What is Water? – Details, episodes & analysis

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What is Water?

Nancy Smith

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/105d. Total Eps: 9

Welcome to the What is Water? Podcast! Allowing you to see water for the first time. We will broaden ideas and knowledge of water by pulling apart its role in everyday life. What is water’s role in the food that you eat, the clothes you wear, conflict, developing the cities you love, religion spritulaity, climate change, and why do you pay water bills for in the first place? Water is so much more than you think. Lead researcher, producer, editor: Nancy Smith Content adviser: Paul O'Callaghan (S2 EP1&2 only) Sound design and engineering: Howie Fiddy (S2 only)

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🇨🇦 Canada - socialSciences
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20/06/2026
#82
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22/09/2025
#68
🇩🇪 Germany - socialSciences
21/09/2025
#41

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Brave Blue World: What is Water? Gender: setting trends & bridging gaps

Season 2 · Episode 2

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 • Duration 39:01

The UK water sector is facing a gender crisis. There are not enough women working in the sector, and those that are, are typecast into specific roles.

In 2019, 29.1% of workers in the UK water sector were female, compared to 47.3% in the UK overall. Only 13.8% are managers, directors or senior officials compared to 35.7% in the UK workforce overall. Most women, 76.3% of them, find themselves working in admin and secretarial occupations.

Nevertheless, the aim of this episode is not to point the finger. The water sector knows there is a problem and that there has been a problem for a while. Inequitable and unequal distribution of female workers in the water sector also goes hand-in-hand with the skills gaps and the challenge of an ageing workforce.

The sector can no longer hope to fill these gaps through one half of the population alone. Changes must be made now so that women can get in, stay in, and go far: in all roles within the sector.

In this episode will speak to three women who are already setting trends and working hard to bridge the gaps the sector presents. You will hear their stories and discover which changes can, and should be made, to work towards greater equity and equality. Many of which are already being implemented with success.

If you’re a woman working in the UK water sector, this episode is dedicated to you.

And if you’re a decision maker in your organisation, then listen up!

Featuring:

Kathryn Pharr: Founder, Community of Women in Water

Natasha Wiseman: CEO, WiseOnWater

Nicci Russell: Founder and Managing Director, Waterwise

Show notes:

World Bank Report: Water in water utilities, breaking barriers

Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership: Water industry profile

Invisible Women: Data bias in a world designed for men by Caroline Criado Perez

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Brave Blue World: What is Water? Religious meaning & spiritual connections

Season 2 · Episode 1

Monday, May 30, 2022 • Duration 46:34

How does water make you feel?

People are connected to water to various degrees. Whether you feel connection because it keeps you alive day-to-day or whether it’s something more. Think about it, when you’re a kid and you see the sea for the first time on holiday, what feelings do you remember? When you can’t sleep, what noises do you listen to? Rain, waves, whales? Even before we’re born, when we’re in our mothers' bellies we grow, protected by a safe watery base of the amniotic fluid.

So how can we attempt to try and address this topic of how and why people are connected to water? How far back and how wide dare we go?

We’re opening some doors and peeking into two fundamental topics: religious meaning and spiritual connections.

Through the most popular religions of the world, indigenous cultures, ancient mythologies, water as healing, the zodiac signs, and reading the clues nature provides, welcome to Series 2 Episode 1 of the Brave Blue World: What is Water? Podcast

Research, produced, and presented by Nancy Smith of What is Water?

Assistant producer and content advisor Paul O’Callaghan of Brave Blue World Foundation

Editing and sound design by Howie Fiddy as a production for THAT Media & Design

Show notes

Manchán Magan: Almanac of Ireland

Sophia Michalopoulou: Water Happy

What is water? America : land of the free, home of the water crisis

Season 1 · Episode 8

Monday, January 31, 2022 • Duration 45:48

America is meant to be the country where dreams come true. One of the richest countries in the world where countless innovations, systems, ways of living, and working have been invented and replicated the world over.

Nevertheless, we all know that America has deep rooted flaws. But one of them might not be what you think.

In many cities in America there is a problem with drinking water, with sewer systems, with water management, and water governance.

America has a water crisis.

