Clean Water for All: We Need to do Better
Author: Tricia Derocher
I spent some time last week at the 2019 Growth and Ownership Strategies Conference, presented by ROG+ Partners in Naples, Fla. One of the speakers was Ms. Eleanor Allen, CEO, of Water for People The presentation was both interesting and thought provoking. The organization does admirable and important work, leading to significant and hopefully lasting change for the communities where they work. While hearing and seeing the presentation, I was struck by the enormous difference between the lives of the people in the communities helped by Water For People and those of us sitting in an air conditioned conference ballroom in sunny Naples. With all that is around us, all that we continue to develop in terms of technology, why is something as simple as water filtration and transport—something that we figured out more than a few decades ago—still not available to everyone? Water for People is trying, but as one organization, they can only reach so many communities at a time: dozens helped, compared to what are probably thousands in need.
I also found myself considering the notion, as mentioned during the presentation, that one needs to leave the environmental consulting industry in order to be mission driven. That one stung a bit. Many of us joined the environmental industry, more years ago than we might care to count, in part because we wanted to help make the world a better place – cleaner and safer for our children, as well as their children. Yet, there are still far too many people in this world without a reliable source of something as basic as clean drinking water.
All of this ruminating led to thoughts of Flint, Mich., and a conversation I had with several co—workers recently. All of them talked about the water fountains in their children’s schools being taped off, not to be used due to water quality concerns.
Really? That’s our solution? Buy more bottled water, since we can’t figure out how to have clean water in the fountains in schools?
We need to do better. We need to do more. And, we need to start now.
Please consider taking a few minutes to check out Water For People. I’m going to go make a donation, then try and find someone, some group that we at AlterEcho can help bring back clean water—not encased in plastic bottles—to our schools. And then, maybe, to the world beyond.
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