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Circle of Blue (online magazine)

Circle of Blue

Founder	J. Carl Ganter
Based in	United States
Website	https://circleofblue.org

Circle of Blue is a U.S.-based nonprofit news, information, and convening organization reporting on fresh water worldwide as it intersects food and energy security, economic and environmental stability, and social systems. Its tagline is "Where water speaks."

Its operating statement is: "Circle of Blue delivers a voice for fresh water, combining trusted front-line journalism, science, data analytics, systems design, and convening toward solutions."

Funding comes from foundation grants, special project support, and individual donors. Circle of Blue operates independently and adheres to journalism standards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Society of Environmental Journalists, and Associated Press.

How it works

Circle of Blue dispatches teams of leading scientists, journalists and data experts to the front lines, mapping and defining emergent change, and catalyzing feedback participation from across disciplines and the public. It applies systems modeling to improve field reporting and information distribution at the intersection of science, design, and public policy. It has become a catalyst for innovations in communications, research programs, and public policy development. This model was recognized with the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award.

Achievements

Circle of Blue's approach has informed the shift of national policy in China around the water-energy nexus, empowered students across international networks, convened World Water Day at the Vatican with Pope Francis, which reached millions, and engaged legislators. It publishes online through its website, newsletters (Daily Stream; Federal Water Tap; Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing), and through affiliate partners. Among Circle of Blue’s systemic achievements is its award-winning ChokePoint series, which has revealed the strategic connections between water, food, energy, and equity in the changing climate. Circle of Blue curates the World Economic Forum Intelligence Maps for Water and is an advisor to the Forum's UpLink Challenge.

ChokePoint China

The ChokePoint China project, in partnership with the Wilson Center China Environment Forum, drew international attention for spotlighting China’s confrontation between rising energy development and diminishing water reserves. ChokePoint China reports and convenings influenced the 2014 U.S.-China Climate Agreement, were catalysts for the country’s shift to more water efficiency in the energy sector, and drove scenario sessions with government and corporate leaders at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Major projects

Circle of Blue has drawn attention to the rising price of water in the U.S., and exposed dangerous food safety issues in India when farmers turn to raw sewage and industrial waste when wells go dry. The Great Lakes News Collaborative, involving four non-profit news organizations — including Circle of Blue, Michigan Public, Bridge Magazine, and Detroit Public Television — was awarded the 2022 U.S. Water Prize for its “Water’s True Cost” series. In 2023 Dalberg Catalyst invited Circle of Blue into its accelerator program as a “systemic solution that has a tangible and durable impact on the pressing societal and planetary challenges of our time.” Together, Dalberg Catalyst and Circle of Blue, with additional partners, is creating the initiative, “Designing Water’s Future: An operating system for the world’s fresh water” that applies the “cumulative feedback loop of information” process recognized by the Rockefeller award.

Founding history

From its founding in 2003 and until 2018, Circle of Blue was fiduciary sponsored by the Pacific Institute, the water-climate research organization, and became an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2018. The organization's legal name is Circle of Blue, which is trademarked.

Circle of Blue has received project funding from foundations, individuals and institutions, including Alpern Foundation, Asian Development Bank, Brookby Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Cherry Republic, Climate Justice Resilience Fund, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation, Daniel Soref Charitable Trust, Energy Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Ford Foundation, Herrington-Fitch Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Pine Hollow Institute, Packard Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Rhodes Trust, Society for Environmental Journalists, Skoll Global Threats Fund, Suntory Group, TSE Foundation, Wallace Genetic Foundation, Water Funders Initiative, Wege Foundation, and the World Bank. It has received a "Gold" rating from Guidestar, the online resource that tracks nonprofit organizations. Circle of Blue is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, the consortium of nonprofit journalism organizations that promotes investigative and public service journalism.

Milestones

In 2006, with support from the Ford Foundation, Circle of Blue published the multimedia journalism project, Tehuacan: Divining Destiny, an in-depth look at Tehuacán, a Mexico community facing severe water stress from over-pumping of groundwater by factory farms. It was among the first reports to characterize water scarcity as a driver of human migration.