Episode notes (in order of appearence):

Circle of Blue

A 2021 Guardian investigation with Consumer Reports took 120 drinking water samples from all over America and found 118 had levels of PFAS or arsenic above recommended maximum levels or detectable traces of lead.

America's water crisis (The Gaurdian)

US Safe Water Drinking Act (1974)

Dark Waters film trailer

The Lawyer Who Became Duponts Worst Nightmare

What is water? Fashion: Between the seams

Season 1 · Episode 7

Tuesday, August 10, 2021 • Duration 46:24

We're highlighting the fast fashion debate and looking at our consumer behaviour. How much is too much? And what damage are we making?

As well as the environmental impacts, there's also a water element through pollution and the sheer amount needed to make, for example, the jeans or T-shirt you're probably wearing right now.

Join us for the last episode of series 1 as Ed and I go between the seams of the fashion industry.

Additional Resources

The problem:

The True Cost (2015 Documentary)
BBC: The Price of Fashion (2019 Documentary)
River Blue (2016 Documentary)
The Life Cycle of a T-shirt (2017 Ted-Ed Animation)
Water Footprint Network
The River Runs Black: Pollution from Bangladesh's Tanneries – in pictures (2015 The Guardian)
Google Earth Engine
Why is the Aral Sea Shrinking? (2019 ThoughtCo)
Thunberg calls out climate impact of fashion brands in Vogue interview (2021, The BBC)

The solution:

Good on you (Fashion sustainability branding website)

What is water? Power & Conflict on the River Nile

Season 1 · Episode 6

Monday, May 10, 2021 • Duration 39:31

Water is power, politics, conflict, and resolution. And it’s a story that plays out all over the world everyday.

Join as we unpack the drama unfolding right now on the River Nile and show you a side of water that you never thought existed.

When water becomes political, who holds the power? Does it matter? And why can’t everyone just get along?

Additional resources:

(N.B. when getting to grips with a water story it's important to find different perspectives from many sources to understand the whole story and make your own conclusions. WiW? tries to provide reliable resources from various perspectives regardless of personal views).

World is One New (WION): Gravitas: Nile Dam talks fail, again (April 2021)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-NK8-2s7ww

Arab News: Egypt, EU discuss Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam crisis (Mar 2021)

https://arab.news/vfqzv

The New Arab: Sudan implies it could take control of contentious Ethiopia dam (Mar 2021)

https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2021/5/2/sudan-implies-it-could-take-control-of-ethiopia-dam

TRT World News: Why is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam so controversial? (Feb 2021)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAI302LwJrA

Journal: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egyptian National Security, and human and food security in the Nile River Basin (Jan 2021)

What is water? The green energy revolution

Season 1 · Episode 5

Monday, February 15, 2021 • Duration 49:43

Green energy is officially here. The status quo is being shaken up and fossil fuel is now more than a dirty word.

Water plays a massive role in this revolution. Hyro-electricity, desalination, hydrogen energy, waste water heating.. These are the things you need to know now but, as always, the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side. Join us as we unpack the science and turn it into solid chat to kick start your 2021.

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What is water? Food security & the moral diet debate

Season 1 · Episode 3

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 • Duration 47:17

We will be exploring the water locked in your favourite food & drinks.

Big news, it takes water to produce it all.....a lot of water and our very choices can have big consequences.

It’s 2020, you’re trying to do the right thing, but when it comes to water, is being a vege, vegan, pesci, flexi or plant based warrior really all it’s cracked up to be?

And can it sometimes do more harm than good?

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What is water? The rise & fall of the city

Season 1 · Episode 2

Tuesday, September 29, 2020 • Duration 58:22

In this episode we will be discovering the role of water in building, developing, and dismantling cities. From historical innovation to “day zero” water crises in the 21st Century. Can water survive the metropolitan booms or is it only bust from here?

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What is water? It's too cheap(?)

Episode 1

Friday, August 28, 2020 • Duration 41:35

The typical household water bill is £415 a year. Is that too little, too much, or just right?

We're taking a dive into the water treatment process and to give you a taste of what your water bills pay for - from source to tap.

We’re also talking to the fabulous Waterwise about what you can do, or not do, to save water day-to-day.

Does the power really lie with us? Or is someone else’s responsibility?

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What is Water? – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

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What is Water? – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other26

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other26

Youtube9

The Guardian4