Social Impacts
Do you share our values?
-- improving science communication and education, especially about water
-- providing and protecting clean water (now and for the future),
-- involving young people in protecting water and wilderness, and
-- supporting personal well-being and healthy relationships.
Why do we care about clean water?
Most people enjoy being in and around water. Many of us have had access to clean drinking water and to wild rivers and lakes all our lives.
But not everyone does.
The dramatic stories of water pollution in the early 1970s led me to become a hydrogeologist. (see this blog post for the story)
Here's what I've done to improve water quality
As a hydrogeologist in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
I worked to prevent landfills from contaminating groundwater
and to minimize environmental impacts from
healthcare wastes, mercury and pharmaceuticals.
But I came to realize that collaboration is essential for
preventing water contamination and improving public health.
So I started this business to help professionals in science,
healthcare and public health collaborate more effectively.
In addition, I donate time and money to organizations
listed below because they improve water quality,
involve young people in protecting water and/or provide clean water
to people who don't have access to it.
Friends of Lily Lake
Lily Lake is a small urban lake in my neighborhood that was on Minnesota's list of impaired waters. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Lily Lake and others, such as the Adopt-a-Drain program, Lily Lake was removed from the impaired waters list in 2023.
I serve as the secretary of the Friends' Board of Directors. During the pandemic, I co-led a community engagement process to identify ways to improve the lake and its park. Read about it in my blog or on the FLL website.
Green Business Directory
The Stillwater Green Business Directory evaluates and promotes local green businesses. Read my Green Business scorecard. I have led networking events for this group's parent organization, Sustainable Stillwater.
Wild Rivers Conservancy
Wild Rivers Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. It exists to inspire stewardship to forever ensure the rare ecological integrity of the St.Croix and Namekagon Riverway. It offers a summer internship program.
Freshwater
Freshwater inspires and empowers Minnesotans to value and preserve water and uses science to engage communities around water quality.
As one of Freshwater's Minnesota Water Stewards, I volunteer on water-related projects. For example, in 2023, I nurtured over 50 tree seedlings in a gravel bed and gave them away to be planted in the Lily Lake watershed.
American Institute of Professional Geologists
The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) provides scholarships and learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and for K-12 students. Donate to AIPG's scholarship funds.
I initiated AIPG's Geologic Networking Online events and serve on its Early Career Professionals committee. In 2026, I received a President's Certificate of Merit for promoting networking for students and early career professionals.
Matt Gear BWCA fund
Boundary Waters canoe trips had helped my son, Matt Gear (the tall boy in the center of the photo), to appreciate clean water and teamwork. Matt died in a car accident in 2003.
I co-founded the Matt Gear Boundary Waters Canoe Area fund to enable youth to experience the wilderness. Contact me if you'd like to donate to this fund or know of a young person who would benefit from going on such a trip.
Haiti Allies and Haiti Creates
Haiti Allies helps empower Haitians through education, meal programs, adult literacy, and job creation in City Soliel, an impoverished shanty town on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Donate to Haiti Allies here. $50 can provide clean water for the students of the school for a week.
Haiti Creates is a small factory owned and run by Haitians that employs the parents of students in Haiti Allies' school. Buy Haiti Creates products made from discarded plastic water pouches that would otherwise wash out to sea. Nine million of these pouches are used in Port-au-Prince daily.
Water for Good
Water for Good serves vulnerable people living in extreme poverty by providing access to reliable water, sanitation, and hygiene. When combined, these practices can nearly eliminate waterborne diseases and water-related deaths. Find out how you can get involved.