Spotlight on our Water Crisis

March 23rd, 2010

In honor of World Water Day, March 22, it’s important for us to remember some important facts about water. In this country we tend to think we all have access to clean drinking water…but it’s not true–10% do not. Also, by 2030, the UN estimates that two-thirds of the world will not have access to clean drinking water. Many poor communities have to spend their limited funds on bottled water, which is a huge shame. Here in America, it’s up to all of us to treat our water usage as a precious resource and not needlessly waste water. We need to support and encourage our municipalities to clean up our water supplies so that all Americans has access to clean water.

This week, there is a lot of buzz about our water crisis and what we can do about it. One major thing we all can do is give up buying disposable water bottles. Only about 10% are recycled; the rest end up polluting our oceans. Plastics never bio-degrade; they just break up into tiny pieces that fish eventually mistake for plankton and eat. A new documentary worth checking out is Tapped (http://www.tappedthefilm.com/) about our water crisis. It also encourages all of us to stop using disposable water bottles. Reduce WaterWeek reusable water bottles were created for this exact reason-to make it easy to ditch the disposables.

The movie follows the water bottle industry and the problems and pitfalls associated with the privatization of this natural resource.

Another water-related cause is from UNICEF. The Tap Project, unites restaurants in the quest to raise money and awareness of clean water issues. During this week, member restaurants will charge $1 for tap water, with all funds going to UNICEF to provide lifesaving water and sanitation around the world. Go out to eat; spend and extra buck, and help provide water around the world. Visit http://www.tapproject.org/restaurants/ for more info.

And National Geographic is offering a free downloadable magazine called “Water: Our Thirsty World” (http://www.natgeofreshwater.com/?of=500204105&bd=1) this week. It highlights the challenges facing our most essential natural resource, water.

World Water Day, part of World Water Week, shines the spotlight on our water crisis, hopefully enough so that our behaviors change, not just for a day or week, but forever.

Ken Kreafle, CEO of Base Brands

Entry Filed under: Blog,Carbon Footprint,Go Green