Today is Blog Action Day 2010! Once a year on October 15, bloggers from around the world come together to write about a specific topic. Two years ago it was Poverty. Last year it was Climate Change. And this year, it is… [drum roll]:
WATER!
In the spirit of simplicity, I am going to reuse parts of a blog post I wrote earlier in the spring, because it’s just that good (kidding – I just love reusing stuff)!
There is no doubt about the fact that if we continue wasting (and destroying) water like we do and the population growth continues at the projected rate, we will have a water crisis on our hands. Some researchers say that by the year 2050, billions of people will experience water shortages which will lead to wars over water rather than oil.
However, right now, there is still clean water available, but people don’t have the means to access it or they have to walk many miles to get it. In fact, African women walk over 40 billion hours each year to gather water. That is a lot of energy that could be channeled into money-making activities like weaving, cooking, or basket making.
Wells need to be dug, river water pumped, and rainwater harvested.
There are plenty of organizations out there doing something about it. You can help by making a donation, volunteering, or spreading the word about the water crisis.
Here are a few clean water organizations I’ve found (please do your own research before you decide to make a donation):
Of course, you can also help the general problem of a diminishing water supply by conserving water every day:
- Don’t run the water while you brush your teeth
- Do laundry less frequently
- Only run your dishwasher when it’s full
- Take shorter showers and/or turn off water while lathering
- Don’t water your lawn
- For the overachievers: save rainwater for use in your garden
The folks over at Earthship Biotecture have some cool solutions for harvesting rainwater and making it your only source of water (if you happen to live in an “Earthship”). Check it out!
I know there is disagreement about access to clean water being a basic human right. I think this is mostly due to selfishness. Seems like a no-brainer to me… Safe water is definitely on the list of things of which everybody should have enough.
Like what you read? Pass on the goodness!
[…] included a mention of this organization in my post for Blog Action Day 2010 called “Enough Water for Everyone,” but I had kind of forgotten about […]