In 2007, Circle of Blue was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative for its innovative reporting about water security worldwide.

In 2008, J. Carl Ganter, Circle of Blue's managing director, and Brian Collins, chief creative officer of the communication design firm, COLLINS, co-presented the session, "Designing Water's Future," at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The session led to the international initiative, Designing Water's Future, which engaged more than 10,000 college-aged communications design students in a design competition in collaboration with the INDEX Awards and AIGA.

In 2009, it published The Biggest Dry, about Australia's epic drought, including in-depth field reports from the Murray-Darling Basin.

In 2010, it launched the first of the ChokePoint reporting projects, ChokePoint: U.S., which explored U.S. energy sector's copious use of water.

In 2012, Circle of Blue's ChokePoint China series of more than a dozen articles and 17 convening events across China sparked policy change in China.

In 2013, ChokePoint India: Leopard in the Well unveiled India's mounting water challenges.

In 2014, ChokePoint Index covered increasing water stress related to agriculture in the United States.

In 2015, Circle of Blue hosted a series of online convenings about California's drought, was ranked #1 in content excellence of the top 50 water news outlets, was featured by the White House Climate Data Initiative,

In 2016, it produced HotSpots H2O, an ongoing series about areas under severe water stress. It also produced an extensive special report about water risks to the global mining industry.

In 2017, it created and produced "Watershed: World Water Day" at the Vatican, opened by Pope Francis.

In 2018, Circle of Blue reporter Brett Walton led an investigation into Legionnaire's Disease, which motivated regulators to change national policy. Another investigation into water affordability and pricing revealed that water shutoffs for poor households was a becoming a significant social justice issue. Deep reporting of groundwater contamination revealed "fear and fury" in communities where groundwater is contaminated.

In 2019, it published a project with the Wilson Quarterly about Jakarta's endangered water supplies. It presented at major international events, including the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in The Hague to the World Economic Forum India Summit. The annual water rates survey was cited widely, including by National Public Radio and the New York Times. With APCO Worldwide, it hosted a series of work sessions, "Designing Water's Future," about new models for journalism and public engagement.

In 2020, Circle of Blue's series, Water: Texas explored consequences of development and constraints on the supply and quality of fresh water in Texas. Circle of Blue partnered with Texas Tribune in publishing the series.

In 2021, the three-part series, WASH Within Reach, reported the global status of universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene through the lens of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the series was republished by the Wilson Center and World Economic Forum.

In 2022, long-from reporting included toxic algae in the Great Lakes, elevated cancer rates in rural Nebraska, and the drought in the American West.

Reception

“To respond to the world’s greatest, most urgent challenges, we need trusted information, clear context, and solutions-focused dialogue. Circle of Blue cuts through the complexities of global development. Through knowledge and informed action, we can make a better future.” Henrik Skovby, founder of Dalberg.

Ian Bremmer, political scientist, wrote: “No one is better positioned to deliver groundbreaking knowledge on the critical resource of global water than Circle of Blue.”

Founder

Circle of Blue’s co-founder, J. Carl Ganter, has been recognized by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, World Economic Forum, and the Clinton Global Initiative for his work on advancing freshwater policy, research and engaging leaders. He served as vice chairman of the Global Agenda Council on Water Security at the World Economic Forum and as a member of the Forum’s Global Future Council on the Environment and New Vision for Agriculture. Carl received the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award for developing Circle of Blue’s cumulative global impact model that informed the shift of billions of energy investment dollars in China. He has produced major events, including Watershed at the Vatican, opened by Pope Francis, and participated in management roles in some of the largest publishing events in history. Carl earned his Masters in Journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University after graduating with honors from the University’s American Studies Program. He is a frequent speaker and moderator, including for the World Economic Forum, Wilson Center, Aspen Institute Ideas Festival, Villars Institute, and other university and diplomatic organizations. He was also a photojournalist who has covered front-line water and health stories for Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, and National Geographic Magazine. He is a Microsoft Entrepreneur for Positive Impact and a fellow of the Explorers Club of New York, recognized for his field exploration with the U.S. Deep Caving Team and contribution to understanding of the world’s surface and underground water supplies.