The Water In WNC film series consists of two short animated films that illustrate for citizens and decision-makers some key concepts behind pressing water issues facing our region. The films were commissioned by RENCI at UNC Asheville and UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC). UNC Asheville’s NEMAC is an applied research group that collaborates with academic institutions, governmental agencies, and local businesses. With funding from The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), NEMAC assembled an Asheville-based team of animators and storytellers to create the educational films. The creative team currently includes The Elumenati, a design and engineering firm and creators of the immersive theater environment known as the GeoDome; KleinDigital, a computer animation firm; and NutGraf Productions, science communicators and content developers. The films include:

* “Water in Western North Carolina: Impact of Impervious Surfaces on the Mountain Watershed,” a four-minute film showing how the region is impacted when humans come between land and the water
* “Water in WNC: The Power Connection,” an approximately six-minute film that sheds light on the little-known link between water resources and thermoelectric plants

The films have screened at the International Symposium on Digital Earth (2006), the Appalachian Regional Development Institute Leadership Summit (2008), the Tennessee Valley Corridor Southeast Partnership Event (2008), NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (2007), the Buckminster Fuller Institute (2008), the Social Capital Markets Conference (2008), and the Bioneers Conference (2008), and the HeadWaters Gathering (2009).