Today, Live Earth announced plans to implement the largest worldwide water initiative on record to help combat the global water crisis. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water – to take place April 18, 2010 – will consist of a series of 6 km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world, featuring concerts and water education activities aimed at igniting a tipping point to help solve the water crisis. Jessica Biel, Alexandra Cousteau, Pete Wentz, Angelique Kidjo and Jenny Fletcher will lend their names and their time in support of this important cause.
“The Dow Live Earth Run for Water will bring people together around the world, raising awareness about the sources and consequences of the water crisis, locally and globally,” said Alexandra Cousteau, global water advocate and founder of Blue Legacy International. “It captures perfectly the interconnectedness of life on our water planet and drives home the message that the water crisis is a global issue that isn’t going to be fixed by scientists or policymakers alone. It’s up to each of us.”
Water scarcity is an issue affecting countries, communities and families all over the world. One in eight people don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. Eighty-eight percent of diarrheal cases worldwide are linked to inadequate and unsafe water. These cases result in 1.5 million deaths each year, mostly among children under five. In these areas, women and children are forced to walk 6 km (3.7 miles) each day to secure water that is likely unsuitable for drinking.
Everybody counts in helping to solve the water crisis. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water is a global movement focused on the actions individuals can take to effectively address the issue. People are encouraged to START solving the problem today, RUN in a Dow Live Earth Run for Water run/walk in their community or organize their own run/walk through the Friends of Live Earth program, SAVE water in their home and local community through conservation efforts, GIVE money to support clean, safe water projects and SPEAK UP by signing the Live Earth petition to add water as a basic human right to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.
“Water scarcity is an issue that affects all of us and we all have a responsibility to do our part to help solve this global crisis,” said actor and Dow Live Earth Run for Water supporter Jessica Biel. “The beauty of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is that it gives us a platform to encourage others to be part of the solution to help everyone have access to clean, safe drinking water.”
13 key cities for Dow Live Earth Run for Water that will sport Live Earth music concerts, the Live Earth Run for Water and other activities were unveiled today. They are:
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Chicago, IL, USA
• Hong Kong, China
• London, UK
• Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Melbourne, Australia
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Minneapolis, MN, USA
• New York, NY, USA
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Singapore
• Stockholm, Sweden
A number of other cities will also feature the Live Earth Run for Water and water education activities. For a full list of Dow Live Earth Run for Water cities, visit http://liveearth.org/run.
The Dow Live Earth Run for Water run/walk registration opens today via The Active Network at http://liveearth.org/run. All participants will receive a free online ActiveTrainer plan to help them prepare for the event. Ten percent of all registration fees go directly to the NGO selected for their country.
“Dow is proud to be the title sponsor for this groundbreaking event,” said Ian Barbour, general manager at Dow Water & Process Solutions, a business unit of Dow. “As part of our 2015 Sustainability Goals, we are committed to leveraging science and technology to help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges – like the water crisis. Our partnership with Live Earth is just one of the many ongoing efforts Dow is making to address water scarcity and help millions of people around the world gain access to safe, clean drinking water.”
Through a cross-platform global fundraising effort, all donations raised by the Dow Live Earth Run for Water will be disseminated to fund sustainable and scalable water programs. A growing global network of NGO partners including Global Water Challenge, A Child’s Right, Akvo, Fondo Para La Paz, Indonesia Water Partnership, Lien Aid, Pump Aid, Wildlands Conservation Trust and many others who will successfully implement water and conservation projects around the world. For the comprehensive list of Live Earth’s NGO partners around the world, please visit http://liveearth.org/runforwater/partners.
“The world water crisis is the single greatest avoidable health challenge of our time,” said Paul Faeth, president of Global Water Challenge, the lead beneficiary and non-profit partner for the Dow Live Earth Run for Water in the United States. “There is a solution. With appropriate funding and scaling simple technology, we believe we have the ability to ensure universal access to clean and safe drinking water. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water will serve as a catalyst to rally the world community around the critical issue of water scarcity and empower citizens to be part of the solution.”
The water crisis is not only limited to developing nations. In cities such as Los Angeles and Singapore City, growing demand on limited water supplies has led to enforced water rationing and increased costs to the public. Adding to these existing issues, the affects of climate change are increasingly impacting both supply and quality of available fresh water throughout the world – shifting traditional rainfall patterns, altering water-shaping ecosystems and magnifying the effects of pollution.
“Building on the massive success of the Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis in 2007, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water will mobilize the global community to once again come together on one day and take action on one of the most serious environmental issues today, the global water crisis,” said Kevin Wall, founder and CEO of Live Earth. “Water scarcity affects everyone whether they are aware of it or not, and the goal of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is to raise the profile of this issue, educate the world’s citizens about its challenges and offer opportunities to be part of the solution.”
On Singapore as a key city, Kevin Wall said, “We are thrilled to be hosting a Dow Live Earth Run for Water event in Singapore to raise awareness for the need to safe drinking water. Already leading by example in terms of its water sanitation and recycling infrastructure, Singapore’s participation in the Dow Live Earth Run for Water will raise awareness and funds that will benefit Lien Aid for water projects to help children and families in poor communities in Asia gain access to safe, clean drinking water.”
Those interested in organizing their own run/walks in their communities to support the Dow Live Earth Run for Water can register their run/walk as a “Friends of Live Earth” event at http://liveearth.org/friends. Friends of Live Earth registered events receive approved materials, including event guidelines, logos, video and photos assets, as well as an invitation to join the Friends of Live Earth social network for regular updates. To date, nearly 20 Friends of Live Earth events are confirmed to take place in cities around the world, including: Accra, Ghana; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Asunción, Paraguay; Bogotá, Colombia; Cotonou, Benin; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Hamilton, Bermuda; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Santiago, Chile; Eldoret, Kenya; Kampala, Uganda; Lima, Peru; Lusaka, Zambia; Panama City, Panama; Praia, Cape Verde; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Port Louis, Mauritius.
The Dow Live Earth Run for Water has enlisted the expertise of the best in the business to assist with the event – Control Room, executive producers of all Live Earth events, is responsible for global entertainment and broadcast production; Ignite, overseeing concert production; Pacific Sports, handling run production around the world; Ignition, handling water village event production; and the Active Network, providing online registration technology to support the races around the world. Additional strategic partners are listed at http://liveearth.org/runforwater/partners
For more information about the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, visit http://liveearth.org.
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