Posted 05/01/08 by Ryan Morris
The other day, Razoo'er Roshani Kothari notified me about a post on the growing global food crisis. The increasing number of food riots in Africa and Asia along with a dramatic rise in food prices have elevated the exposure of this international problem.
According to the post Roshani directed me towards, "The United Nations said this week that 100 million people are now urgently at risk of not having enough food to eat -- and that includes people on every continent of the world."
Photo Source: wmnet.org.uk
Sounds pretty scary, huh? Luckily, there are things you can do to help fight this problem. Check out the OneWorld group on Razoo so that you can educate yourself, spread awareness, and donate time or your expertise.
Posted 04/22/08 by Ryan Morris
It is estimated that Americans toss almost 38 billion water bottles in the trash every year. To combat this environental waste, Brita and Nalgene teamed up to create the FilterForGood campaign.
Gauging it's success by the number of disposable water bottles saved from ending up in a landfill, the program requires participants to pledge to reduce bottled water waste by using a reusable water bottle (Nalgene, encouraged) or filtered water (this is where Brita's pitchers and faucet mount filters come in.)
I'm so excited about this campaign I signed the pledge and am in the process of making sure everyone in the office has a reusable water bottle. You can get involved by taking the pledge and joining the cause on Razoo today.
To see how many water bottles have been saved, you can view a really cool interactive map on the campaign Web site. So go on, take the pledge, help the planet and enjoy a greener, healthier earth.
Happy Earth Day!
Posted 03/26/08 by Jenn Fraher
We're coming to the end of March, when we've been focusing on different water issues across the course of the month. There are many more aspects of the water problem that we could examine, from water management and its impact on the environment (such as in the Grand Canyon) to water shortages and droughts in cities around the world and controversial techniques to recover water from the ocean. A question that rises above all of these individual aspects of the problem though, is whether an individual can make a difference.
When faced with a problem like the a shortage of usable water and the numerous nuances of the problem, I'm easily overwhelmed. We're taught in school (and in turn teach the kids around us) to shut off the water when we're brushing out teeth, and we avoid watering our grass, at least during the day. Still, do these small actions really have an impact?
As I think about this question, I'm inspired by a book that I recently read that recounts the life of John Snow. While his name isn't widely known, his actions in relation to waterborne diseases have had a significant impact on thousands of lives.
John Snow was a physician who lived in London during the early and mid 1800s. At that time, cholera was a disease that frequently devastated India, Russia, and many countries in Europe, including the U.K. London in particular was affected by outbreaks of the disease. Many physicians blamed the outbreaks of the disease on "miasmas" or poisonous gases caused by rotting organic matter. Snow, however, believed that the disease was caused by microscopic organisms (although he couldn't identify them). As the outbreaks continued in London, Snow began a methodical study of the city's different water supplies to confirm his hypothesis that people were being made sick because of water that had been contaminated by waste. By mapping the path of the disease and correlating that map to each house's water source, Snow was able to prove a correlation between the sickness and a contaminated water source.
So, what does this example have to do with us today? John Snow is an example for us today for a few reasons. First, he was persistent in the face of significant opposition that the popular assumptions about miasmas were incorrect. This persistence lasted over many years and likely cost him significantly in terms of his reputation and professional opportunities. He didn't stop at objecting to what he felt was wrong, but was persistent in exploring ways to prove or disprove his hypothesis, even though he couldn't actually see the micro-organisms that were causing cholera. His methodical approach to the problem gave rise to a new discipline--epidemiology--which has since helped to understand and address the causes of other diseases.
John Snow is person who took action to help address one problem he saw in the world around him. What about you? What are you doing to help address the water issues we're facing today?
Posted 03/21/08 by Robin Weekley
There are some things that stop you in your tracks when you read them, statistics too big and jarring to pass by, read over or turn the other way and forget. 4,500 children will die today from water-related diseases—4,500. The worst thing about this statistic is that every single one of those 4,500 deaths is preventable by providing clean water to communities in need.
