This Campaign Keeps You Hydrated and the Earth Greener

Posted 04/22/08 by Ryan MorrisTotal Comments:0

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!

Clean Water Changes Everything

Posted 03/21/08 by Robin WeekleyTotal Comments:1

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: