Having grown up and lived on the West Coast for most of my life, I was never far from the Pacific Ocean.  Stress, overwhelm, fear, and heartache were always soothed by time spent with the ocean air blowing across my face and the calming sound of the lapping waves. Unlike so many others across the globe water was available to nourish my body and my mind.  Without clean water, there is risk of disease and even death. Nearly 1 billion people lack access to clean water. I was shocked to learn:

• African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink.
• Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions.
• Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa.

“Filthy water cannot be washed.”–African Proverb

While clean water is a scarcity for some, over-industrialized countries suffer from over consumption:

• Did you know that it takes 24 liters of water to produce one single hamburger?
• It takes half a liter of water to charge an iPhone which means 40 million liters of water to charge the iPhones of the more than 80 million active iPhone users.
• It has been said that women have to try on 20 pairs of jeans before finding the right fit. Those jeans however are more than a serious investment of your time, each pair takes 6,813 liters of water to produce.

This week we had the wonderful opportunity to witness the rescue of the trapped Chilean miners. The rescue effort has been a model of crisis management. The government took swift action and called on international expertise. People came together without a political or personal agenda but united with one single purpose – to free the trapped miners. Today we have the opportunity to play a part in our own miracle. Today we can speak with a single voice and help bring clean water to those in need.

What you can do:

The official charity of Age of Conversation 3 is charity:water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.. Charity Water is also one of the participating partners for Blog Action Day. Today, we’d like to make a major splash on the Amazon charts and raise money for charity:water.

1. Buy the Book and send others to buy the book. If you work in an agency, get your agency to purchase multiple copies and give them out as year end gifts. This is the #1 call to action, because this is where we want to see the most impact. NOTE: Please buy 1 copy at a time because Amazon counts bulk orders once, and please use these affiliate links, which will help us in tracking sales. Remember, all the proceeds from the book sales and referrals will go to charity water:
   • Kindle Version
   • Paperback Version
   • Hardcover Version

Together, we CAN make a difference.

This post is a contribution to Blog Action Day 2010. Were you aware of the lack of clean water for so many people? What does water mean to you?

Related articles

• Blog Action Day – and the Age of Conversation (servantofchaos.com)
• Why people of faith should care about clean water? (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
• Join The Bum Rush For Blog Action Day (smallbusinessmavericks.com)