Defining the new paradigm
Circle of Blue is an international network of journalists, scholars and citizens that connects humanity to the global freshwater crisis.
A project of the non-profit Pacific Institute, America's premier water policy think tank, Circle of Blue pioneers communications and information technology with a new model for moving vital issues into the mainstream. It inspires and informs decision making with original reporting, dynamic data spaces and engaging social media.
Circle of Blue convenes people around the world, inviting the public and policy makers to seize the defining challenge of our time: our diminishing supply of fresh, clean water.
Circle of Blue inspires and enables a finer future for a world threatened by the growing freshwater crisis. Fluent in many disciplines, Circle of Blue unites the integrity of journalism and scholarship with the versatility of information technologies and the vitality of the exploding communications culture. Circle of Blue summons humanity's signature strengths - precision of mind and passion of heart - to transform the century's defining challenge into one of its greatest achievements.
Journalism & Scholarship
Successful water action depends on a comprehensive and honest assessment of humanity's current relationship with water. Journalism has a unique role in society: to report, without fear or favor, providing objective awareness for making effective decisions. Journalism works ways that interest and involve the public, through stories, images and information that make large, subtle or complex issues immediate, personal and relevant. If journalism's role is to raise awareness of issues by enriching the mind and touching the heart, scholarship is the underpinning of that process. Scholarship is the essential element for a fair and efficient understanding of the world's water situation.
Information Technology
Information flows in many ways and has grown exponentially in its scope and versatility thanks to numerous breakthrough technologies. Via journalism and scholarship, information evokes awareness of problems and resources for pursuing solutions. Through data management, human knowledge becomes more accessible, understandable and accurate. It becomes readily available and adaptable for addressing the challenges of social change.
Communications/Social Media
Communication technology and social media provide the fertile medium in which journalism and information thrive. They encompass all the ways and places that human beings share ideas, from the electronic frontier to the classic arts, from the classroom to the gym. A true social movement is fluent in every aspect of the human dialog with a healthy network of broadcast and interpersonal connections. This enhances awareness, maximizes information and links efforts, establishing a lasting cultural consciousness.
Circle of Blue is a non-profit affiliate of the Pacific Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think-tank based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1987, the Institute provides independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment and security. The Institute conducts research, publishes reports, recommends solutions and works with decision-makers, business leaders, advocacy groups and the public to change policy. Circle of Blue was founded in 2002.