There are many non-profits in the United States and around the world dedicated to bringing clean water to the needy, whether it be raising awareness or working on the ground in the developing world to implement clean water solutions for those in need. They are, daily, trying to lower the number of children and families that suffer due to the many diseases that make their home in contaminated water sources. In many areas, villages get their water from muddy and dirt-filled holes, and sometimes from a hand-dug well that is contaminated or has run dry form over-use. In other cases, villages have water pipes that run to their community from the nearest city center, but the city lacks the power and energy to get the clean water our to their villages. Sometimes, a community will go without water for years simply because of a well in need of repair. In Uganda, a $5 broken chain link on a well pump left an IDP camp without water for months. Groups like Living Water International, Charity:Water, Blood:Water Mission, H20 Africa, the Fermi Water Project and others devote their resources to bringing attention to the need for water, and work on the ground with locals to drill wells, construct filters, and bring water to thirsty people.
World Water Day is a perfect time to reflect on the prominence and prevalence of water in our lives, and in that recognition, come to know the urgency of the need for clean water all over the world. Water is not simply a cause to get behind, it is one of our most basic and urgent needs, it is a building block for life. In thirsty communities the world over, clean water really does change everything.
For more information:
Living Water International
Charity:Water:
Blood:Water Mission
H2OAfrica
Fermi Water Project:
Posted 03/11/08 by Jenn Fraher
In a timely article, the Associated Press this weekend published the results of a study that looked for the presence of pharmaceuticals in the U.S. drinking supply. The results, while not a surprise to many experts in the field, have resulted in a flurry of articles and discussions raising questions about the safety of our water supply.
The A.P. monitored the drinking supplies of major U.S. cities and smaller communities in all 50 states across a period of five months. The results revealed small traces of drugs in the drinking supply of 41 million Americans. While the traces were very small (parts per billion or trillion), questions are now being raised about the health impact of long-term exposure to these pharmaceuticals.
The A.P. isn't the only group to raise questions recently about the safety of the U.S. water supply. Dr. Robert D. Morris, an environmental epidemiologist and researcher in the field of drinking water, recently published a book called The Blue Death: Disease, Disaster, and the Water We Drink that explores the story of drinking water, from England during the cholera outbreaks through the early construction of U.S. cities and to the modern day, both in the U.S. and overseas. In the book, Morris argues that the current infrastucture meant to deliver clean, safe water is inadequate, both in the U.S. and internationally. Pointing to outbreaks of waterborne diseases in Minnesota, Canada, and Africa, Morris contends that it is time to reexamine our current thinking about safe water and take proactive steps to ensure future access to clean, safe water worldwide.
While a lot of attention has been given to the presence of bacteria or pharmaceuticals in our water supply in recent months, controversy still exists about the long-term effect of this trend. Is the U.S. at risk for an epidemic caused by a water-borne pathogen or by side-effects caused by long-term exposure to low doses of drugs? How quickly should the government and private industry respond to studies like the recently published A.P investigation and books like Dr. Morris'? How concerned are you about the water you drink, based on these recent reports?
Posted 03/06/08 by Jenn Fraher
For many of us, we never think about this question. For over a billion people around the world, though, this is a question that faces them every day. According to PlayPumps International, 1.1 billion people-18% of the world's population-lacks access to safe drinking water. As a result, over 5,000 people die each day from waterborne illness.
This month, we observe World Water Day on March 22, 2008. In particular, we want to spend some time looking at the history of the water crisis, the current state of water availability, and practical solutions to make clean, safe water available to everyone. Join us this month as we explore this issue in more detail. Tell us how you are observing World Water Day, how you think individuals can make a difference to promote the availability of clean water, and your favorite organizations who work in this area. You can follow the conversation on our blog throughout month.
Posted 03/06/08 by Ryan Morris
For as technologically advanced as several developed countries appear to be throughout the world, something as basic as access to fresh, clean water has become a major topic of discussion. According to Maude Barlow’s most recent book, Blue Covenant:
“The three water crises – dwindling freshwater supplies, inequitable access to water and the corporate control of water – pose the greatest threat of our time to the planet and to our survival. Together with impending climate change from fossil fuel emissions, the water crises impose some life-or-death decisions on us all. Unless we collectively change our behavior, we are heading toward a world of deepening conflict and potential wars over the dwindling supplies of freshwater – between nations, between rich and poor, between the public and the private interest, between rural and urban populations, and between the competing needs of the natural world and industrialized humans.”
Photo: Drinking fresh water in Burma, by David Chamberlain
I never thought of water as a tool to control the mortality rate of a nation. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening in the continent of Africa, which is seeing the brunt of the world’s water problems.
During a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee meeting on Africa last May, Subcommittee Chairman Donald Payne said, “Africa is one of the most water-impoverished regions ... and the lack of clean water claims the lives of 4,900 children every day.”
