Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lakeland

CynthiaBarnett, an award-winning reporter and editor at newspapers andmagazines for twenty-five years, will speak on "Blue is the NewGreen: Water Sustainability and the Future of Florida."

Sheis senior writer at Florida Trend magazine, whereshe covers investigative, environmental, public policy and businessstories. Her numerous awards include a national Sigma Delta Chi prizefor investigative magazine reporting; a gold medal for bestnonfiction in the Florida Book Awards; and eight Green Eyeshades,which recognize outstanding journalism in 11 southeasternstates.

Ms. Barnett earned a bachelor’s degree in journalismand master's in American history with a specialization inenvironmental history, both from the University of Florida. In 2004,she was awarded a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University ofMichigan, where she spent a year studying freshwater supply.

Herfirst book, Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of theEastern U.S., published in 2007 by the University of MichiganPress, was named by The St. Petersburg Times as oneof the top 10 books that every Floridian should read. "In thedays before the Internet," theTimes said in areview, "books like Rachel Carson’sSilent Spring andMarjory Stoneman Douglas’ River of Grass weregroundbreaking calls to action that made citizens and politicianstake notice. Mirage is such a book."

Hersecond book, Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's WaterCrisis, will be available from Beacon Press in September2011.