2012 Archive
College of Journalism and Communications
at the University of Florida
Featured Stories
Naked Ed: Keeper of Lilly Springs
John Edward “Naked Ed” Watts was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. This disease made it too dangerous for him to work and he was put on government disability. Unable to work, Naked Ed wondered what he would do with his life. The answer came when he canoed down the Santa […]
Weather, Water, and Climate Change
Until recently, Floridians could count on a daily drenching sometime in the afternoon—except during a few cool, dry winter months. Long-time Florida residents note that those predictable daily storms are fewer in number and lighter in intensity. And they tend to be random rather than predictable. Climate change is increasingly affecting weather on a local level, so much so that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently changed the plant hardiness zones for the entire country. Atmospheric conditions, fossil fuel emissions, warming ocean temperatures and local land use may be behind the vanishing afternoon summer showers.
Water Efficient Irrigation
Joe Floyd is one of four co-owners of Abundant Edible Landscapes. From fruit trees to rainwater collection systems, the company provides several services to homeowners who would like to develop their landscape with environmentally conscious features. In this interview, Floyd talks what irrigations systems could cut down your water bill in the long run, why […]
The Future of Building: Inside a Net-Zero Water School
On a grassy tract of land nestled in Lutz, Fla., alternative learning practices have become the norm at Learning Gate Community School. In 2009 Learning Gate was the first public school to be awarded the U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum certification. The school focuses its curriculum on energy and water conservation, and serves as a […]
Water Permits in Profile: The Adena Springs Controversy
A request by Adena Springs Ranch, near Fort McCoy, Fla., to withdraw 13.2 million gallons a day from the Floridan Aquifer is being challenged by hundreds of people in north central Florida. Owners of the 30,000-acre cattle ranch have applied to the St. Johns River Water Management District to pump more water daily than the […]
Agriculture vs. Water: Bottling the Consumptive Question
The fact that water bottlers in Florida get free access to water they package and sell — and therefore make 100 percent profit on the materials — is often a sticking point for conservationists. While giving away water bottling rights in a state expecting water shortages may seem to be the perfect illustration of bad […]
