What we don't see
Some of us stop thinking about water after it goes down the drain. But it goes somewhere. Under our cities, hidden rivers carry away the waste of daily life. Explore the depths of these unseen connections.
Inside the Story
Some of us stop thinking about water after it goes down the drain. But it goes somewhere. Under our cities, hidden rivers carry away the waste of daily life. Explore the depths of these unseen connections.
What we use
70 percent of our planet is covered with water, yet less than one percent of that is water we can drink. Our lives are tied to water, yet we are generally unconscious of our impact on the resource that gives us life.
Inside the Story
What we risk
We are conditioned to depend on light when it's dark, heat when it's cold and power when we plug in. Half of the freshwater in the U.S. is used in energy production, including coal, nuclear and natural gas. We stake the quality of our water for our way of life.
Inside the Story
What we pay
More than food and shelter, oil and gas, water is our most basic need. In the United States, water comes cheap. But its value is best discovered by those without it.
Inside the Story
What we sense
Water is wonderful. It falls free from the sky smelling like heaven and washes away filth — and it can taste so good.
Inside the Story
How we live
We are water creatures. Our bodies develop in water, and we live every day — moment to moment — powered by water. Water is life, and our search for life on our planet and beyond continues to be a search for water. It defines and sustains us, from birth to death.
Inside the Story
Our mission
Water is the source of all life and the cause of much death. Yet we are generally unconscious of our dependence on it. Through innovative and evocative storytelling, Powering a Nation examines our complex relationship with this nurturing resource and the perpetual cycle of water on our planet.
To get our perspective, read our staff editorial:
