Today I’m wearing my environmental hat.  Did you know that today is Blog Action Day 2010? It is an annual event, held every October 15th,  powered by www.Change.org uniting bloggers to use the power of words to spark a global discussion for a worthy cause.  This year’s topic is the need for clean water. As a mom, I was stunned at the statistics regarding children that I found while researching for this post. 

According to charity: water, a non-profit organization committed to bringing clean and safe water to those in developing nations, almost one billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water.  Unsafe water kills more people every year than *all* forms of violence, even war.  It is heartbreaking to read that unsafe water causes 38,000 deaths a week, and that over 90% of those deaths are children under the age of five years old. Shocking, isn’t it? Women in Africa walk miles just to collect water, which more than likely is contaminated and results in illness.   In many countries, children are responsible for collecting water, keeping them from a possible education and supporting their families. I cannot imagine what a hardship it must be knowing that you don’t have safe water to drink each day. And here I complain that it’s too far to the kitchen to get something to drink.  Shame on me.

I’ve learned so much today by participating in Blog Action Day 2010. I encourage you to click on the Blog Action Day link to the right of this post and sign the petition supporting the UN’s effort to bring clean water to those in need.  Also be sure and visit the Blog Action Day site and charity: water to learn more about how we can each do our part in assuring that every child has access to clean water.