Something in the Water | Water Sommelier & Sustainability

NEW Podcast: Oceanography (Trailer)

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:00:00 GMT

New from the Producers of Something in the Water

Pine Forest Media presents Oceanography, a new weekly podcast hosted by science communicator Clark Marchese. This series explores the science, activism, and global cooperation at the heart of ocean conservation.

Each episode features voices from across the marine world—scientists, Indigenous leaders, policymakers, and grassroots advocates—working to protect ocean life and understand the impact of a changing planet.

Topics include how whales use sound to communicate, bioluminescent life in the deep sea, innovations in sustainable fishing, and the politics of global marine treaties.

If you liked the balance of science and storytelling in Something in the Water, you’ll love Oceanography.

🎧 Listen to the trailer now and follow the show for new episodes starting July 29.

🌊 Subscribe to Oceanography on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream.

🌐 More at pineforestpods.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Future of Fine Water: Aquaminerology and Experience

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 05:35:23 GMT

Fine water begins with knowing what you drink. In the series finale, Dr. Elena Berg speaks with Jan Bender, the small water farmer behind Denmark’s Iskilde, and water sommelier Michael Tanousis of Aqua Amore. Jan reflects on source stewardship, the challenges facing independent producers, and how water experiences can help people value a resource they often take for granted. Michael explains the differences among table water, spring water, and natural mineral water, how to interpret mineral information on a label, and how minerals shape texture and taste. He also introduces aquaminerology, his developing system for a clearer and more consistent language of water tasting. The episode closes the ten-part journey with practical consumer guidance and reflections on the future of fine water.

Episode Guests: Jan Bender and Michael Tanousis

More information about Iskilde here

More information about Aqua Amore here

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Water Privatization: Who Should Control Our Water?

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 05:24:03 GMT

Who should control the water flowing from our taps? Dr. Elena Berg joins Dr. Oleg Kobtzeff to examine water privatization and the competing cases for public and private water systems. They consider whether pricing can encourage water conservation, whether specialized companies maintain infrastructure more efficiently, and how corporate power, political influence, corruption, and profit can threaten water access and democratic accountability. Examples from Mexico City, Bolivia, France, and other water systems show why neither model produces simple outcomes. The episode offers a clear introduction to water management as a political question, revealing how decisions about ownership shape cost, infrastructure, resource use, and the public’s relationship with an essential resource.

Episode Guest: Dr. Oleg Kobtzeff

More information about Dr. Kobtzeff here

Dr. Kobtzeff’s website here

More information about Mexico City Case Study

More information about Bolivia Case Study

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tap Water: Addressing Public Distrust

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 05:03:15 GMT

Trust determines whether people drink tap water. Dr. Elena Berg and political scientist Dr. Jale Tosun examine why people accept or avoid the tap even when drinking water quality meets established standards. Using Flint and other American water failures as context, the episode explains how race, class, socialization, health beliefs, taste, and lived experience shape public perception and water safety concerns. The conversation contrasts American skepticism with greater confidence in several European countries and considers how governments can make reliable information and tap water more accessible. The episode explores how public trust is earned, how institutional failures become environmental justice issues, and why confidence in safe tap water matters for sustainability.

Episode Guest: Dr. Jale Tosun

More information about Dr. Tosun here

Browse Dr. Tosun’s publications on Research Gate

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Austrian Oasis: Mineral Water and Stewardship

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 05:33:09 GMT

Water abundance still requires active stewardship. Dr. Elena Berg meets Denise and Rainer Hofmeister of Wossa, a family-run Austrian natural mineral water brand. Their hand-bottled water comes from a high-altitude marble spring on a centuries-old farm in Carinthia and has an unusually low mineral content. Against the backdrop of one of the world’s most water-wealthy countries, the episode explores how access to springs, wells, and reliable municipal water contributes to health and well-being. Denise and Rainer discuss Wossa’s origins, the taste of their spring water, and why water sustainability and education still matter when clean water feels effortless. Their story shows that water abundance is a privilege that still requires appreciation, resource protection, and long-term stewardship.

Episode Guests: Denise and Rainer Hofmeister

Find more information about Wossa here.

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building a Mineral Water Brand in the Australian Outback

Fri, 31 May 2024 05:04:27 GMT

A remarkable spring does not guarantee a water brand. Dr. Elena Berg speaks in Paris with musician Josef Salvat about the natural mineral water found on his mother’s working farm in the Australian outback. Their conversation examines Australian water rights, the history of profiting from water, the symbolism of bottled water, and the practical difficulty of building a fine water business across vast distances. Josef discusses packaging choices, transport costs, regulation, and the ethics of selling an essential resource as a premium experience. By the end, Elena explains that the project has been placed on hold because bottling and distribution remain costly and because they are still considering whether the water should be extracted at all. It is a candid study of water sustainability and the limits of ethical entrepreneurship.

