HOW TO : Help Solve the Global Water Crisis with Social Media

Mardi 19 octobre 2010, par Zachary Sniderman , popularité : 2%

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This post is in support of Blog Action Day 2010 : Water.

Lack of clean water is an issue that’s easy to overlook because we take it as such a given. Thirsty ? There’s a bottle. Dirty ? There’s a faucet to clean yourself. From the perspective of the industrialized world, it’s hard to wrap your head around how crucial water, particularly clean water, is for our daily lives.

That apple you packed for lunch took about 70 liters of water to grow ; an egg took about 135 liters to get to your fridge. Our clothing, our food, our shelter ; they all rely on shrinking resources of useable water.

Some of the stats are a little scary : Every 20 seconds, a child dies from water-related disease. The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war does through guns. Some 890 million people lack access to safe water, and more people own cell phones than have access to a toilet.

In the time it took for you to read the above paragraph (or me to write it), at least one child died.

Mobilization around water safety has been a little slow. It often doesn’t have the same media appeal as cancer or HIV/AIDS, nor is it a flaring epidemic. Inaccessible safe, clean water is a persistent problem that needs addressing. So what can we do ?

There are common maxims like shower instead of bathe, and turn the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth — but how do we help developing countries where the water we’d save by showering is as much as they can use for an entire day ?

If you’re familiar with the term “social good,” then you’re probably familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s soft condemnation of social media’s ability to create real change. The gun seems to be pointed at online advocacy movements like Blog Action Day, with its disparate users and aggregated contributions. But that misses the point and the spirit of this day.

If social media can bring together those voices and contributions to a call for advocacy or problem solving, then social good can become a powerful tool for change. Besides, the White House Blog has pledged to contribute a post for Blog Action Day. How’s that for reach ?

If you’re interested in making a change, we’ve collected some of the best apps, tools, sites and people to follow to help bring clean water to the world.

Apps and Tools

These apps and tools can help you measure how much water you use, find conservation tips, or even use your phone to calculate how much water went into your groceries. Read on for some quick picks to get you on track.

National Geographic : Water Footprint Calculator
The good people at National Geographic created a fun calculator populated with some water-friendly cartoon ducks. The light-hearted approach can help you measure your usage across a variety of fields and make a pledge to lower your consumption.
Water Buddy Water Usage Tracker
This app keeps a history of your water meter readings and compares it to suggested usage limits in your region. You can tell the app, compatible with all iOS 4 devices, how many people are using water in your house to re-adjust your suggested limits.
H2O Calculator
H2O Conserve, a subdivision of sustainability non-profit GRACE, brings you the H2O calculator. This app will measure how many gallons of water you consume per day and match it against a national average. Don’t worry, it’s not a guilt trip. Once you get your results, the calculator provides some helpful tips on how to cut down.
Nature’s Voice : Our Choice
This campaign is building a digital river with all the water you pledge to conserve. The best part : Each donor receives a conservation kit for their home.
Virtual Water
This European organization created a cool iPhone app to show how much freshwater is used to produce selected products. The Virtual Water Project app has been featured for it’s minimalist design but there’s some good info in there as well, who knew 500 grams of barley requires 650 liters of water to grow ?

Track the Issues

If you’re looking to get the latest information and updates on clean water issues across the globe, check out these major resources for staying on top of the news.

Water.org
This site, co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, is a one-stop shop for water news and updates on campaigns in developing countries.
charity : water
Charity : water is another champion non-profit for water issues in developing countries. With special apparel like bracelets and shoes from Tom’s and celebrity partners, charity : water is the flashier cousin to Water.org. Both are doing good work. Check out their excellent mycharity platform to start fundraising your own project now.
Imagine H2O
This non-profit promotes creative solutions to water problems. It runs a variety of contests and business incubators to get at new and effective solutions to water issues around the world.
UNICEF : Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
This news streams brings in water headlines from the far reaches of the globe. It’s a great way to learn about communities that don’t get as much media coverage or to see how a broad spread of communities are solving problems.
UN Water
UN Water, a division of the United Nations, offers key government and international policy news to keep track of what countries are doing about water on a larger scale.
Where Water Meets Watts
This interactive map pairs water usage across the planet in conjunction with related energy projects. Clicking on a region offers a prognosis based on likelihood of success and riskiness of the project. Most areas come with relevant news articles or tips particular to the region for even more information.

Who to Follow

It’s worthwhile following all the major organizations and non-profits mentioned above and on the partner page for Blog Action Day, but if you’re looking for even more resources, change.org has compiled a list of “Water Warriors” that draws from a wider audience of local news, individuals and organizations. Here are just a couple suggestions :

bloodwater
Blood:Water Mission is a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against the AIDS and water crises. bloodwater@bloodwatermission.com.
Oxfam
An international confederation of 14 like-minded organizations working together and with partners around the world to bring about lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.
UNICEF
Founded in 1946, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized.
Greenpeace An independent global campaigning organization acting to change attitudes and behavior, to protect the environment and promote peace.
Water
Empowering and working with communities to meet their own water and sanitation needs ; offering microfinance solution @watercredit.
Oceana
More than 70% of our planet is covered by oceans. Oceana is 100% committed to saving them.
wateradvocates
Communication Director @ Water Advocates – Share your water stories in developing countries.
columbiawater
Columbia Water Center, Earth Institute, Columbia University : Mobilizing the sciences, education, and public policy to reduce water scarcity around the world.
WUIW
For 100+ ways you can save water, visit Water – Use It Wisely, the world’s largest H2O conservation campaign. Just click on the link above.
charitywater
Charity : water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. www.charitywater.org.
Mashable’s Social Good Twitter List
A curated of list of 37 different organizations and non-profits committed to the social good space.

Which of these resources was most useful ? What do you think of social good and how can we work towards ending the clean water crisis ? If you wrote a blog post for Blog Action Day, share your link in the comments below !

More Social Good Resources from Mashable :

- 4 Real Challenges to Crowdsourcing for Social Good
- Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism
- 5 YouTube Projects That Are Making a Difference
- 9 Creative Social Good Campaigns Worth Recognizing
- 5 Easy Ways to Support a Cause Through Your Social Network

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Okea

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