Ethos Water: Helping Children Get Clean Water

Much like charity:water, Ethos Water is concerned with putting an end to the World Water Crisis.   Ethos Water, a brand of bottles water, has a mission of "helping children get clean water." 

The World Water Crisis is one of the biggest public health issues of our time.  Ethos Water has chosen to bring clean water to children because they are affected most by the crisis.  The lack of safe drinking water is estimated to cause the deaths of nearly 4,500 children every day.  

Ethos Water was started in 2001 by Peter Thum.  After working in South Africa and spending time in communities that had no access to clean water, Thum got the idea to help raise awareness and fund water programs.  In August 2003, Thum launched operations as a bottled water company and formed the non-profit, Ethos International.  Funds from the business were to be invested in safe water programs.

In 2005, Starbucks bought the company from Thum for $8 million.  According to Starbucks, the company was acquired "as a way to meet customers' requests for a convenient source of portable water and also help support water projects in water-stressed areas."

Ethos Water products include 500 mL, 700 mL, and 1 liter bottles of water.  They are sold at most Starbucks in the U.S. and Canada, as well as premium retail outlets, and major grocery, convenience, and drug stores across the United States.  

Starbucks is "committed to contributing $10 million to humanitarian programs through the sales of Ethos Water."  For every bottle of Ethos Water sold in the United States, 5 cents goes to the Ethos Water Fund, a part of the Starbucks Foundation.  In Canada, 10 cents is donated.  

Ethos Water has already helped raise money for water projects in Africa and Asia.  The countries that these projects were built in are: India, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Unlike charity:water, however, Ethos Water only donates a small portion of its earnings to water projects.  At Starbucks in the U.S., the retail price for a bottle of Ethos Water is $1.80, but only $0.05 is contributed to the Ethos Water Fund.  

How is it that Ethos Water, with all the financial backing and resources of Starbucks, cannot afford to donate more to the cause, while charity:water manages to donate 100% to it?  

I am not trying to degrade what Starbucks and Ethos Water are doing, because it truly is a great cause and any amount of help is better than no help at all.  Still, I think that it may be time for Starbucks to re-evaluate its priorities and do everything in its power to help put an end to the World Water Crisis. 

Information from ethos-water.com and businessweek.com

The September Campaign

"BIRTHDAYS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD"

That is the idea behind the September Campaign.  

2006

charity:water was founded (or "born," according to the organization) on September 7, 2006.  It started on founder Scott Harrison's 31st birthday.  Armed with an idea, but no money or office, Scott decided to throw himself a birthday party.  Instead of gifts, he asked his guests to bring money.  700 people attended the party, each bringing $20 or more.  

Scott's 31st birthday bash raised over $15,000.  All of the money wet to a refugee camp in Uganda.  Six freshwater wells were built there.  

2007

Scott Harrison did not have a 32nd birthday party in 2007.  He simply asked people to donate $32 (for 32 years) to charity:water instead of buying him presents.  He also asked other people born in September to give up their birthdays and ask for donations instead of presents.  With the help of the 700+ people who joined the effort, charity:water raised over $150,000.  The money raised from the 2007 September campaign went to hospitals and schools in Kenya.  

2008

Over 900 people, including actor Matt Damon, joined the movement in 2008.  This time around, people were asked to donate $33 for Scott's 33rd birthday.  The nearly $1 million raised was dispersed between 33 villages in Ethiopia and helped over 50,000 people.

Ethiopia was chosen to receive the million dollars raised because of their immediate need for clean water.  More people in Ethiopia must live without water than in any other country in Africa.  The country has a population of over 70 million people.  One in four of these people are forced to live without clean water, and a mere 13% have access to the basic sanitation.  

People who live in Ethiopia don't even have the option of boiling their water to make it safe to drink.  In many areas, it is illegal to cut down trees for firewood.  Firewood, a very rare and expensive commodity in Ethiopia, is normally only used for cooking.

 2009

Scott Harrison and charity:water took it to a whole new level with the 2009 September Campaign trailer.  In the video, Scott gives a very heartwarming monologue about the history, and future, of charity:water and the September Campaign.  His words are paired with music and touching photos of water projects around the world.  Scott ups the ante and asks everyone to give up their birthdays, even if they do not fall in September.  He also asks for people to give up their wedding and anniversary presents.  He urges everyone to get creative.  The $1 million+ raised from the 2009 campaign went to water projects in Haiti.

September Campaign 2009 Trailer

2010

This year, the money raised by the 2010 September Campaign will go toward water projects for the Bayaka people in the Central African Republic.  The UN has referred to the C.A.R. as "the world's most silent crisis."  

Over the past 10 years, four civil wars broke out in the C.A.R.  40% of the country's wells, which were already few and far between, were destroyed.  Refugees from Chad and Sudan caused many communities to swell from 1,000 to 10,000 people very quickly.  

charity:water has already built 3 new wells and rehabilitated 50 in the C.A.R.  and has plans to build 15 new wells and rehab over 100 more.  These wells will provide water for thousands.  

The September Campaign is bigger than ever this year.  Actors Will and Jada Smith have jumped on board and given up their birthdays.  The top 3 fundraisers in the September Campaign will win a trip to Africa.  They will get the opportunity to go to Haiti with Will and Jada to see the completed wells.

September Campaign 2010 Video

I urge everyone to take part in the 2010 September Campaign and donate for a good cause!

Information courtesy of charity:water

Videos courtesy of youtube.com

Vanity Fair #1

If you were to simply glance at the cover of Vanity Fair, you would see a cover similar to any other girly, celebrity gossip type magazine.  It would probably remind you of, say, Cosmopolitan, Elle, or Glamour.

For example, the cover of the September 2010 issue of Vanity Fair has a picture of Lady Gaga plastered on the cover.  In the past, Lady Gaga has certainly been on the covers of virtually every pop-culture magazine in circulation.

It is true, that Vanity Fair is similar to these other girly magazines in many ways.  Like many others, Vanity Fair markets itself to the fashion-obsessed, as well as the pop-culture-obsessed reader.  It targets primarily women (and most likely the gay community).  Its target audience is moderately wealthy, and obsessed with what is "in."

There is something about the magazine that does make it stand out from Vogue or Cosmo, however.  It has the ability to appeal to a more worldly, fashionista.  Once you flip through the seemingly thousands of fashion advertisements, you can find a few articles of substance.  There does seem to be a trend, for the most part, when it comes to the length and placement of the articles.

The majority of the articles in Vanity Fair are rather short.  They may take up a quarter or half of a page.  The shorter articles, in the earlier pages of the magazine are of little consequence or importance to most.  They cover topics such as makeup, popular music, restaurants, clothing collections, and other fashion-related topics.  One of the short articles even turns the topic of sports into a fashion piece.

There are also a few medium-length articles as you venture further into the issue.  These articles cover topics with slightly more to them.  One of these articles gives an overview of the different neighborhoods one can choose to inhabit in NYC.  In another, actor James Franco writes about researching his latest movie role.  In a third medium-length article, an insider tells secrets about financial news and bad C.E.O.'s.  These articles, typically about one page long, offer a little more to the reader.

There are also a handful of longer, feature length articles.  These articles span anywhere from two and a half to ten pages in length and can be found towards the back of the issue. The cover story, about Lady Gaga, and a few other fashion-related articles, hold true to the typical girly magazine article.  There are a few, however, that would not be found in these other magazines.  There are two multiple-page articles concerning politics.  There is also a multiple-page article about an accountant who scammed a handful of well-respected people out of millions of dollars.  These articles contain a little more substance.  They cover "real" issues, and can draw in a certain type of reader.  They are for the reader who likes to be up-to-date with fashion, food, and music, but also has a head on her (or maybe his) shoulders.  These are for people who actually like to read.

