Water Blogged: Blog Action Day 2010 Round-Up

In addition to my own meager contribution (below), throughout the day I will be providing links to some of the best posts appearing online participating in Blog Action Day 2010. This year’s theme is WATER. Many of these posts are beautifully written, passionately expressed and incredibly informed, so take the time to read those that interest you most. Enjoy.

Only Fundamental Change Can Save Us - Quite simply, human-centered governance systems are not working and we need new economic, development and environmental policies. Maude Barlow gave this stirring plenary speech, full of hope even in the face of ecological disasters, to the Environmental Grantmakers Association annual retreat in Pacific Grove, California.

John Perkins and Clean Water - Across the globe, about 4,500 children die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities. Over 90% of deaths from diarrhea diseases from unsafe water and sanitation occur in children under 5 years old. The poor are especially hard hit. An infant born in sub-Saharan Africa is 520 times more likely to die from disease than a child born in Europe or the United States. All told, more than 884 million of the world’s people still rely on drinking water sources that are unsafe.

Top 6 Life-Saving Designs for Clean Drinking Water - Almost a billion people lack access to clean drinking water, which is the result of low water supplies and poor sanitation systems around the world. This shocking figure underscores the importance of affordable designs that filter water to make it safe enough to drink, as well as systems that improve sanitation for communities. In honor of this year's Blog Action Day, we've rounded up six innovative design solutions that provide clean drinking water - granted that one in eight people in the world don't have access to water, it's designs like these that help save lives.

Walking for Water - When you turned on the tap today to get a drink of water, did you think twice about it? I know I usually don't. It's easy to think that water is abundant and everlasting because of the ease in which it flows from our taps. Truth is, only about 1% of our Earth's water is drinkable and almost a billion people on this planet are without access to clean, safe drinking water. Even worse, every week almost 38,000 children under 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions. When I mentioned that fact to my 10-year old he thought I was joking for sure.

Water and Wildlife - As people compete for resources, wildlife and nature come under even more pressure. Worldwide, wetlands cover 6% of the world's surface, an area larger than the USA. Half their area has been lost in the last century.

The Las Vegas Water Grab - Water is clearly a very important issue, and an increasingly urgent concern. I thought the best way I might be able to contribute is to talk a bit about an issue I came to be very familiar with over the summer - the Las Vegas Water Grab. Essentially, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), which mainly serves Clark County, has been trying for the past 20 years or so to build a pipeline that would draw water from northeastern Nevada down to Vegas. In other words, they're trying to suck water out of a desert in order to irrigate a desert and turn it into golf courses and casinos.

An Oregon County Shuns the Bottle - Multnomah County, Oregon, which includes the city of Portland, took back the tap by passing a resolution prohibiting the purchase of bottled water with county funds. Members of the Multnomah Country Board of Commissioners were unanimous in their decision to ban the bottle. The county even joined Food & Water Watch’s national campaign to Take Back the Tap.

Protecting America’s Waters Today - When EPA was formed 40 years ago, water pollution was generally something that could be seen, touched, and smelled. We knew something was wrong when algae began to coat rivers, when the smell from untreated sewage reached our communities, or when massive fish kills appeared in lakes and streams. Perhaps the most famous example is the Cuyahoga River, which was so covered with pollution and industrial waste that in 1969 it literally caught fire.

Clean, Safe Water - A Collaborative Effort - Everyone has an indispensible role to play in this effort. The Water Project is committed to building essential relationships between individuals, small groups and water organizations that help make the most of the good that each uniquely brings to the cause. We're working to help supporters discover their role in blogging, raising funds, or organizing their schools and churches to help. And we're enabling water organizations of all sizes - the folks who have their hands dirty managing and building water projects - to tell compelling stories about the good they are doing.

The Resource We Take For Granted - Nothing moves westerners more than video or photographs from any third world country where the water supplies are tainted. 80% of the world's population lives in areas where the fresh water supply is not secure. It seems there are water crises everywhere: in the Philippines, Manila is struggling to provide its swelling population with H20.

Thinking About Wet Things - Today is Blog Action Day and this year's theme is WATER. So come in, kick off your shoes, pour yourself a glass of water... Make yourself comfortable... And then, WATCH THIS! (CLICK HERE) It's something you already know, but is always worth remembering... And now that we've all remembered, now what? Can something change... What can we do beyond a blog post?

Blog Action Day: A billion people lack clean water - Friday October 15 is Blog Action Day - an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. Currently there are 4,745 blogs in 135 countries with over 36,000 readers taking part. This year, the issue is how nearly a billion people worldwide lack access to clean water.

8 Facts You Didn't Know About Water - This year Blog Action Day is focused on the issue of water. We know that many of you are aware of the devastating environmental impacts of water scarcity and water pollution, but we wanted to share the facts we've found most startling in our work over the past few months in preparation for for Blog Action Day 2010. We hope these facts will inspire you to head over to the Blog Action Day site and take action.

Bloggers worldwide call for real action on water and poverty - Thousands of people around the world are writing blog posts on water issues today for Blog Action Day. And many will be writing about the devastating consequence of the water crisis on poverty.

Not Just a Drop in the Bucket - Nowhere is the fight for clean water more glaring than in the Upper Delaware region. A process called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) threatens the watershed that provides drinking water for 17 million people in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

5 Ways To Conserve Water And Mashable’s Blog Action Day Pledge - Water is becoming an increasingly pressing issue that touches human rights, poverty and the environment. On Friday, bloggers throughout the world will collectively bring awareness to the topic by posting about water as part of Blog Action Day, an annual event intended to spark global discussion.

Water stress: part of a global systemic environmental threat - Canadá and Brazil have plenty Canadá and Brazil have plenty of fresh water. More than most parts of the world. Brazilian waters are on aquifers, the Guarani aquifer being the largest; and on rivers. Canadian water is mostly in the form of ice and snow, although a considerable volume also flows in its rivers, or lies on the lakes. Canada holds 14% of total world fresh water.

Please Learn More About The World Water Crisis: HERE