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Walter North, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa, recently made the statement that “More than one child in sub-Saharan Africa dies every minute from diarrheal disease -- a direct result of inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.”
Can you imagine walking six hours only to gain access to water? Now imagine having to carry a sloshing 40-pound jug back to your home. That is exactly what occurs in some pastoral parts of Ethiopia. According to an article on the water.org site, “Most people collect water from shallow, unprotected ponds which they share with animals. Other people collect water from shallow wells. Both of these sources are subject to contamination as rain water washes waste from surrounding areas into the source.”
So, are you fed up? Angry? Fired up to do something about our water crisis? Share your feelings and thoughts in the comments section. Also, be sure to check back next week to learn what is being done to combat this epidemic which affects all inhabitants of our world.
Posted 02/08/08 by Scott Overdyke
Kenya in 2008: more than 1,000 dead. 300,000 displaced. The statistics of human suffering read like a stock ticker on the daily news. We see them online, hear them in the news, perhaps even find ourselves repeating them in conversation. But how can we possibly make sense of it all? What is the story behind the numbers, and where are the statistics of reconciliation?
Yesterday, exactly six weeks after the widely disputed Kenyan election, Kibaki's ruling party and Odinga's opposition have agreed to the formation of an inclusive, power-sharing government. While details of the truce have not yet been revealed, any step toward peace is a welcome one.
What you can Do:
Global Giving allows you to donate (and raise) money for organization responding to the post-election crisis. Sometimes even a few dollars can go a long way.
The Student Movement for Real Change has started an online petition for peace in Kenya.
Visit our friends at OneWorld for more information on staying informed and taking action to encourage peace and reconciliation.
Now tell us at Razoo what you're doing to help address the story behind the statistics.
Posted 10/24/07 by Rebecca Carpenter
Question: What does your vocabulary skill have to do with third world hunger? Until now, not much. But thanks to the good folks at FreeRice.com, now you can help alleviate malnutrition in developing nations by simply testing your vocab skills.
Sounds crazy, but it's working. In the couple weeks since it's launch, almost 200 million grains of rice have been donated. (The rice will be distributed by the United Nations World Food Programme.)
What does "initiate" mean?
A. Strew
B. Nap
C. Begin
D. Engage
If you got that right, you just donated 10 grains of rice to a hungry person in the developing world. It's that easy. For each question you get right, 10 more grains of rice gets donated (thanks to the advertisers on the site). Like the GMAT, as you get more answers right, your questions get harder (but don't fear, they get easier as you answer questions incorrectly).
It's really addictive -- I played till I had donated 1000 grains of rice, then had to stop myself and get back to work. It also appeals to the competitors among us, as your vocabulary skill gets ranked by level (levels range from 1 - 50, with few people topping 48 -- current score to beat is 40).
This is the kind of innovative, creative solution we love to support, so check it out. (And let us know if you top our level 40 rating!)
Posted 10/17/07 by Robin Weekley
I've always been a pet lover...a serious pet-lover, especially when it came down to the classic laborador retriever and other undeniably cute lil' guys. That being said, the pet rat allure always disgusted me. Who could ever, ever find a rat precious, snuggly or good for playing frisbee? In this vain, my rat aversion continued on for 24 years, until...last week.
Last week I was emailed an article about one of the most innovative and exciting social enterprises, well, ever (in my eyes): rats who uncover landmines in Africa. These hero rats are trained to specifically uncover explosive landmines, both metal and plastic, using their sense of smell. The rats are easily trained, too light to set off the landmines and are found almost anywhere and everywhere in the world.
Apopo Vapor Detection Technology first created and tested the concept of hero rats in the mid-90's, in repsonse to the deadly global landmine problem. Techniques at the time were overly expensive and arduous, and so Apopo took to testing and training the rats to detect the smell of explosives and then indicate their presence through scratching the surface and sniffing. In the field, the rats work in on a grid system, with a small harness attached to their backs as they work back and forth, attached to strings overhead. Each time the rat stops to sniff and scratch at the ground, a corresponding point is marked on a grid sheet, indicating the exact location of the landmine. After the rat and facilitators have left the scene, the mines are retrieved and deactivated by explosives experts.
This is a really cool concept, addressing a great need and turning usually burdensome rats into a great source of help. Definitley worth checking out the website for more information on how to get involved.
Want to adopt your very own hero rat? Do it here ... you can even adopt rats named Posh and Becks!