Episode Guest: Josef Salvat

Follow Josef Salvat on Instagram.

Listen to Josef Salvat’s Music

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Water Storytelling in South Africa: Giving Water Value

Fri, 24 May 2024 05:05:08 GMT

Fine water storytelling can expose inequality. Dr. Elena Berg speaks with South African water sommelier Candice Jansen about using restaurant water menus and digital media to help people understand water source, minerals, and taste. The episode places Candice’s work within South Africa’s unequal water landscape, from Cape Town’s Day Zero crisis to the lasting effects of apartheid on infrastructure and rural water access. Together, Elena and Candice explore how water storytelling can give water greater value while opening conversations about environmental justice, public trust, and the people still denied reliable access. Fine water gastronomy is not presented as the solution to water inequality, but as one possible gateway to greater water literacy and awareness.

Episode Guest: Candice Jansen

Find more information about Candice Jansen here.

Follow Candice Jansen on Instagram and TikTok.

Sample water menus here

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aava in India: Alkaline Spring Water and Sustainability

Fri, 17 May 2024 05:21:14 GMT

Water sustainability looks different in India. Dr. Elena Berg speaks with water sommelier Avanti Mehta about Aava, her family’s naturally alkaline mineral water, whose source was traced to the ancient Aravalli Range. Avanti explains how water access and public trust shape India’s reliance on bottled water, and why local waste systems make PET recycling a more complex choice than it might appear from Europe. She also describes Aava’s recyclable packaging, producer-responsibility requirements, and returnable 20-liter household containers. Rather than claiming that any bottled product is fully sustainable, the conversation shows how infrastructure, regulation, access, and geography determine what responsible water production can look like in a particular context.

Episode Guest: Avanti Mehta

Find more information about Avanti Mehta here.

More information about Aava here.

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Premium Water from a Pub: Crag Spring Water

Fri, 10 May 2024 05:00:49 GMT

A failing pub was hiding remarkable spring water. Dr. Elena Berg meets Doran Binder, founder of Crag, a premium mineral water company built around a source beneath his pub in England’s Peak District. Doran explains how an accidental discovery became a business centered on hydration, local distribution, subscriptions, and reusable glass bottles. The episode also examines the limits of that model. Glass requires substantial energy to produce and transport, bottle-return systems depend on customer participation, and growth can complicate a company’s water sustainability goals. This is a grounded look at spring water quality, environmental stewardship, and what a small producer can and cannot solve within the bottled water industry.

Episode Guest: Doran Binder

Find more information about Doran Binder here

Follow Doran on Instagram and TikTok

More information about Crag here

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bottled Water and Plastic Pollution: The Elephant in the Room

Fri, 03 May 2024 05:00:26 GMT

Bottled water has a far-reaching plastic problem. Dr. Elena Berg examines why the water bottle became a symbol of plastic pollution, while making clear that bottled water is only one part of a much larger system. Anti-plastic activist Malia Elder connects plastic production, consumption, and waste to environmental racism and the unequal burdens carried by different communities. Plastics researcher Dr. Sherri Mason explains how microplastics enter bottled and tap water, what her drinking water research found, and why filters or individual consumer choices cannot solve the problem alone. Together, the conversations connect water, plastic pollution, and environmental justice without using fear or treating one industry as the sole culprit.

Episode Guests: Dr. Sherri Mason and Malia Elder

Find more information about Dr. Mason here and browse her publications on Research Gate.

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Is a Water Sommelier? Inside the Fine Water Society

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 05:00:52 GMT

Not all water is the same, and taste proves it. In the opening episode of Something in the Water, environmental scientist and water sommelier Dr. Elena Berg meets Michael Mascha, founder of the Fine Water Society. They explain how minerals, carbonation, and source shape taste, what professional water tasting involves, and how natural mineral water became part of modern table culture. Michael traces his journey from wine to fine water and describes the growing community of water sommeliers and independent producers. The conversation also introduces a question that runs throughout the series: can a deeper understanding of water help people value its sources, examine the environmental costs of bottling, and protect drinking water more thoughtfully?

Episode Guest: Michael Mascha

Find more information about Michael Mascha and the Fine Water Society here.

Water menu comedy sketch here

More information about the episode and Something in the Water here.

Episode transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website

Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted by Elena Berg

Written and produced by Elena Berg and Clark Marchese

Audio Editing by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Sarah Glavan

Theme Music by Josef Salvat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something in the Water Trailer

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 16:39:21 GMT

Hosted by water sommelier and environmental scientist, Elena Berg, Something in the Water is a 10-part mini-series that introduces the fine water industry, investigates the drinking water landscapes in countries around the world and unpacks the complex relationship between bottled water and sustainability. Something in the Water is a Pine Forest Media production and more information can be found on the Pine Forest Media website or on Instagram @pineforestmedia.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.