Happy world water day....

Happy World Water Day!!!

You may or may not know that each March 22 since 1993 the globe has celebrated World Water Day. This year's theme for the global observance is water quality, aimed at raising awareness that even seemingly water secure areas may in fact be water-deprived. Think of the magnificent flowing rivers that upon further reflection are too contaminated from sewage, bathing, manufacturing, and other harmful practices to provide a safe water source for the villages that depend on the river for survival.

The UNEP World Water Day site states "Every year, more people die from the consequences of unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war. Every year, the contamination of water resources within natural habitats affects us all directly by destroying fresh water fisheries, affecting food production and spreading sickness and disease. Clean, safe, and adequate freshwater is vital to the survival of all living organisms and the smooth functioning of ecosystems, communities, and economies. However, the quality of the world’s water is increasingly threatened as human populations grow, industrial and agricultural activities expand, and climate change threatens to cause major alterations of the hydrologic cycle."

Please take a few minutes today to think about what you have done recently to promote clean water sources in your community.

On a related note, as many of you know, this year I have pledged to do my part to help improve access to clean water supplies in developing countries by running with Team Blue Planet. This past Saturday I pounded the pavement around Annapolis for four miles towards my goal to encourage friends and family to donate $3000 this year to Blue Planet Run Foundation who then invests 100% of the donations in providing clean water access to the developing world. The run was ironically called the Four Rivers Four Mile Maryland Day Run. While most of Maryland enjoys access to safe drinking water, we are not without our own problems in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed thanks to harmful environmental practices. I encourage you to visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website at www.cbf.org to learn more about the challengese our own water resources face and ways you can make a difference locally.

Thank you to all of you who have so far donated to this cause! WATER IS LIFE, PASS IT ON!!!