2012/6.2, June 20 — Surface Reflections, Houston’s Water Wall, Worthy Causes and more

June 20, 2012

WATERSHAPES.COM

ESSENTIAL

Graceful Reflections

The potency of water’s reflective nature is a component of watershaping that all too often is ignored or left to chance, says renowned environmental artist Anthony Archer Wills. considering reflectivity from the outset of a project, he is able to use its brilliance and subtlety to make the experience of viewing water a never-ending source of fascination for his clients.

This article, originally published in February 2007, has been digitized for all readers. Once you click ‘more’ on the next screen, you can zoom in on images to study the craftsmanship in detail. [continue]

VIDEO GALLERY

Digging and More Digging

Some jobs seem so easy: broad access, lots of elbow room, easygoing clients. But experience has taught Randy Beard to expect the unexpected – and to have a good sense of humor about the odd things that sometimes are uncovered in the course of a project. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Texas-Scale Energy

The Williams Waterwall in Houston is another must-see for watershapers, say Jim McCloskey. The architecture is monumental, but even more impressive is the illusion of volume the architects managed to conjure with what is essentially a water-wise design. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

Rallying to a Worthy Cause

News has reached Jim McCloskey about two Rochester, N.Y., landscape firms that have adopted a local vacant lot to create a new public park. It’s a worthy concept, he says, and one whose success he hopes will be the springboard for similar programs nationwide. [more]

IN SEARCH OF SUPPORT…
U.S. WOMEN’S WATER POLO TEAM POSES NAKED TO GAIN EXPOSURE [more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Visual Acceptance

In his June 2002 column, David Tisherman wrote eloquently about the way watershape-related products should look – and we’ve been evaluating them with much more critical eyes ever since. [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

How Much Do Americans Spend
on Swimsuits Each Year?

Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below.

1. According to fortune.cnn.com, how much money do Americans spend on swimsuits annually?

a. $575 million b. $850 million c. $1 billion d. $1.4 billion

2. The latest book by broadcast journalist and author Lynn Sherr — Swim: Why We Love the Water — was published this past April. The book, observes amazon.com, is “a celebration of swimming and the effect it has on our lives.” Sherr has been best known as a correspondent on what national television program?

a. 20/20 b. 60 Minutes c. Frontline d. Nova

3. Blogging on TheHuffingtonPost.com, Marc Yaggi, executive director of the Waterkeeper Alliance, writes, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently estimated that up to _____ people [in America] will become sick after swimming at their favorite beach or swimming hole this year. Despite nearly 40 years of Clean Water Act successes, polluted runoff, sewer overflows, and other human activities are threatening one of our favorite summer pastimes…” Fill in the blank.

a. 925,000 b. 1.75 million c. 3.5 million d. 5.5 million.

To find out how many you got right, click here.