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All around the world, people are blogging about water today.  Here are some of the water facts that you may see:

Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.  Unclean drinking water can incubate some pretty scary diseases, like E.coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A. Given that bouquet of bacteria, it's no surprise that water, or rather lack thereof, causes42,000 deaths each week.

More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet.Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water andcausing disease.

Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water.They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted.  Aside from putting a great deal of strain on their bodies, walking suchlong distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities.

It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger.That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bunand providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking thebun. And that's just one meal! It would take over 184 billion gallonsof water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.

The average American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world.From showering and washing our hands to watering our lawns and washingour cars, Americans use a lot of water. To put things into perspective,the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. Now imagine using that same amount to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.

I just returned from vacation after my third trip to Zabriko. 

This trip I travelled with eight others -- a fascinating woman from NY who has been doing development work for the last 30 years and the equally fascinating members of the Pacific Northwest solidarity group -- MPPs designation for the motley crew I brought with me. 

The solidarity group included a young man (and his father) from Pennsylvania who is raising money and awareness to drill a well in Cherival; two fellow UCC folks; and a group of three family members who have traveled before internationally in connection with Witness for Peace.  The father was not parenthetical for long -- as a chemist and physicist who grew up in rural China, he quickly found ways to contribute -- ideas on waste disposal, the practical ability to build a water chlorination system for demonstration to the MPP compound staff, and sharing his wisdom about rural people. Everyone had the expected opportunity to meet the people of MPP and witness the conditions of Haiti's rural poor.  But they threw themselves into the work -- problem-solving with MPPs engineering staff on failed wells and working with MPP staff in small groups to further MPPs efforts on solar assembly, composting latrines, and riparian strips.  They were wonderful (staff and group) and I've never laughed so much in 10 short days.  It was fabulous!

The hardest thing in Haiti is to find all of the organizations that are trying to provide clean water.  I "ran into" another one this week, operating just 40 kilometers from the center of MPPs work.  I hope MPP can establish a collaborative relationship with them.

If anyone who is not a member runs into this blog -- and is doing ANY work in Haiti -- PLEASE contact me!   The best contact is susanlsmith @ gmail.com.  Note -- spaces in e-mail.

Thanks, Susan

Recently I've had a chance to meet with women from all around the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ, including the Portland area and the mid-Willamette valley.  This week I'll be headed for Condon to meet with women from central Oregon at Condon.  Its incredibly energizing to meet these folks, with all of their varied and amazing experiences.  Then, its off to the regional Women's conference at Boise, ID.  Awesome!

This year I am working as an intern for the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ as an intern.  My work serves the Wider Church Ministry team and the Justice & Witness team of the Conference and focuses on water justice issues.

Since September,  I have done slideshow presentations on the Zabriko project at Sumpter Elementary 5th Grade, JGEMS 7th grade class, the Fall Gathering in Beaverton, Zion UCC, The Dalles UCC, the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium on environmental governance in Wuhan, China, Washougal Methodist, 1st Congregational Salem, Bethel Congregational, West High School World Literature class, West Salem High School students for change, JGEMS Parent Teacher Committee, and a Willamette University Faculty Colloquium,  I am scheduled to do a presentation at 1st Congregational Vancouver, Hillsdale UCC, the CPC Women's Cluster Meeting at Condon, and the CPC Women's Group Board meeting in Boise, ID .

I have also preached at Zion UCC, The Dalles UCC, twice at Washougal Methodist, 1st Congregational Salem, and Bethel Congregational.  I am scheduled to preach at Hillsdale UCC.

Its been busy!!!

Kenya

--"We are so happy about the dam," says Jenifer, a young mother in Akiriamet, the Pokot District, where a sand dam has been constructed with the help of Church World Service and local partner Yang?at. "Before, the adults would go for days without bathing," Jenifer adds. "Now we can use a whole five liters (about 1 1/3 gallons) to bathe. The water is so close we can keep chickens and do laundry. Also, if people travel by and ask for water, now we can give them a drink and be generous."

"To you this project may seem simple," she says,"but to us it has changed the way we do things dramatically."

The majority of Pokot tribespeople are semi-nomadic pastoralists, dependent on water and pasture for their animals. Availability of water is the difference between wealth and ruin, life or death.

During droughts, the search for water and pasture has historically led to conflicts. The Yang'at-guided sand dam projects in West Pokot are designed to prevent those problems by creating a source of good water closer to home.

The Akiriamet sand dam is the sixth sub-surface dam that Church World Service and Yang'at have completed in the region, in addition to a similar project across the border in Uganda.

Sub-surface sand dams are a simple but effective water solution for arid or semi-arid areas. A concrete and masonry dam is built across a seasonal stream and extended under the surface of the bed where it slows the flow of the water and collects sand against the upstream side. The slow moving water sinks into the sand deposits, which act as a natural filter and reservoir. During the dry season when the water ceases to flow, shallow wells are dug in the sand to draw out the stored water. A sand dam can provide clean water for a thousand or more people, as well as for livestock and gardens.

