100 Years of Clean Drinking Water says WHO

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Unsafe water and inadequate sanitation kills nearly TWO MILLION people each year, mostly children under the age of five.”

One of my responses to the Changeblogger meme was to get more involved and educated around issues surrounding clean water and access to water. Here is one step towards that goal.

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September 26, marks the 100th Year of Safe Water according to the American Chemistry Council, and we can help continue and supply safe drinking water to others.

Timeline

• 100 years ago, Jersey City became the first U.S. cities to routinely chlorinate municipal drinking water supplies. Over the next decade, more than a thousand U.S. cities adopted chlorination, helping to dramatically reduce infectious diseases.

About Chlorine

• Today, about 9/10 U.S. public water systems rely on chlorine in some form for safe drinking water.
• Chlorine can destroy disease-causing microorganisms.
• Chlorine removes many unpleasant tastes and odors, as well as certain metal contaminants like iron and manganese.
• Chlorine also providedes a residual level of disinfectant to keep water safe while in transport from the plant to a consumer’s water tap.

Quick Facts

• U.S. CDC calls drinking water chlorination “one of the most significant public health advances in US history.” In that same vein, in 1997, LIFE magazine hailed the filtration and chlorination of drinking water as “probably the most significant public health advancement of the millennium.”

• Drinking water chlorination has helped to virtually eliminate waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever, and played a major role in increasing Americans’ life expectancy from 47 years in 1900 to 78 years in 2006.

• Where piped water supplies are not available, simple techniques to disinfect and safely store water in individual households can dramatically reduce waterborne disease. A recent study by the WHO found that household-based chlorination is the most cost-effective way to reduce these waterborne illnesses.

Call to Action :: Disinfect 100 liters of Water with 1 Click

For starters, we can partake in ACC’s Clean Water Challenge Quiz. For every correct answer, the ACC with support from others, will donate $0.20 (up to a total of $200,000) to support household water chlorination programs in West Africa.

Your 1 Correct Answer + $0.20 = the cost of five chlorine tablets –> designed to disinfect 100 liters of water!

The Downside of Chlorine

• Some environmentalists urge that chlorine is a short-term solution arguing that cleaning up our rivers, lakes and streams is more sustaining
• Some health researchers argue that with all the benefits of adding chlorine (such as decreased Typhoid cases), there may be side effects of other increased health problems.

Alternatives

• Some say that Canada and Europe have switched from using chlorine to using ozone to ensure safe water. A handful of U.S. cities like Las Vegas practice this as well.
• Before using tap water, leave the water uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours for the chlorine to leave the water.
• Invest in a filtration system (which I have heard debates on this issue as well).
• Practice recycling and treat our water resources with care.

I would have to agree that I want us to find long-term, sustainable ways to have clean water and to increase water accessibility to others. I think as a base-line, we can all start by educating ourselves and learning more about where our water comes from and how we are impacted.

What’s your experience?

I admit I’m no expert, and invite the discussion here in the comments. If you have more ways to get involved in the accessibility to safe water issue, please post in the comments, as it’s an issue I’m increasingly educating myself on as well. Thank you!

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Are You a Change-Agent? User-Experience Inspires Environmental Change

Timberland + Changents provide an innovative platform, strategy and user experience for change

What do a bus, a canary, an artist, a rocker and a college grad have in common? Getting green. and inspiring others to follow suit.

Today, Timberland, the outdoor company, and Changents unveiled a new online experience where individuals can be catalysts for change by teaming up with environmental “Change Agents” from around the world to advance the green revolution.

Engage ::

Watch broadcasts of firsthand experiences from the field through blogs, videos, photo albums, Flickr streams, phoned-in podcasts, Twitter dispatches and more.

