The Water Collaborative

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

🌊 The second annual NOLA Water Summit is coming to the Dew Drop Inn September 17–18!

Under this year’s theme, KEEP YA HEAD UP, The Water Collaborative is bringing together journalists, artists, policymakers, advocates, scientists, community leaders, and culture bearers for two days of conversations about how we continue to live and thrive with water.

Our lineup includes keynote conversations with Emmy Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Michelle Miller and Louisiana State Senator Royce Duplessis, plus discussions on media and policy change, water quality, energy, housing, infrastructure, art, culture, and the challenges shaping the future of New Orleans and Louisiana.

Thursday night, we’re turning up the volume with the return of Dance & Dissent, featuring Antwigadee, because joy, music, culture, and community belong in conversations about our collective future, too.

We’ll close out the Summit with the NOLA Water Gala, celebrating the people who have helped our city reimagine its relationship with water.

📅 September 17–18, 2026
📍 Dew Drop Inn
🌊 NOLA Water Summit: FREE
🪩 Dance & Dissent: FREE

Swipe through for a look at the lineup and register at nolawater.org.

KEEP YA HEAD UP, NEW ORLEANS. 💚

09/01/2026

We’re back from the 2026 PolicyLink Summit and bringing the energy home with us. 💧✨

This year’s theme, “We Are the Founders: Writing the Unfinished Story of Our Democracy,” challenged us to think about the future we’re building and who gets to help shape it.

For The Water Collaborative, that means continuing to build a future where water justice, climate resilience, equity, and community power are at the center of the decisions that impact our lives.

We spent the week learning, connecting, celebrating, and dreaming alongside advocates and changemakers from across the country. Now we’re bringing those lessons back home to Louisiana and getting back to work.

Thank you, PolicyLink for an unforgettable week! 💙

08/31/2026

Happy birthday to Jessica Dandridge-Smith, our Executive Director! Her commitment to equity and community has been the driving force behind so much of our work. Thank you for everything you do, Jessica. Wishing you a wonderful day!

08/28/2026

For those of us who call Greater New Orleans home, Katrina isn't just history. It's still part of our story. Swipe through to learn about the Anniversary Effect and how climate trauma shows up long after the storm has passed. Tag someone in the comments who's still rebuilding, in the city or in themselves. We see you.

08/26/2026

The NOLA Water Summit is back and we are so ready.

September 17th and 18th at the Dew Drop Inn. Two days. One theme: Keep Ya Head Up. Policy Day. Dance and Dissent. A community water altar. The Water Gala with Legacy Awards. And so many surprises.

Most events are free. Water Gala tickets are $55. RSVP and share this with your people. https://ow.ly/bEeB50ZFV5V

08/18/2026

Some recognition that means a lot to us: our Executive Director Jessica Dandridge-Smith has been featured in Global Leaders Views Magazine as one of “The Fearless Five: Global Climate Leaders 2026.”

If you’ve worked with Jessica, none of this will surprise you. She’s spent years insisting that the families living through flooding, heat, and storms should be the ones shaping the solutions, not just the ones impacted by them. That’s the approach she brings to the Water Collaborative, and it’s why our work looks the way it does.

Check out the full article: https://ow.ly/zlNp50ZAcf3

08/17/2026

Every New Orleanian has a water story.

A flood they remember. A water bill they questioned. A neighborhood they watched struggle with infrastructure that never seemed to get fixed. A moment when they wondered whether the people making decisions about water in this city were making them with communities like theirs in mind.

In this video, a native New Orleanian shares his story and why he believes the Water Justice New Orleans campaign can help create the change this city has needed for a long time.

His experience is familiar. His hope is real. And his call to action is one we are proud to echo.

Learn more about Water Justice New Orleans and get involved today. Share this video so more people in our community can hear this message and join the movement. https://ow.ly/FNgP50Zvem4

08/14/2026

Dehydrated? Summer might not be the culprit. Your venti and your value meal, on the other hand… This Don’t Water It Down clip might make you think again about that bag of pretzels. https://ow.ly/SOPZ50Zvetq

08/12/2026

Our 2026 Louisiana Legislative Session Webinar is almost here. Join us as we touch on everything we care about: our water, our neighborhoods, and our energy future with experts covering governance, preservation, energy, and environmental policy. Get your questions ready and RSVP today. https://ow.ly/8j7x50ZyC2e