As 2024 comes to a close, I'm reflecting on the past 12 months. The number of trips, podcasts, videos, and posts made it the most prolific year yet for waterloop. There was so much impactful content and so many memorable moments, but I want to share a few that rise above the rest for me.
FAVORITE EPISODE
Las Vegas's Winning Bet On Water: It is extremely difficult to choose just one episode to be the favorite of 2024. But ultimately I chose the story about water use in Las Vegas because what has happened there smashes misconceptions. People see Las Vegas and think it is utterly unsustainable from a water perspective and cannot exist in the Colorado River Basin. The truth is that Las Vegas has used a mix of water conservation, efficiency, and recycling to drastically drive down use even while the population has boomed. Plus as a fellow communicator, I have great admiration for the job Bronson Mack of the Southern Nevada Water Authority does articulating the progress. Check out the episode.
FAVORITE VIDEO
The Return Of Tulare Lake: When a series of atmospheric rivers hit California in early 2024, I reshared a video from 2023 when a similar pattern of heavy, intense rain and snow led to the reemergence of Tulare Lake in the Central Valley. It was once the largest freshwater lake in the West until the construction of dams, diversions, and canals caused it to dry up. The video racked up over 2 million views on Tik Tok alone. From a content perspective, I appreciate how the video increased my following across social media. It also includes amazing drone shots of a vast inland sea in the middle of a normally dry, brown agricultural region. Watch the video.
FAVORITE ADVENTURE
A Boat Ride Through Mollicy Farms: 2024 was an incredible year of travel, visiting impactful water projects and awe-inspiring places. But my favorite adventure was exploring Mollicy Farms in Louisiana, the largest floodplain reconnection ever completed in the U.S. This 25-square-mile project reconnects the Ouachita River to its historic floodplain, helping reduce downstream flooding, filtering out nutrients, and creating critical habitat for wildlife. I traveled through Mollicy Farms on a boat as floodwaters rose to the tops of the trees next to me—a surreal and humbling experience. Watch a video about it.
FAVORITE PROBLEM SOLVER
Brad Lancaster of Tucson: It's almost unfair and uncool to single out one problem-solver among the litany I interacted with this year. But Brad Lancaster is a legend. He has spent decades mastering rainwater harvesting at his home in the Sonoran Desert. Despite only receiving about 11 inches of rain a year, he captures all the water he needs for himself and the vegetation on his property. Brad also admits to cutting curbs on his street to capture runoff instead of letting it get wasted, an initial move that eventually led to the launch of Tucson's green infrastructure program. Watch a tour of his property.
FAVORITE SURPRISE
The Beauty Of Iowa: Traveling to film took me to some states for the first time in 2024, including Iowa. Any preconceptions I had about the state were quickly swept away. I was stunned by the beauty of the green fields and blue skies, the clean cities and towns, and the genuinely friendly people. Visiting a half dozen farms, I was also struck by how proactively farmers brought up the challenges of climate change and the impacts they have seen firsthand. My time in Iowa gave me a renewed appreciation for America's Heartland and the people who live there. Watch an episode about funding conservation on Iowa farms.
FAVORITE PHOTO
Foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains: During the filming of an episode about water in farming communities in California's San Joaquin Valley, the Sierra Nevada Mountains loomed in the distance. I was mesmerized and decided to take a side trip, which involved following a river, winding through the foothills, and eventually having to stop where the road was closed due to snow in Sequoia National Park. This is a place of incredible beauty, with the green hills, white mountains, and blue skies. It also encapsulates part of California's hydrology and water quandary - the snow melts to feed nearby streams, rivers, and aquifers, but most of that water is diverted by canals or pumped from underground a short distance later, leaving a browner landscape in the valley and little water for people. The photo reminds me of that experience and the water story in this area.
FAVORITE BEER OF THE YEAR
Killer Acid by Humble Sea Brewing Co.: I'm a massive fan of craft beer and whenever traveling I seek out local breweries. When my filmmaker Cody recently asked me about the favorite beer I had this year, I quickly went with Killer Acid by Humble Sea Brewing Co. I visited the brewery in Santa Cruz on a classic chilly January night on the California coast and noticed a strange green beer. Killer Acid is a delicious triple IPA brewed with Citra hops, pineapple, and spirulina, a blue-green algae that's packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and protein. Beers stand out in my memory not just for taste, but also when they have a unique story and were consumed in a cool place and time.
