Defining the new paradigm

Circle of Blue is the international network of leading journalists, scientists and communications designers that reports and presents the information necessary to respond to the global freshwater crisis. It is a nonprofit affiliate of the internationally recognized water, climate and policy think tank, the Pacific Institute.

Circle of Blue also publishes WaterNews, the daily go-to source for global water news and data.

Circle of Blue makes the complexities of the global freshwater crisis relevant and personal. Circle of Blue reports and collects information and data, and presents it in coherent, accessible and connected forms. Circle of Blue provides a highly visible forum for response, and through communications design, extends awareness into action. In most cases, the solutions to solve the global freshwater crisis exist. What's lacking is the awareness and will to respond.

Circle of Blue approaches the freshwater crisis with three coordinated, interrelated components: front-line journalism, existing and new science and data, and innovative communications design. Capturing the human heart through storytelling, making water issues personal and relevant, providing a hub for data visualization, aggregation, and integration, while creating a social campaign for people to connect to and respond to the global freshwater crisis, Circle of Blue applies the best tools of the 21st century to transcend traditional bounds and raise awareness around water.

Journalism

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 in ways that interest and involve the public, through stories, images and information that make large, subtle or complex issues immediate, personal and relevant.

Data & Science

Circle of Blue stories have a human face and recognize that urgent problems of environmental, regional and global poverty, sustainable development and political conflict are all fundamentally interrelated. National and international data are collected, compiled and consistently contribute relevant story materials through clear, objective data and analysis.

Communications Design

Communications design and social media provide fertile mediums in which journalism and information thrive. Communications design influences how people think. It encompasses 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.