The Wholly H2O Story
Wholly H2O was founded in 2009 with the goal of making sustainable water management legally and functionally accessible across California. Recognizing a need to centralize information surrounding water conservation and green infrastructure (a term that didn’t exist at the time) for decision makers, Wholly H2O created online resources and monthly opportunities to educate state, regional, and local lawmakers and water agencies about innovative approaches to water management.
The Wholly H2O team began by focusing their efforts on promoting green infrastructure and . In meetings with water officials accustomed to conventional systems of water supply and use, Dougherty initiated conversations about graywater, rainwater harvesting, and stormwater abatement. Together with partner organizations, Wholly H2O diligently pushed policies promoting alternative water sources, earning the attention of local and State officials.
In 2015, Wholly H2O expanded the scope of its mission to emphasize that personal knowledge of watershed ecosystems drives water conservation and reuse. Building citizen science, art and continuing green infrastructure into the programming has had the benefit of naturally building strong partnerships with governmental, nongovernmental organizations, and community activists. These partnerships are crucial when operating completely with a volunteer staff that ranges from 5-18 at any given time. Through recent watershed-positive programming, literally thousands of people have learned more about their watershed ecosystems, linking that knowledge to their own water (re)use practices.
Art By Rebecca Haseltine