Monday, March 22, 2010

World Water Day - Clean Water for All

More than one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and more than two billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation measures.   

Today is World Water Day. Never heard of the event? Take a moment to become a little more informed.

Here's just a snippet of information that is available from WorldWaterDay.org


The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year as the World Day for Water by adopting a resolution.This world day for water was to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development contained in chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21.
States were invited to devote the Day to implement the UN recommendations and set up concrete activities as deemed appropriate in the national context.
The Subcommittee welcomes the assistance offered by IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre to contribute to an information network centre in support of the observance of the Day by Governments, as required.
As reported by The Huffington Post , clean water is a concern around the globe. While clean water is accessible to 90% of Americans, 10% live in conditions that resemble those in third world countries.  Click the link to read Dr. Edison Mello's post on the water bottle lie (and watch the accompanying video).

Help get the word out. As Dr. Maya Angelou eloquently put it: "When we know better, we do better."  We know better. Clean drinking water doesn't have to be a luxury...


Monday, March 8, 2010

The Cove Wins Best Documentary at the Academy Awards

Congratulations to the producers and crew responsible for creating The Cove! The controversial film The Cove, which exposes the previously little-known dolphin killing sites of Taiji, Japan, won the coveted Best Documentary at the 2010 Academy Awards last night. The movie has actually won dozens of trophies and accolades during this awards season, but it's nice to see it win the most prestigious of them all. If you are not aware of this important film, or would like to find out more about ways to help stop the killing of dolphins (and selling the mercury-laden dolphin meat to consumers), please visit their website: The Cove Movie

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Monday, March 1, 2010

Operation Green Plant - Free Vegetable, Flower or Herb Seeds

 Operation Green Plant offers free vegetable, flower or herb seeds to communities and schools. The program is courtesy of the America the Beautiful Fund - an organization that's been dedicated to keeping America green and beautiful for a couple of decades now.

To get the free seeds, you'll need to write a short letter explaining your proposed project, fill out the application and provide a check to cover shipping and handling. This could be a great way to kick start a community vegetable co-op, a kid-managed garden for a school or classroom project or even a roadside beautifying project for a local Rotary Club.

According to their website - The Operation Green Plant Program has:

  • saved more than 800 tons of seeds and 7 million flower bulbs from going to waste in landfills - free plant seeds
  • grown 1.75 billion pounds of food for the hungry - free vegetable seeds
  • beautified roadways, parks and neighborhoods in 20,000 communities in all 50 states. - free flower seeds