 18.

Sustainable water systems in rural Brazil

One of Columbia Water Center’s major programs, funded by the PepsiCo Foundation, is to develop water infrastructure in rural Brazil, in areas that have had no public water service. CWC’s local Director, Francisco de Assis de Souza Filho, was recently in New York, and on April 23 gave a talk about ‘Designing Sustainable Water Systems:…
The Desert Margins – vulnerable to desertification, but not hopeless

Most people are aware that vegetative cover, such as trees or other shade producing plants, helps to keep moisture in the soil, especially in the driest climates. Not all plants have the same effect, though.
The Bottled Water Risk: ‘Tapped’ Awareness Event (photos)

On April 21, the Tapped Truck visited the Columbia University campus, as part of an event organized by Teacher’s College Program in Social Studies and the Go Green Committee. The truck pulled up on 120th Street and began exchanging plastic water bottles for Klean Kanteen eco-friendly aluminum ones. The line formed quickly, and the first…
T. Boone Pickens vs. Texas Water Conservation Board

T Boone Pickens, well known for his strong opinions on renewable energy, is hoping that selling water to thirsty cities will be as commercially profitable as he’s found oil to be, and has been investing heavily in purchasing water rights. He opposes a public groundwater management plan that interferes with that.
Addressing urban water scarcity in developing countries: Chennai, India

Ensuring an adequate water supply isn’t only an issue for large urban centers like New York or Los Angeles. It’s also a vital concern of the growing populations of cities in the developing world. Veena Srinivasan, of the Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, shared her work on ‘The integrated water paradigm: a…
Tapped: Earth Week Water Documentary/Give Away/Town Hall at Teacher’s College

The documentary film Tapped will be screened on Wednesday, April 21, sponsored by the Program in Social Studies and the Teacher’s College Go Green Committee. But it won’t just be a film showing – it’s a whole event designed to entertain, inspire and mobilize students and the public around drinking water. Look at your hand.…
New York City Water Summit (photos)

About 150 people attended the first New York City Water Summit on April 9th, which was organized by Professors William Becker and Kartik Chandran of the Columbia University Dept. of Earth and Environmental Engineering. The morning sessions dealt with drinking water issues, while the afternoon sessions concentrated on wastewater treatment. The event had a focus…
Rainfall forecasting key to efficient hydropower in Ethiopia

Hydropower is a tremendous potential energy source for many developing countries, but managing water reserves to maximize energy production is a tricky business. Let too much water out of the reservoir and you may not have enough later. Let out too little, and you aren’t producing all the energy that you could. Paul Block presented…
Run for Water with CWC in Earth Week event

Students and non-students alike are invited to join the Columbia Water Center in a run to raise awareness and funds for clean water, at the Dow Live Earth Run For Water on April 18.