Wednesday, May 14, 2014

CLEAN WATER - IT’S A MOVEMENT - RUN WITH IT

Our global water supply has been a big concern on my mind for over two decades.  
Water scarcity and the threat of a water shortage is something I've been aware since I first learned that the average hamburger takes 2,400 liters, or 630 gallons, of water to produce.
  
Humans are extremely wasteful when it comes to water.  It seems to be one of our collective blind spots, it is just something we take for granted in the first world because we have it.  However, learning about our inefficiency in so far as it relates to food production was also one of my first reasons for becoming vegetarian, and the time I've spent in India, where clean drinking water is in short supply, has made me a whole lot more conservative in my own use, and keeps this issue constantly at the forefront of my mind.

While nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. The rest is saline and ocean-based. Even then, just 1 percent of our freshwater is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in glaciers and snowfields. In essence, only 0.007 percent of the planet's water is available to fuel and feed its 6.8 billion people. (National Geographic: Fresh Water Crisis)

As the world's population continues to grow, water is becoming more of a scarce natural resource.  In Africa alone there are 345 million people without access to clean drinking water.  Every 21 seconds a child dies from lack of access to clean water or a water related illness due to poor sanitation.  An estimated 200 million hours are spent each day, globally, collecting water for families in developing nations. (Water.Org: Water Facts) 

Welcome to the water crisis.  
If you didn't know this was a major issue, you better start doing some research and getting involved because it's about to become a lot more political; and if you don't think it will effect you - you're wrong.  

The United Nations estimate that by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change. (National Geographic: Fresh Water Crisis)

Bottled water is now a multi-billion dollar market, and to be able to sell and make money from bottling water, you must first own it.  Huge corporations like Nestle have already seen the writing on the wall and are buying up water supplies in developing nations, bottling it up, and selling it back to first world nations to make a huge profit.  
You can watch the documentary Bottled Life to learn more about this.

However, the good news is that there are some charitable organizations that are making a difference and being a voice for people who are too parched to speak for themselves.   HOPE International Development Agency is a Canadian based registered charity committed to helping the world's poorest families out of poverty. 

HOPE is among the leanest of development organizations with an amazing 95 cents out of every dollar raised going directly to the water projects.

I am so proud to tell you that my brother, Adam Slater, on May 24th, will personally be getting involved and embarking on a new exciting challenge.  
He will have the great privilege of running an Ultra Marathon (50+ km) to support this incredible cause: Run for Water.

Now, since I'm not a runner, I think anyone who wants to run this crazy long distance is a bit nuts!  My motto is: "run - only when in danger!"  

However, my brother has an amazing heart that is dedicated to serving others, and he has a calling to support and raise awareness for Hope International Development Agency in partnership with Run for Water through this special event.

I figure if you're going to run, it might as well be in support of something that can change the world.

All of the money raised from the runners, will go directly to the efforts of these two charities, who together, will work to bring clean drinking water to villages in Ethiopia, Africa.

Ethiopia is prone to droughts, which produces massive water shortages and famines; because of this, disease and death spread uncontrollably as their is limited surface water ends up fully contaminated by both human and animal waste.  
Thousands of people live in remote areas where mainly women and children walk for hours a day just to collect this contaminated water for their families.  
Fortunately, this year the Envision Financial Run for Water along with HOPE International Development Agency, will raise enough funds to provide a clean and reliable water source to a cluster of 10 villages in the Bonke Region. 

The good news is that you too can directly support my brother and this great cause by donating to his pledge page: Adam's 50K Ultra Run For Water.   

(All gifts over $20 will get a tax receipt and you can give anonymously or publicly)

The link above will tell you more about the project and there’s a great video that will explain why this project will literally change the lives for many young people in Ethiopia; especially young girls and women, who bear most of the burden of collecting water for their families, and consequently, miss out on education, and other activities. 

Running an Ultra Marathon has been a goal of my brother's for the last two years, so running 50K for this incredible cause was a no brainer for him.  Even if you do not donate to his run, we both encourage you to make a donation to one of the charity organizations above, and get involved.  You can make a difference in the lives of millions of families.  

Their pain is our pain.  Their suffering is our suffering.  We all share this planet and her resources.  
We all need water to live; it should not be reserved for only the fortunate few.

We thank you for your support!


“God is always with you, that you have more strength than you ever realized, and that if you don’t stop, you can’t be stopped”  ~ Jason Lestor


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