Back a Change Agent by assuming the roles of:

• “Fan” (a shout-out of support),
• “First Responder” (being on-call if their Change Agent gets in a pinch),
• “Buzz Builder” (promoting a Change Agent’s stories and Action Requests through viral sharing),
• “Angel” (helping fill their Change Agent’s piggy bank) and
• “Advocate” (influence policy makers with respect to a Change Agent’s cause)

Plug in to ‘Earthkeepers,’ where you can follow and interact with 5 extraordinary Change Agents, dubbed, “Earthkeeper Heroes.

• Big Green Bus (12 Dartmouth students travel the country this summer in a tricked-out school bus converted to run on waste vegetable oil);
• The Canary Project (an artist couple convey the story of human-induced climate change and potential solutions through media, events and artwork);
• Agent 350 (a recent college grad and his scrappy team sprint to build a global, online/offline climate action movement from scratch);
• Reverb (a group of rock and roll road warriors green summer concert tours for Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Maroon 5/Counting Crows while engaging fans around environmental sustainability);
• POWERleaper (A 23-year old designtrepeneur created a blueprint for urban flooring systems that generates electricity from human foot traffic).

Become an Earthkeeper Hero yourself! Nominate yourself or others to compete for a chance to join the ranks of this amazing group.

About ::

Changents.com is an entertainment-driven Internet destination that connects innovators of social and environmental change – Change Agents – with a global network of people who want to help them. In 2007, Changents was founded by two social entrepreneurs, Alex Hofmann and Deron Triff, who set out to engage a digitally-connected, socially-conscious generation on its own terms.

“We started Changents to give a new generation of social and environmental problem-solvers the tools they need to build teams of active followers and help them become ‘rock stars’ of change through the Internet,” said Changents Co-Founder and CEO Deron Triff.”

Plastic. If anything inspires to reduce your use, it’s this.

Fellow Twitter follower Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) who works at Forrester Research shared this motivating video series with me titled: The Toxic Garbage Island.

Long time considered ‘urban myth,’ this series seeks out the truth about the supposed ‘Garbage Island’ the size of Texas floating in the middle of the Pacific north of Hawaii between California and Japan.

Videographers, along with University of Missouri researcher (go Tigers!) Dr. Frederick Vom Saal, took a 3-week trip to the Garbage Island and produced a 12-video series to create awareness and provide a visual for everyone back at home. (warning: some video coverage uses minor extreme language….course, the issue is pretty extreme in itself.) Share any reactions you might have in the comments. I was personally stunned, and motivated to cut down. For the more official website with the video series, blog and pictures, click here. (having troubles embedding video…lo siento!) Trust me tho, it’s worth it!

I once talked with a teacher who said every year she took her class on a field trip to a landfill…she said it was more for the life lesson than curriculum planning. I hope my future kids, whenever I do hopefully have them, has a teacher like that someday. =)

photo credit: tuff-titmouse

18 Fun, Unique Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

Going green on a daily basis is great….but who doesn’t like another reason to celebrate?

Join millions around the globe in celebrating Earth Day, this Tuesday, April 22, 2008. Here are some of the many ways you can join in the celebration:

1. I first want to congratulate you because the easiest way to celebrate Earth Day is to learn more about the earth and earth-related topics (recycling, global warming, agriculture, the ozone, water use, etc). You are already being proactive in this area by reading this blog post. =)

2. To learn more, plan a library day and check-out books about the earth.

3. Read about the history of Earth Day from the perspective of the founder of Earth Day, former Wisconsin Governor and Senator Gaylord Nelson.

4. Go through some serious ‘Spring Cleaning’ and donate games, clothes, books, movies, etc. to your local Goodwill.

5. Wear green or brown. If you dig this, more companies are created earth-friendly clothing, check out this brief article to find out what popular brands H & M, Victoria’s Secret, Lucky Brand Jeans and others are doing to get green.

6. Cook a special Earth Day dinner featuring organic foods.

7. Have an Earth Day Arts and Crafts Day. Kaboose lists some great earth-friendly arts and crafts activities that both you and your children/students will enjoy that use fun materials such as egg cartons, laundry soap containers, rocks, toothbrushes, coffee grounds and more!

