Estuaries—places where rivers meet the ocean—are some of the most important ecosystems in the United States, supporting coastal economies, protecting communities, and serving as nurseries for much of the nation’s seafood.

In this episode from the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., Daniel Hayden, CEO of Restore America\'s Estuaries, explains why these places—from Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound – are essential to nature, the economy, and people.

Hayden highlights collaborative restoration efforts across the country, including eelgrass recovery in Morro Bay, oyster shell recycling programs in Gulf Coast communities, and wetland restoration projects led by tribal partners along Long Island Sound. The conversation also explores how restoring abandoned cranberry bogs in New England is reconnecting wetlands to nearby estuaries and bringing native ecosystems back to life.

Along the way, Hayden explains how partnerships with federal agencies, nonprofits, and local communities are driving long-term progress—showing that with sustained investment and collaboration, damaged waterways can recover and once-polluted urban rivers can become vibrant places for people and wildlife again.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring sustainability in water.

Water is emerging as a defining factor in U.S. economic growth and national security—from where data centers and energy projects can scale to how communities absorb the rising costs of floods, droughts, and insurance risk.

In response, a new Aspen National Water Strategy has been released, laying out a plan to rethink how the country manages water. This episode is a conversation with the co-leads for developing the strategy, Martin Doyle of Duke University and Newsha Ajami of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Their central argument is a shift in framing: water is not just an environmental or local utility issue—it’s a core economic input and a strategic asset. The discussion explores how that plays out today, from AI and energy demands tied to water availability to insurers effectively redrawing the map of risk across the country. It also gets into what’s holding the system back, including fragmented governance, outdated infrastructure models, and policies that don’t align with how water actually moves through watersheds.

The strategy outlines priorities including governing for outcomes instead of process, investing in rural landscapes that underpin national water supply, and expanding infrastructure to include natural systems, data, and people.

Doyle and Ajami also highlight the need to remove barriers to adopting solutions that already exist, and to rethink financing and business models so innovation can scale.

It’s a clear-eyed look at how water is shaping the economy and risk landscape today—and what it will take to treat it as the national priority it has become.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.

A download from Davos reveals how water is rising on the global agenda — with business leaders, governments, and NGOs increasingly recognizing it as a critical climate and economic risk.

In this episode, Jason Morrison, president of the Pacific Institute, shares insights from the World Economic Forum gathering this past January, where conversations about water resilience are reaching CEOs, prime ministers, and top decision-makers.

He explains how initiatives like the CEO Water Mandate and the Water Resilience Coalition are mobilizing major corporations to tackle water challenges collectively across stressed basins worldwide.

The discussion highlights real-world efforts underway in places like California and the Mississippi River basin, where companies are investing in projects such as groundwater recharge, watershed restoration, and improved water efficiency.

Morrison also describes how new data tools, satellite monitoring, and collaborative basin-scale strategies are helping track measurable progress.

The key takeaway from Davos: the water sector doesn’t need more pledges — it needs execution, scaling proven solutions that can deliver meaningful impact on the ground.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.