Today one in six people—more than one billion—don’t have access to enough water. Lack of access to safe water is the leading cause of death and illness in the world - around the world, a child dies every 15 seconds from water-borne diseases, and 80 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene.
The global water crisis is steadily worsening with climate change. As water scarcity becomes a bigger issue, corporations are increasingly trying to take control of public water resources and systems, which is making the problem worse. Globally, corporations promote water privatization under the guise of efficiency. But there is no substitute for public water. Water is a human right, not a privilege.
March 22 is World Water Day - a day to observe the global water crisis and pledge to make a change. One of the easiest and biggest changes we can make is to join the fight against bottled water corporations. Challenging the corporations that control our water shows that we, as consumers, are serious about protecting our environment.
This year, on World Water Day, groups and individuals across the country are pledging to choose tap over bottled water. Besides generating pollution, tap water is cleaner and safer - it is required to go through more rigorous and frequent testing than bottled water!
Taking the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge is quick, easy, and sends the message that water is a human right, not a commodity.
To take the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge and learn more about bottled water - visit the Think Outside the Bottle website today!
A brilliant campaign! Name and shame the worst offenders (or biggest fossil fools) that have ignored our demand for clean and just energy.
Vote in all or any of the following categories:
- Fossil Fool of the Year
- Most Inauspicious Newcomer
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Biggest Human Toll
- Outstanding Performance in Corporate Greenwashing
Visit Co-op America to vote, and automatically enter the contest for a free year of renewable energy credits for your home.
We all know the environmental disaster plastic bags cause, choking birds and marine creatures. We are all tired of seeing plastic bags turn into the “national flower”, littering trees, bushes and our communities. Yet we all continue to take home plastic bags every time we shop. In fact, America takes home 100 billion plastic bags a year, enough to circle the globe 45 times.
“The swirling debris of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean has now grown to a size that is twice as large as the continental U.S.” (The Green Room)
Large grocery stores lobby against states who consider banning plastic bags - saying the ban will drive up prices. Other stores have started charging for plastic bags, apparently trying to gently introduce their customers to thinking about whether they actually need extra bags. IKEA charges a dime for each bag, and donating the proceeds to environmental causes.
Do we really need legislation or increased fees to make responsible decisions, or can consumers drive the movement themselves to save the world from something we all dislike in the first place?
A bit of motivation - the Daily Mail (a UK newspaper) recently published this photograph of a whale washed up on a British beach. Its stomach was crammed with plastic bags - 23 bags, or fragments of bags, were found. Marine biologists believe it is yet another victim of our careless, plastic bag culture.
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