Karen provides some water-saving tips in praise of International Water Day, Monday. [image via: RonAlmog]
This coming Monday, March 22nd will be International Water Day, a time (almost like New Years) for countries to reflect upon their last year of water usage and make resolutions for the year to come. This is especially important in the Middle East, where water is frighteningly scarce.
International Water Day is an initiative that came out of a 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and has since been celebrated every March 22nd. The theme changes every year, with the theme this year being “Clean Water for a Healthy World.”
Here’s how this year’s theme is defined: “UN-Water has chosen Clean Water for a Healthy World as theme for World Water Day 2010. The overall goal of the World Water Day on 22 March 2010 campaign is to raise the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity.”
So how does Israel fare within the global mission to preserve water? Sometimes well, sometimes not so well.
On the up side, the Israeli Knesset recently appointed an Investigative Commission to determine the causes of Israel’s water crisis and submit findings and recommendations. Organizations such as the Jewish National Fund (JNF) have also gotten involved, and have pioneered many water saving solutions. JNF has built 205 reservoirs to date with a combined capacity of over 66 billion gallons of recycled and flood water, increasing Israel’s water supply by 12%.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoadG7kbXxM&feature=related[/youtube]
On the other hand, it is hard to ignore certain trends of water waste such as the annual summer water fight in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. Held every summer for the past five years, hundreds of Tel Avivians gather in the square to fling water balloons and squirt water guns at each other in order to cool down from the intense heat. (Check out the clip above.)
Regardless of what’s going on with the country you live in, though, nothing should stop you from taking measures on your own to save water. Here are some of our Green Prophet water-saving tips:
A Leaky Faucet Can Save You Money
Your Toilet May Be Overflowing… Without You Knowing It
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are Leo&Karin foundation based in Ghana and it was form by a Ghanaian and Norwegian,and work on street kids and human rights.Our foundation have a plan of providing a clean water for the village our foundation was form called OBOM ADAISO near the central part of Accra.The people in the village all urinate blood due to the river they drink from,we found out from the doctors,before it can be cure fully from the village they must have a clean drinking water so that they don’t drink from the river,when providing medical aid it will work for them.So we need funds to have a BORE HOLES to enable them to have a clean water in the village,two the education in the village is very bad due to the facilities they don’t have like CHAIRS,TABLES,BOOKS,PENCIL and PENS,DRESSES,SHOES or a dollar can help (1$).The government has provide a free education for the kids to enable them to know how to read and write,but the kids need to buy their own books and pencils,but allots of the family could not provide money for those things because their income is very law.So we will be very grateful if you could support us with this items so that so that we can provide for them to enable every kids to attend school and learn how to read and write.With our rooted information from African commission on human and people right charter,which remind us and upon it manifestation and effectiveness as human safeguard,that quoted in Article 4 that human beings are inviolable.During the course of our official duties also ,we found out that there are people who have been detained are are on remind in police cells and because of no support from families and friends who have been kept unlawfully in police cells and are not put before the law court and charge for any offense.
We give them education,help them to stand on their feet,we also have a cultural band we do perform to enable us raise funds for our foundation,so if we will also have the chance to come with the CULTURAL BAND to perform to enable us get some money for our foundation.
We are using this opportunity to ask for your support and assistance in any form to solicit for lawyers to defend this people in court. Your donation can put a smile on the faces of these children on the street.Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and integrity of his person.No one may be arbitrarily deprived of his right. I therefore urge you to fulfill the responsibility bestowed on humanity,silent protection,at the earliest,before it too late. So we will be happy if you could assist us with some funds to enable us to help the village to have a better shape
Yours Faithfully
Leonard Tetteh
(Director/Founder)
P.O.Box MP 2099 Mamprobi
Accra-Ghana
Tel.+233302301672 or+233246113264
Account No.2301945650114 ECO BANK TUDU BRANCH (CEDIS ACCOUNT) AccountNo.2301945650211 ECO BANK TUDU BRANCH (DOLLAR ACCOUNT)
Website.www.leokarinfoundation.faithweb.com
E-Mail. [email protected]
[email protected]