Challenge:

The Santa Cruz is an important river in the arid Southwest with a unique water source: treated wastewater. This makes it cleaner than most other rivers, but the urban community still felt wary of the water’s origins and the water owners could always decide to put the water to other uses. How could we change the narrative and protect this vital resource?

Solution:

I worked with The Sonoran Institute to tell relatable and compelling stories demonstrating how important (and clean!) this river really is. Using interviews with local stakeholders, we crafted a series of blog posts for the community. These stories demonstrated how locals viewed the river and what a difference having it back made in their lives. In the end, this blog series helped make a case for additional attention and protection of the river.