The Water-Culture Institute undertakes carefully targetted initiatives and projects where we can make a difference through the application of a values perspective. As a small organization, we typicaly work with partners who bring specific expertise to our joint efforts. Our current activities are grouped around three Initiatives:
1. Rio Grande Governance Initiative. The diverse stakeholders who rely on a healthy river have no systematic institutional avenue for expressing their interests concerning river management. The Institute is part of a basin-wide coalition of civic groups exploring options for river democracy.
2. Valuing Agriculture Initiative. As the major user of freshwater, agricultural decisions are also water decisions. What are the values being expressed in agriculture? This initiative applies a values perspective to agriculture in two diverse contexts, northern New Mexico and eastern India.
3. Water Ethics Network. The growing interest in values and ethics related to water policies cuts across many academic disciplines and entails diverse sets of stakeholders from religious groups to enviornmental advocates to Indigenous leaders. The Water Ethics Network seeks to stimulate debate and collaborative action among this growing set of interested parties.