March 25,2009

For Immediate Release
Contact: Caitlin Werrell
202 518-0044

For World Water Day, the Stories Tell it All

Earth Day Network Launches effort to Gather Global Water Stories

(Washington, DC) Earth Day Network, the global nonprofit which grew out of the original Earth Day in 1970, today released the first collection of stories about the role of water and sanitation in the lives of people around the world. The report launches an ongoing effort to continue collecting people’s story of water in their daily lives. The report and stories will be featured on Earth Day Network’s Global Water Network, a website dedictated in increasing awareness and promoting engagement with global water issues. Marking World Water Day on March 22, the report tells the personal story of water and sanitation from the point of view of the billions who lack access and the billions working to increase access. The full report is available at www.globalwaternetwork.org/story.

”The right to clean, accessible water and sanitation is one of the most basic human rights, yet billions around the world suffer without it. These stories tell of a significant global need but, unfortunately, they are not often heard,” said Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network President. “We often hear dramatic numbers about the water crisis, but this report tells the story behind the numbers. We put a human face on the global water crisis, from a school in Kenya that builds sanitation facilities so girls will feel more comfortable attending classes or of a group in Belize working to protect their watershed.”

In total, the report brings together diverse accounts representing each region of the world, ranging from the mountains of Peru to the deserts of Mongolia. There are stories of organizations, governments, ordinary people, businesspersons, mothers, fathers, activists, and scientists who have tried to resolve the global crisis on water and sanitation. They all bring to the table their own perspectives, informed by their experiences, their professions, their beliefs, their hopes. The report will be a work in progress. The Global Water Network will continue to allow the addition of stories to the website so that anyone around the world may share their story.

Woven together, these many stories illustrate the spectrum of the human experience while illuminating our shared values and common needs. Countless hours spent in search of clean drinking water, peaceful moments along the banks of a much loved river, the clamor of a classroom learning the rules of hand washing, or the pride of promoting a public or private partnership for managing water resources. The stories display the vast differences in access to water and sanitation around the world, but also demonstrate how important water and sanitation are to all of us- equally.

For World Water Week, Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Sen. Richard Durbin sponsored a briefing to hear from several leading NGOs, including Earth Day Network, about what the NGOs are doing around the world to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and educate people on how to prevent deaths from diarrhea.

“We commend Representative Blumenauer and Senator Durbin for their leadership on global water and sanitation issues,” said Rogers. “We look to the U.S. to provide leadership and funding to help resolve these issues globally.”

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Earth Day Network’s Global Water Network is part of the World Water Day Coalition, which is made up of a diverse group of public and private organizations, committed to ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation, especially for people living in the developing world. www.globalwaternetwork.org

Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. Earth Day Network has a global reach with a network of more than 17,000 partners and organizations in 174 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world. Visit www.earthday.net