Image: Heng Sinith/AP
A boy swims near floating trash during flood season in the floating village on the Mekong river bank on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Aug. 11, 2018. According to Water.org, approximately 4 million people out of the total population in Cambodia lack access to safe water, and 6 million lack access to improved sanitation.—GlobalCitizen.org
According to Water.org:
To learn more about the importance of clean water and take steps to help ensure access to it, check out some of these organizations and websites:
Water.org—Co-founded by Matt Damon, this organization is on a mission to bring water and sanitation to the world.
The Water Project—Make a donation, raise funds or host a water challenge to help supply water for communities in Africa.
The Rainforest Site—Check out these 10 ways you can conserve water in your home.
NRDC.org—The Natural Resources Defense Council offers 6 ways to help keep our water clean.
TheGuardian.com—What do you think of these 5 innovations offering a unique approach to the water crisis?
WaterFootprint.org—Learn about the amount of water used to produce all the goods and services we use.
Unicef—Improving families’ access to safe, sustainable and affordable drinking water at reasonable distances from their home is a key part of this organization’s efforts.
Water is a precious resource and one we often take for granted. Have you ever lived near a polluted waterway? Please share your experience below.Resources:
I remember as a child swimming off of Cape Cod in sneakers. My shoes were wet the whole vacation and uncomfortable. I remember that 50 years later!
Our waterways in WA state are relatively clean, but they are recovering from years of sewage & heavy metals being dumped into them by plants and factories. It’s a BIG job, and our local community has really pulled together in the past 20 years to make it better.
My church also works with a small organization called Springs of Hope that works to bring clean water to communities in Kenya, and it’s been incredibly eye-opening to meet the couple in charge and truly learn how those families and children live without clean water or sanitation. I know there is so much more to be done, but every change is making a difference. <3
I realize that other countries have problems with water, but now that I moved to Florida and have joined my community’s “Green Committee” and have been designated to “water research,” and what I am learning is disheartening to say the least. Not only our beaches, but our tap water and reclaimed water used for irrigation, etc. Horrible, and sometimes fatal situations. Almost sorry now that I moved here for retirement years of rust, not gold!
Really interesting article. Good to hear that organisations are trying to improve this problem.
When I was young, there was a field behind our housing addition. When it rained, runoff gathered in the ditch between us and the neighbors, crossed the road, and made a big puddle of fun in the empty lot across the way. We NEVER gave it a second thought (except for the one drain pipe in the ditch, but ya knew where that was after one accidental misstep). Now, I would not allow kids to play in water runoff… I can only imagine what chemicals were soaking into our skin.
Norwex is manufactured in China. China is not listed in the Global Norwex Movement. Is the waste water management at the Chinese factory as environmentally friendly as the Norwex products?
Thanks for your comment, Dawn. At our facility in China, we take waste water as well as other waste very seriously. Our factories, and all our partners, respect the stringent national regulations regarding air and waste water management.
What city is the Norwex manufacturing factory in China?
Dawn, sorry for the slow reply on this one. The name of the city is Suzhou.
…and now with Coronovirus — how will this affect Norwex products?
Nancy, thank you for your valid and timely question. I’m happy to let you know that our Norwex China facility has been strictly following all protocols as required by the Chinese government, and production in the China plant is operating as usual. The CDC has stated that currently there is no evidence to support that transmission of COVID-19 could be associated with imported goods.