Green-building and sustainability consultant Jerry Yudelson, PE, MBA, LEED Fellow, recently released a three-part video series titled “Water Wars” on YouTube.
Based on Yudelson’s 2010 book, “Dry Run: Preventing the Next Urban Water Crisis,” which outlines how cities can prepare for a coming era of water scarcity throughout the United States and much of the world brought about by global climate change, increasing urban populations, and a growing “water footprint” from human activity, the nearly four-minute-long videos provide an introduction to water-supply problems facing us over the coming decade; a discussion of the importance of changing the way homes, buildings, and cities are built; and actions people, institutions, and political leaders can take to prevent water crises in their community.
“I’ve designed these videos,” Yudelson, chief executive officer of Tucson, Ariz.-based Yudelson Associates, said, “to provide an understandable introduction to preventing future water crises, at a level that can promote community dialogue about viable water futures. I find that much of the professional discussion about water issues is simply too complex for the average person to grasp. These videos fill a much needed gap in public education and are designed to spur people to action.
“With this larger audience in mind,” Yudelson continued, “I decided to take a creative approach with the videos. I wanted to avoid your typical talking-head piece.”
The videos were produced by Jodi Netzer, a Tucson-based graphic designer, community arts organizer, and performing artist, who has been the chief organizer of Tucson’s annual The Water Festival: Synergy of Art, Science, and Community, at which Yudelson spoke this year.
“I thought her creative perspective would perk up more ears and demonstrate how art, engineering, and public policy can work together,” Yudelson said of Netzer.
To view these and other videos by Yudelson, click here.