There are also a few write-in sections in this issue of Vanity Fair.  The first section is actually a poll.  The subject of the poll focuses on what we are still willing to spend our money on amidst this economic crisis.  The results of the poll are split up by age group.  The questions use reference to sports, popular television shows, and the like.  Due to the references chosen, I would say that the poll is geared more toward the younger age groups.  Older people may not understand these references as well. There is also an actual write-in section where readers can submit their thoughts on previous issues of the magazine.  In this issue, people responded mostly to an article about Elizabeth Taylor and then men in her life.  This makes sense considering Elizabeth Taylor is a very well-known fashion and pop-culture icon.  There were also letter in response to an article about Sean Penn leaving Hollywood for Haiti.  The article that these responses were about seems to be geared toward the section of the magazine's audience that actually likes to read.

The audience that Vanity Fair is trying to compel is an easy one to guess.  The magazine, in whole, is a fashion magazine.  Who is typically concerned more with fashion? Women.  And how can I tell that these women are for the most part moderately wealthy?  Because people without a lot of money cannot afford the items that are being advertised.  I am sure, however, that there are some women who buy the magazine who are not wealthy.  These women must just wish that they could buy these things.  I also know that the magazine, in part, is geared toward the more intellectual fashionista because of some of the articles in the back portion of the magazine.  Articles about financials and politics entice a reader who knows about more than just fashion and pop-culture.

Photo courtesy of Vanity Fair.

All about water, charity:water

Did you know that nearly one billion people around the globe don't have access to clean drinking water?

Not a million, but a billion, with a "b."  

To give you a better idea of how many people that really is: 1 in every 8 people on the planet must go without clean, safe water to drink.

charity:water is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean water to these people in need.  The organization is doing more than simply quenching peoples' thirst, however.  charity:water is improving the overall well-being of communities in developing countries by building freshwater wells and hand-washing stations.  These new facilities will help: prevent disease, protect women and children, promote equality, and increase food supply

Disease

It is crazy to think that water, our most basic need, is often the cause of disease, and even death.  In fact, 80% of all disease worldwide is caused by a lack of safe water and basic sanitation.  Roughly 42,000 deaths occur every week.  If that statistic alone isn't shocking enough, children under the age of 5 make up 90% of these deaths.  This is because children are especially susceptible to disease.  Their bodies are too weak to fight off the usually preventable diseases. 

These diseases include:

• E. coli
• Salmonela typhi
• Schistosoma 
• Cholera vibrios
• Hepatitis A

According to the UN, "one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation."

Women & Children
In many developing countries, the responsibility of water collection falls on women and children.  This means that they are forced to walk several miles, there to and back from the closest water source.  It is very likely that this water is unsanitary and will make them sick.  

The long walk takes a great toll on the lives of these women and children....

• The time spent walking keeps women away from their families and children out of school.
• In order to transport water back to their communities, they must haul up to 40 pounds on their backs.  This leads to spine and back problems at a young age.  
• During the walk, they must often endure harassment and sexual assault 

With clean water closer to their communities, women and children will only have to walk for about 15 minutes instead of 3 hours.  Women will be able to stay at home and care for their families and children will be able to go to school and get an education. 

                               Gender Equality

                             

In many of the communities where charity:water projects are set up, men and women are not treated equally.  One of charity:water's goals is to bring some equality to these places.

In each community, both men and women take part in the construction and maintenance of water projects.  After the facilities are built, a water committee is put into place.  The community elects the 6 to 10 people that make up this committee.  For many women, being a part of this committee is their first opportunity to be in a leadership role.  

Food Supply

Water projects can help increase the food supply in the communities where they are built.  People can use the water to grow small gardens close to their homes.  With their own food supply secured, they can feed their families and sell extra food at the local market.  

The Future of charity:water

In the short 4 years of the organization's existence, charity:water has helped an impressive amount of people.  At the end of 2009, charity:water served its first 1 million people.  Even still, more needs to be done.

It is estimated that the world's population is going to grow by 3 billion in the next 40 years.  90% of this growth is expected to happen in developing countries where people are already scrounging for water to drink.

If you want to become a part of this great cause, there are many ways to help.  You can:

• start a fundraising campaign
• help raise money and collect donations
• go to mycharitywater.org
• donate 
• $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years
• go to charitywater.org
• wear charity:water gear
• help spread the word about the organization and the need for clean water
• go to charitywater.org

Information and photos courtesy of charity:water (charitywater.org)