Recent blog posting http://aefpix.blogspot.com/ regarding 1st Congregational UCC Salem's partner in Haiti: the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP)

5 March 2009

Positively Green:

Haiti

Yes Haiti.

The Mouvman Peyizan Papay (MPP) or Peasant Movement of Papay is the oldest and largest cooperative movement  in Haiti. With 60,000 members , the 35 year-old collective is situated inthe central plateau. The mission of MPP is to educate and provide soundeconomic alternatives to the people of Haiti, while promotingenvironmental, sustainable, and renewable agriculture and genderequality. No individuals may join MPP only collectives.

Here, Kopa BwaFerye is a 50 acre sugar cane cooperative formed by former Haitians who labored in the bateys in the Dominican Republic. Pooling their land resources, the cooperative model empowered the former farmers in servitude by offering them an economic model based on cooperation as means to self-reliance. Sugar cane ispressed for syrup while its by-products are used for heating and fuelfor animals.

Stiffer portions are used to stoke the cooking fire, while the animals eat the pulp as they provide the energy for the press.

Agronomist Chavannes Jean-Baptiste is the founder of MPP. In 2005, he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work in sustainable agriculture. Despite the changing political climate, deforestation and violence, Chavannes Jean-Baptiste and MPP have championed the cause in providing economic self reliance while promoting renewable and sustainable agriculture.

Madame Frederic is one of three women who form the KOPA Mache Lakay, or the home market cooperative. Peanuts are double roasted, ground, then jarred and sold to markets in their region.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The deforestation of this island nation has resulted in numerous hazardous environmental repercussions vital to the survival of it's inhabitants. It is the through the vision of individuals like Chavannes Jean-Baptiste that solutions to our global environmental crisis depends.

Faith UCC in Indianapolis just completed their FIRST Drink Water for Life lenten observance.  They raised $3400!

NPR Story: Bottled Water Sales Flatten During Recession

by Nancy Eve Cohen

Morning Edition, April 15, 2009 · After years of double-digit increases, bottled water sales have stopped rising. Industry analysts say the economy is driving the change, but they also say environmentalists may be having an effect.

Decades ago, when people were thirsty, they looked for a water fountain or turned on the tap.

Caitlin Corner-Dolloff of the group Corporate Accountability International is running a taste test at the University of Hartford to convince students that there's not much difference between bottled water and tap water.

Bottled Water Critics

Criticism of bottled water was first sparked a couple of years ago when concern about dependence on fossil fuels coincided with a rise in bottled water consumption.  Environmentalists have been calling for people to give up the bottle ever since, and for states to increase recycling. Now the entire bottled water market is down 1 percent.

"Anecdotally, we believe that consumers last year increasingly drank more tap water," says Gary Hemphill, who tracks sales for the Beverage Marketing Corporation.He says the sale of most nonalcoholic beverages fell last year because of the economy.  But he says that with water, there may be another issue: "The secondary reason — perhaps a little bit more difficult to measure, but nonetheless probably a factor — are environmental questions."

Bottles Under Fire

Attack on the bottle isn't only coming from environmentalists. Bottled water competitors, like Brita, which sells water filters, launched an ad campaign knocking the bottle.  NPR aired one this month: The ad says "Brita — providing water filtration solutions to help reduce bottled water waste."

But bottled water is still selling. Americans spent more than $11 billion on it last year. Kim Jeffrey, CEO of Nestle Waters North America, which owns Poland Spring and other brands, says that if environmental concerns are influencing sales, they're not having much of an impact.

"The problems we're seeing right now are very much attributable to the economic downturn, not to the fact that people are leaving bottled water in droves — because it's just not happening," he says.

The Plastic Tally

At Geissler's Supermarket in East Windsor, Conn., some people are buying two cases, or 48 bottles, a week. Other customers are cutting back. "I used to buy a case once in a while, but I don't anymore," says Linda Lamarre, a special education consultant who's now down to a couple of bottles a week. She says she's watching her pennies.  Lenny Whitten, a plumber, used to buy a case a week, but now fills the same bottle with tap water over and over. He says he does it because he doesn't want to fill up landfills with plastic that doesn't decompose.

Jeffrey of Nestle Waters says his company is trying to use less plastic resin. A one-half liter of Poland Spring used to be made from 14 1/2 grams.  "Today it's less than 12 1/2 grams," he says. "That move down saved us about 65 million pounds of resin a year and had about a 10 percent reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions. But the fact that the bottle's still there suggests we have more work to do, and that's in the area of recycling." Jeffrey says there should be curbside recycling for everyone. But bottled water critics still want fewer bottles.