Dow Announces Next Step in Commitment to Clean Water: The Dow Live Earth Run for Water
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One in eight. That's how many people around the world lack access to safe, clean drinking water. Water is essential to human life and although 70 percent of the world is made of water, only a small fraction of it (2.5 percent) is actually suitable for drinking. There are communities around the world where access to drinking water is severely limited, a reality that kills thousands of children and adults each day. The statistics are stark, but there is good news about the global water crisis: it's not insurmountable. Solutions do exist.
As Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris reaffirmed through his Commitment to Action as part of the Clinton Global Initiative last month, we at Dow are dedicated to solving this crisis. It is with great pride that we announce the next step in our commitment - The Dow Live Earth Run for Water, the largest global initiative in history aimed at helping solve the water crisis and empowering everyone to be a part of the solution. As announced in New York City on October 13, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water will come to life through a series of 6km (3.7 mile) run/walks, concerts and water education activities in countries around the world over the course of 24 hours on April 18, 2010. The distance of the run/walks is meaningful - it's the average distance women and children in many impacted countries walk everyday to secure water.
A Challenge with a Solution
"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. "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."
All donations raised by the Dow Live Earth Run for Water global fundraising efforts will be disseminated to fund sustainable and scalable water programs. In addition to Global Water Challenge, there is a global network of non-governmental organization (NGO) partners including A Child's Right, Akvo, Fondo Para La Paz, Indonesia Water Partnership, Lien Ad, Pump Aid and Wildlands Conservation Trust. These organizations have a long-standing history of success in bringing solutions to developing nations around the world, including spring protection, solar filters, wells, water kiosks and reverse-osmosis systems. For the comprehensive list of NGO partners around the world, please visit the Partners page of the Live Earth Website.
The Next Stride in Our Commitment to the Global Water Issue
For more than 100 years, Dow employees have combined science and technology to advance human progress. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water builds on this commitment, providing an innovative way for us to come together to address one of the most important challenges facing the world today. It's an exciting opportunity for Dow to bring our unique perspective and knowledge to this issue, and we approach it with the mindset that every day offers us a new chance to find a solution through chemistry.
“As part of our 2015 Sustainability Goals, we are committed to using science and technology to help solve some of the world's greatest challenges - like the water crisis," said Ian Barbour, General Manager at Dow Water & Process Solutions, a business unit of Dow. "Our partnership with Live Earth is just one of Dow's many ongoing efforts to address water scarcity and help millions of people around the world gain access to safe, clean drinking water."
Dow Water & Process Solutions is working aggressively to make solutions available in water-stressed parts of the world - making undrinkable water drinkable. And other Dow sites and business units are contributing to solutions, too. Dow components are used in applications from seawater desalination to home water purification, producing 22 million cubic meters of clean water per day. In comparison to traditional water treatment methods, Dow water technologies significantly reduce environmental impacts and chemical consumption, provide energy savings, and are known to be the most durable and longest-lasting in the industry. The application of these treatment solutions helps improve access to water and enables previously water-stressed communities to thrive and grow.
"At Dow, we are proud to say we are delivering the science behind a sustainable and plentiful supply of water for communities around the world… not someday, but today. Our role is to do what Dow people do best-develop new technologies and create focused innovations and partnerships that can take people out of the peril they experience each and every day because they don't have enough clean water." said Barbour.
A Global Call to Action
Our partner for the Dow Live Run for Water is Live Earth, creator of the Concerts for a Climate in Crisis in 2007, which has been called the "Most Watched Online Entertainment Event Ever." Live Earth was founded by Emmy-award-winning producer Kevin Wall on the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers and to activate the world community to combat our planet's climate crisis.
"The Dow Live Earth Run for Water will mobilize the global community to come together once again on one day and take action on one of the most serious environmental issues today, the global water crisis," said Wall. "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 for everyone to be part of the solution."
Together through the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, we will create a global movement focused on the actions individuals can take today 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 your community or organize your own through the Friends of Live Earth program;
- SAVE water in your home and local community through conservation efforts;
- GIVE money to support clean, safe water projects; and
- SPEAK UP and sign the Live Earth petition to add water as a basic human right to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
You can learn more and get involved by visiting the Live Earth Web site.
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