World Savvy Monitor

This section brings the information from this edition of the Monitor full circle and seeks to inspire further thinking about how individuals can make a difference with what often seem like complex and insurmountable issues.  The global water crisis is a complex problem, but there are many things you can do to start making an impact now.

Let your voice be heard:

• Advocate for solutions in your community to address the global water crisis such as harvesting rain, community-based water quality monitoring, and reducing water wasted during farmland irrigation.

Calculate your own water use and test your knowledge:

• Water Use Calculator – Find out how much water you use at home
• WaterWiser Drip Calculator – Measure and Estimate Water Wasted Due to Leaks
• Water Trivia Games from the U.S. Environmental Protection agency
• Water Trivia Game
• Word Scramble
• Fact Matching Game

Make a personal commitment:

• Pledge to stop drinking bottled water and get your friends and family to sign as well.
• Reduce your water footprint in 25 easy steps.
• Facts and actions you can take from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Bring clean water to schools around the world:

• Partner with a school in a developing country and raise funds to help complete WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) in Schools projects through H2O for Life.
• Participate in Water for Schools, a student-led campaign to raise awareness and funds for water projects at schools in developing nations. Get your school involved and start helping people in need get access to clean, safe drinking water.

Volunteer locally:

• Volunteer to clean up a local river, lake, or beach. Find a local river cleanup day the national American Rivers organization. Last year, hundreds of volunteers removed 2,400 tons of trash in 76,000 miles of river during 3,000 river cleanups held across the country.
• Volunteer to monitor the condition of water bodies near you through organizations including the US Environmental Protection agency.

Raise Awareness:

• Get involved in World Water Day: March 22, 2010
• Sign the petition to adopt Article 31 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the right to water.
• Host a FLOW: For Love of Water movie screening party
• Hold a water walk at your school, church, or office. How far you can carry a 5 gallon water jug?
• GlobalWater.org suggests ways that high school and middle school students can help, as well as how other community members can get involved

Examples of citizen involvement:

Students to Develop Solutions to Global Water Crisis in First Annual "Aspen Design Challenge"

At the March 2003 World Water Forum citizens convinced delegates that corporate control of water resources would be a threat to the human right to water, despite the overwhelming presence of corporate interests at the forum.  In 2004, Uruguay adopted into its constitution a provision that makes it illegal to privatize water in the country. At the March 2006 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City, the UN pronounced the water privatization a failure and called for governments to reengage in water services.

Maude Barlow is the founder of the Blue Planet Project, which works to maintain water as a public entity and right around the world.  She was recently appointed Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.  She authored Blue Covenant: Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water and supports the movement for a UN Covenant on the human right of water.   

Featured Organization:  PlayPumps International

PlayPumps International (PPI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has found a unique and affordable way to provide clean drinking water to rural communities in Africa.  The organization employs a simple play wheel structure that doubles as a pump that extracts water from underground sources (see pump diagram here).  Clean water access in communities means that residents and school children do not have to spend their days carrying water from far sources for everyday needs such as cooking.  The organization’s mission is to enhance public health and offer play equipment to millions across Africa.  

To celebrate World Water Day 2007, PPI launched a “100 Pumps in 100 Days” campaign, which exceeded its goals and raised more than $1.5 million to install 111 PlayPumps in sub-Saharan Africa.  

In January 2008, NBC Nightly News and MSNBC featured PlayPumps International in their “Making a Difference” segment.

PlayPumps International has also launched an initiative called Know H20, an interactive resource website for students and educators to learn more about the global water crisis and their opportunity to create positive change.

You can donate to the “Keep it Flowing” initiative to help PlayPumps International continue their work.  You can also become a fan of PPI or join the cause on Facebook, put a banner on your website or social network page, and download an action kit filled with ideas about how your school, club, and/or faith-based group can help support PPI.