World Water Crisis Day - Tapped: World Water Week

World Water Crisis - Tapped World Water Week

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. ...more »

We give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need.

Just $20 can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years.

MONDAY – MARCH 22, 2010

"The wars of the 21st century will be fought over water." —Ismail Serageldin, former vice president of the World Bank

When one hears the phrase World Water Crisis we tend to think of a problem in a third world country, not the United States of America.

Part of the reason we made Tapped is because we know that the world water crisis has hit America and something needs to be done.

Most of us feel like the water crisis affects OTHER people in OTHER countries. While 90% of us have access to clean drinking water, the startling reality is that 10% of Americans do not. With the rate of states facing record droughts increasing that number is likely to go up.

According to the United Nations, “By the year 2030, two-thirds of the world will lack access to clean drinking water.”

This was one of three startling facts we learned that inspired us to make Tapped. (I’ll share the other two with you later this week.). I still remember a conversation with our executive producer Michelle when she said – “every time you send me that statistic I have a hard time believing it.” It wasn’t that she doubted the credibility of the U.N – it was that she couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea that this could actually be true in our lifetime.

Many of us share Michelle’s disbelief. We have a hard time believing we could ever really run out of water, and we convince ourselves that it’s a problem that only impacts OTHER people in OTHER countries. Certainly the water crisis has already struck places like Sudan and Ethiopia, where women have to walk miles to get a days worth of water for their families. In honor of them and their plight we chose to donate 10% of today’s DVD sales to Charity: Water, a remarkable organization that uses every dollar donated to build wells in Africa.

Today, however, I hope to draw your attention to the water crisis we are facing in this country. 90% of us are fortunate enough to turn on our faucets and get clean drinking water. But what abut the remaining 10%? Today’s featured video shows you what millions of Americans face every day. Sadly that number is on the rise, and we must stop this growing phenomenon while we still can.

Carry a refillable water container (we like Klean Kanteens) rather than buying bottled water. Production, transportation, and disposal of bottled water consume large quantities of water (and energy). You can actually conserve water by switching from the bottle to the tap. You can find out how the water quality in your area is here: EPA.gov »
Reduce your bottled water use! Take the pledge to only use bottled water when absolutely necessary. Take the pledge »
Or, become a fan of Get Off the Bottle on Facebook: Become a Fan »

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by Ed Begley, Jr.

As someone who has grown up living in Southern California, I know all too well about the costs and scarcities of water. As we continue to combine the effects of global climate change with an ever increasing and developing population, the supply and delivery of clean water will continue to be one of the most serious issues of our time. In Southern California, not only do we ‘borrow’ the majority of our water from other places like Northern California, the Owens Valley and the Colorado River, but we use huge amounts of energy to deliver it.
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