Living Waters of the Charles

The term ‘living waters’ reflects the diversity, dynamism, and continuity of water, a vital resource that is now being depleted. As glaciers retreat, rivers get damned, springs dry up and groundwater is over-exploited, we need new ways of sharing our shared water wisdom and shaping sustainable water futures for all.  Through this workshop, students will uncover the story of the  ‘Living Waters of the Charles River’, including its tumultuous recent history of pollution, local history of use by Massachusetts tribes, land reclamation and a colonial history that changed both the name and use of its waters.

The Living Waters Museum (LWM) is a virtual platform, established in 2017 and is currently based at the Centre for Water Research at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India. It seeks to engage young scholars to understand, document, and celebrate our water wisdom through the power of storytelling and data visualization through digital technology and new media.  In collaboration with the Living Waters Museum and applying its methodologies of data collection and data visualization, the workshop will aim to document the cultural and current history of the Charles River at Magazine Beach through collaborative workshops, lecture series and field visits with MIT students. This workshop is jointly organized by the MIT Water Club and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

This event is sponsored in part by the MIT Climate Nucleus