8. Rent a movie that covers earth-related topics. This site lists environmental movies based on a subject search from Free Willy to to Banana Split, March of the Penguins, UnNatural Causes and more for every movie interest.

9. Plan an Earth Day Observance among friends or in your community. Charge $2-5 and donate the funds to a local earth-friendly charity.

10. Plant trees and do a dedication.

11. Build a birdhouse with your kids and/or family to encourage the local bird population, using various recycled pieces.

12. Review my post “Going Green,” which lists 40+ ways to go green in the kitchen, restroom, when cleaning, around the house, when shopping, eating, for activities and in entertainment, etc.

13. Leave your car at home and bike or walk to work. Or, plan a carpool.

14. Check out this Earth Day 2008 Calendar to see if there is an event being held in your area.

15. Change your avatar or icon on any of the social media: Twitter, Facebook, in comments, etc. to green.

16. Check out The Earthday Network for more information and opportunities to have your voice heard regarding the politics surrounding Earth Day issues.

17. Register your Earth Day event with the current list of over 12,000 and growing!

18. Share your message on Google’s interactive Earth Day map!

Add your own Suggestion in the comments! =)

Defining Green, Including the FTC

Nowadays, when someone says Green, what’s the first thing that pops in your mind?

…a color? a movement? a cause? a political party? earth? environmentalists? global warming? a marketing tactic? Al Gore? Recycling?

Being a full supporter of going green, I still want to stand back, observe and ask the question: In today’s world, how do we, you, define the word green?

…Even the FTC is struggling to answer this very question. Today, the FTC held its first green marketing workshop to discuss its green advertising regulations a YEAR early because of the growing buzz…and concern! Check out this article for more information about the meeting.

It’s interesting how the choice of diction creates images or perceptions in our minds. Green, or going green, is becoming a mantra for environmental movements and going green is the new trend of ’08…or was it the trend of ’07? Even the AMA (American Marketing Association) has adopted the movement and now acknowledges the concept ‘green marketing.’ GreenBiz, a green conscious information resources that tracks companies eco-friendliness, offers green marketing as one of their hot topics by offering features about the various shades of green that run in-style among us marketers.

However what does being green really mean? In 2006, this same question was asked in an article written by Brandweek titled: Companies Find It’s Not Easy Marketing Green. In the article, the authors state quote:

“Spiraling fuel prices and global warming fears have increasingly put environmental issues on the front page and in advertising efforts. But as more companies adopt these campaigns, consumers are growing increasingly confused over what it means to be “green,” making it harder to create effective environmental marketing efforts, according to a recently released study by Landor Associates, New York.

“Is it about the environment, organic food or ‘good-for-you’ living? … It could be about all of those things,” said Allen Adamson, managing director at Landor. “It is easy to say you are green, but consumers are skeptical. And because everyone wants to jump on the green bandwagon, all of a sudden it is noisy in this space, and it is hard to break through.”

The article continues offering statistics on how consumers are weary of the increasing levels of products, services and companies who claim to be green. Though it is an older article, the trend seems to escalate still today, just do a Google search for ‘green marketing’ and it becomes clear that the term continues to grow discussion, especially since the FTC even took notice.

• So, how do we as social marketing break through the clutter?
• What does this trend mean for us?
• And, what does the word ‘green’ mean to you?

Feel free to share your thoughts. This discussion will be continued in my next post. =)

To get a sneak peak about the next post, read this article about greenwashing…

Going Green

Any Oprah fans in the atmosphere? On last Friday’s show, Oprah’s show featured: Going Green 101 where she shared many tips and insights on how individuals and families can join the fight to save our earth. Feeling inspired, I wanted to provide my own list of simple and easy ways to Go Green this upcoming year. Some of my favorites from Oprah’s show are also shared.

Bathroom

1. Turn your water off in between brushing your teeth.

2. Unplug straightener, shaver, blow dryer, etc. when not in use. When items are plugged in, they still use up to 40% power.

