Posted 05/01/08 by Ryan Morris
In a previous blog post I mentioned that Americans toss almost 38 billion water bottles in the trash every year. To combat this environmental waste, Brita (you know, the folks who make those cool water filtration products for your home) and Nalgene (check any college student's backpack for one of their fashionable water bottles) teamed up to create the FilterForGood campaign.
The success of the campaign is determined by the number of disposable water bottles saved from ending up in your local dump. The environmentally conscious endeavor 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 was very excited when I learned about the pledge, so naturally I signed it online and began taking steps to become an active participant. The FilterForGood folks were stoked too and sent us some reusable water bottles for the staff to use along with a few faucet-mount filtration systems to give away.
Get Free Stuff, Save the Planet
Leave a comment at the bottom of this entry describing ways you plan to get the word out about reducing disposable water bottle use. The top three comments will receive a Brita faucet-mount filtration system. Oh, if you're wondering who will be judging the comments, look no further than Razoo's celebrity panel of super heros and rock stars, of course. ;-)
To track the success of the campaign you can view how many water bottles have been saved by using an interactive map on the campaign Web site.
Links of Interest
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 03/20/08 by Scott Overdyke
Water Advocates is the first US-based nonprofit organization dedicated solely to increasing American support for worldwide access to safe, affordable and sustainable supplies of drinking water and adequate sanitation. With World Water Day approaching on March 22, 2008, their aim is to join efforts with UNICEF, CARE, The Global Water Challenge through the Clean Start Fund and others to provide 1,000 primary and secondary schools in the developing world with sanitized water.
On March 12, 2008, Water Advocates along with partnering NGO’s hosted an event at the Washington DC National Geographic society to shed light on their “WASH in Schools” Initiative. This program is an effort to help improve access to safe and sanitized drinking water, along with hygiene education in schools of developing countries.
You may be asking what the link is between water, sanitation and school is.
According to the Water Advocates, Schools are key to responding to this dire public health crisis. In the developing world, there are 600 million children of primary school age and roughly 50% of these children’s schools lack safe drinking water and 75% lack basic sanitation. The implications of this are that not only are water-related illnesses viciously perpetuated, many children miss school because they must collect and haul water for their families and the efforts of teachers are also distracted from teaching as they must too, join their students in water collection.
To learn more about the work of Water Advocates and ways in which you can help specifically with the efforts of "WASH in SChools", visit http://www.wateradvocates.org/help.htm
Keep Up the great work Water Advocates!!!
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 09/28/07 by Rebecca Carpenter
We've been writing about water bottles for a while now, and our Razoo community is really fired up about the topic. So we were psyched to see the latest news about Nalgene and Brita's new partnership, Filter For Good.
The scoop from Filter For Good:
Last year, Americans threw away 38 billion plastic water bottles, about $1 billion worth of plastic. That's a huge waste, especially considering 1.5 million barrels of oil - enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year - were used to produce the bottles. And that's not even including the oil used for transportation.
You can make a difference by choosing to reduce your contribution to bottle water waste. Brita and Nalgene have partnered to create the FilterForGood pledge, a commitment to reduce your personal waste by giving up bottled water, even if it's just a few days each week.
If you purchase a FilterForGood refillable bottle, you'll also be supporting the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to provide safe drinking water to 200 million people for the rest of their lives by 2027. For every FilterForGood refillable bottle purchased between August 10th and December 31st, 2007, a donation of $4, up to a maximum of $25,000, will be made to the Blue Planet Run Foundation.
Get involved:
Learn the facts about water bottles.
Take the Filter for Good pledge.
Get more information and learn how to get involved on Razoo.
Posted 09/06/07 by Robin Weekley
charity: is a nonprofit organization stimulating greater global awareness about extreme poverty, educating the public, and provoking compassionate and intelligent giving. (from charityis.org)
Charity:Water exists as a campaign to raise awareness and funds to help combat the world water crisis around the globe. Since their inception 1 year ago, Charity: Water, with the help of well-implementing non-profits abroad, has built 200 wells in 6 African nations. When those wells are up and running, 100,000 people will have access to clean, safe drinking water.
After immense success in their first year, Charity:Water is celebrating their anniversary and the birthday of founder, Scott Harrison, by asking for a donation of $32 dollars to go towards a deserving project in Kenya. The new well will provide safe water to a hospital that currently is forced to gather water directly from a muddy river nearby.
To get involved, check out Charity:Water’s September campaign or read more about water and Charity:Water’s goals here .
