Individual and group action

Non-Government Organisation(NGO)

Clean Water Action

Clean Water Action (CWA) is a United States national NGO working to educate the public about the condition of the nation's fresh water supplies. CWA has urged the people of the country to help make a difference by writing to State representatives regarding current issues of water pollution. The action of CWA has seen two important bills passed through the US House of Representatives which will further ensure clean water regulations. CWA is fighting against the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to allow communities of low economic status to drink water that does not meet national standards.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

The WWF created a European Water Policy Office in 1999, located in Brussels, to help the European Union achieve goals regarding clean fresh water. In 2006, WWF and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) have filed a complaint to the European Commission. The complaint is against members of the European Union who have not adhered to the EU Water Framework. These EU members have significantly polluted waters, against current regulations. WWF and EEB believe that the 'polluter pays' concept needs to be enforced in this situation.

Agua Tuya

Agua Tuya is working with various groups, foundations and community agencies to bring access to fresh water to poor suburban and rural areas in South America. The Bolivian based project is called 'Agua Para Todos' (Water for All). Agua Tuya will help develop, create and distribute water systems through the various communities. All of the groups involved in the project are teaching each community about sustainable water conservation and management. Refer Image 1

Companies, Businesses, Corporations

Dow Corporate

Dow Corporate is dedicated to promoting environmentally friendly practices and sustainable development into businesses. At a UN Convention in 2006, Dow announced their commitment to finding and implementing solutions to provide clean water access to people throughout the world. Dow's Sustainability Goals of 2015 are to implement at least three solutions to the issues of: safe and affordable food supply, housing, personal health and livelihood and sustainable water supply. To help spread awareness, Dow has formed partnerships with other organisations.

Individuals

Colin Austin

Colin Austin was a software engineer in Australia. Austin decided to sell his multi-million dollar company so that he could focus on environmental issues, the main focus of which is the issue of access to fresh water. Austin has created a team of researchers responsible for studying and creating new ways to manage water through irrigation and agricultural practices with the main goal being to reduce soil salinity. Austin is actively working with World Vision in Africa to help educate the local farmers about sustainable farming and irrigation practices.

Innovators

Many individuals have developed various inventions for the purposes of saving water and keeping water clean through eco-friendly household cleaners and gardening products. There are countless different types of water saving taps, toilets and showerheads. For gardening, organic fertilizers and pesticides which pose no health risks and are chemical free have been developed. Many ranges of eco-friendly cleaning products such as household cleaners, soaps, detergents and shampoos are made from non-toxic ingredients that are bio-degradable. There are also many people who rely on natural household supplies, such as baking soda, lemon and vinegar, to create their own cleaners and odour neutralisers. Refer Image 2

Active citizenship - What can you do?

There are many things that you can do to help conserve water supplies and protect water from becoming contaminated. The most important thing to do is to become educated on the issues. Once you have a basic understanding of the issues associated with fresh water access, you can then share information with family and friends.

To help conserve water you can fix any leaky taps in your house. Installing water saving showerheads, taps, toilets and washing machines will also significantly reduce household consumption of fresh water.

To help conserve water you can plant vegetation that is more suitable for an arid region in your garden. There are also different techniques that can be used to help soils retain water without becoming waterlogged. Using eco-friendly pesticides and fertilizers will help reduce the amount of water pollution.

Disposing of oil and chemicals properly helps reduce the risk of water contamination. Using eco-friendly cleaners and detergents for daily household chores will also keep our water cleaner.

Many of these things are easy to do and only require minimal changes in lifestyle. Try writing to your local newspaper or government representative explaining how you feel about current issues on fresh water access, or become involved in community activities to help spread the message.