3. Buy a shower timer to conserve water.

4. Use tissue and toilet paper sparingly.

Kitchen

1. If you’re making a picnic, choose plastic over paper plates. They can be reused and recycled.

2. Buy energy saving appliances to help global warming. Look for the blue Energy Star label when purchasing or visit http://www.energystar.gov for more information.

3. Use reusable containers to put away leftover rather than plastics wrap or foil. Also, in the same line of thinking, use rags to clean up messes when possible to conserve paper towels.

Cleaning

1. Instead of adding yard waste or lawn clippings to landfills, use a mulching mower. Not only is it healthier for your yard, but its healthier for all of Earth.

2. Use healthier cleaning products. Good clean doesn’t have a smell and are safer for our bodies too. Good companies to look into include Shaklee and Method.

3. Remember to inflate your tires about every two weeks. This allows your tires to last longer, meaning more rubber is conserved.

House

1. Turn lights on and off when entering and exiting rooms.

2. Caulk your windows to get the most out of your heating and air conditioning. This will save energy and money. Double bonus!

3. Use energy strips. This helps save power and cuts down on your energy bill. When something is off, but still plugged in, it still uses power.

4. Use GE energy smart light bulbs. According to Oprah.com, GE Energy Smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer than most bulbs.

5. Donate books and magazines to public libraries.

6. Use rechargeable batteries instead of throwaway ones.

Food

1. If you haven’t heard about the questions surrounding bottled water, go no further. Bottled water is more expensive…to our pocketbooks, bodies and our world. Save all three. Invest in a Nalgene water bottle or an aluminum water bottle that can be reused, is safer, cost effective, healthier and saves the earth.

2. Buy less packaged food. Read the labels and packaging to see if food is healthy for your body, but also take notice if wasteful materials are being used to sell the item.

Shopping

1. Paper or plastic? Neither! Eco-friendly canvas bags are the new ‘it’ item to have at the supermarket. Check out these places for your very own: eco-chic shopping bags, Delight.com or Skeeda.

2. Donate old clothes and items you no longer use to The Salvation Army or the Goodwill.

3. Do not throw away leather shoes. Leather takes 50 years to decompose. Donate them.

4. Resell or donate your old, used cellphone even! Lots of companies buy back phones, spruce ’em up and then resell them at lower rates. Green mobile is one such company.

5. Just say no…to receipts. When an ATM or a gas pump asks if you want a receipt, say no. This will save many precious trees.

Activities

1. Visit a landfill. As Oprah’s show told us, throwing something away, doesn’t mean that it goes away. It goes somewhere else.

2. Plant trees. The more CO2 we can create, the better.

3. Adopt a cause and become an activist. Green is the new pink everyone. Just check out Matt Damon’s favorite organization Greendimes, Stop Global Warming!, or Gwenyth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz’ organization ‘act green’ that works to reduce dependence on oil and for energy conservation.

4. Use newspapers as wrapping paper.

5. TreeCycle 2008. Recycle your now old Christmas trees.

6. Take up Shard Art. Also known as Pique Assiette mosaic art. Use pieces of broken glass to create wonderful new pieces of art.

7. Visit and shop at your local farmer’s market.

Entertainment

1. Beg, borrow or buy Al Gore’s documentary: An Inconvenient Truth.

2. Read The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostige.

3. Watch the television series Planet Earth.

4. Attend a Drive-In movie, according to Eath911.org.

5. Carpool. This web service helps you connect with others looking to carpool in your area.

6. Catch Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Eleventh Hour, about the growing dangers of global warming, set to come out soon!

And lastly, one way to recycle I would not recommend….using old condoms as hairbands. True story.

And on that note, hope this was enough to get motivated. Feel free to leave your favorite recycling tips below too!

Eco-Friendly Websites for further information:

Green People
Greenpeace
Idealbite
Global Green USA
TreeHugger