The final count for Blog Action Day stands at over 5,600 bloggers from 143 countries, reaching more than 40 million readers. It was a remarkable display of support for an issue that gets woefully little coverage in the mainstream media.

There were countless noteworthy posts among the thousands we read, and we wanted to highlight a small selection of these to demonstrate the breadth of topics covered by Blog Action Day bloggers – which ranged from data centers and water conservation to issues of gender equality and water contamination:

“I don’t remember how old I was when I learned that water is not supposed to have a taste. I grew up in a town that was surrounded by oil refineries and heavy industry, basically learning that water that tasted like chemicals and metals was normal.” – Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green for All

“One of key areas where we can make a contribution [to conserving water] is through our data center operations. Every year, our data centers save hundreds of millions of gallons of drinking water simply by consuming 50% less electricity than the industry average for technology companies.” – The Official Google Blog

“Each day, millions of females begin their trek before sunrise to gather water of poor quality, lugging 75lb jugs back to their homes across rough terrain and jeopardizing their health in the process… Even something as simple as going to the bathroom can be risky for women whose homes lack toilets and must venture to a remote location, risking sexual and physical assault, because of inadequate sanitation infrastructure.” – NRDC Switchboard

“When I was nine, growing up in my native Bolivia, I paused one day from a particularly active game during recess to quench my thirst at the school tap. What I didn’t know was that the water was contaminated. The price I paid for that innocent drink of water was a serious bout of Hepatitis and three months of missed school.” – Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, on the State Department Blog

“The issues around water in 2010 concern scarcity, access, pollution and more. But it’s not all grim. There are new opportunities for tech startups, engineers, investors and creative people to solve problems around the water crisis. Water and waste water technology is a hot market that could get hotter.”
- TechCrunch

For a longer list of some of the most noteworthy posts from Blog Action Day, visit our homepage.

By being a part of Blog Action Day 2010, you helped focus the world’s attention of the vital issue of water rights and water access. But this is just the beginning of a much larger process to create real change around water issues. Next year, keep an eye out for The World Walks for Water, organized in part by our Blog Action Day partner End Water Poverty. And, if you’re interested in learning more, check out the water page of the Change.org Environment and Sustainable Food sections.

Thank you all for making Blog Action Day 2010 a huge success. We’ll see you next year!

With so much great content, it’s hard to pick favorites. But, we wanted to highlight a couple of posts from a diverse group of bloggers to demonstrate the breadth of topics covered this Blog Action Day. Check out these great posts, and many others on the Blog Action Day site:

“In protecting America’s waters today, we have a responsibility to continue the work that began 40 years ago, and begin new work that will change the course of the next 40 years and beyond.  This is what we have been doing since taking office, and what we plan on continuing to do in the months and years ahead.” – EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, blogging on the White House Blog

“There are lots of blogs out there. And we’ve noticed that blogs can sometimes get a bad rap — critics will say that bloggers are whiny, lazy and all they do is talk (ahem, type) about changing the big issues in our world without doing anything. We disagree. And we think this year’s Blog Action Day can help prove that bloggers can make a difference in solving one of the world’s greatest problems: the water crisis.” – charity: water

“When I was nine, growing up in my native Bolivia, I paused one day from a particularly active game during recess to quench my thirst at the school tap. What I didn’t know was that the water was contaminated. The price I paid for that innocent drink of water was a serious bout of Hepatitis and three months of missed school. Unfortunately, this type of story is all too common in the developing world. While I was lucky to have access to good medical care and recovered, around the world 4,500 children die each day from water related diseases. This is something we must change.” – Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, on the State Department Blog

“We thrilled to share some good news as millions on the web rally to talk about all things water for today: Blog Action Day. We’re not waiting on a magic cure to help those without clean water or a toilet. The solutions are simple and cost-effective. And Water.org has been delivering these solutions in sustainable ways for 20 years. “ -  Water.org

“Water is a huge issue for us here at ONE, and we’re glad that Blog Action Day gives us a another reason to talk about it. Access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation facilities could transform the lives of millions — but knowing how and why is a key part of being a smart and informed advocate for the world’s poorest people.” – ONE Blog

“I don’t remember how old I was when I learned that water is not supposed to have a taste. I grew up in a town that was surrounded by oil refineries and heavy industry, basically learning that water that tasted like chemicals and metals was normal. This was my reality, and unfortunately the reality for many young people growing up in low income communities and communities of color. The EPA estimates that more than 870,000 of the 1.9 million housing units for the poor, occupied mostly by Latino and African Americans, sit within approximately a mile of factories that report toxic emissions to the U.S.” – Change.org Changemaker Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

“Today is Blog Action Day and Mashable, along with thousands of bloggers worldwide, is raising awareness about clean water. Earlier this week, we pledged to take on your commitments to water as a global issue. We chose some of the top responses and now we’re tackling them in teams. “ – Mashable

“One of key area where we can make a contribution [to conserving water] is through our data center operations. On average, two gallons of water is consumed for every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced in the U.S., because water is needed for power plants to operate. That means that by building what we believe to be the most efficient data centers in the industry, we’re saving fresh water. Every year, our data centers save hundreds of millions of gallons of drinking water simply by consuming 50% less electricity than the industry average for technology companies.” – The Official Google Blog

“Each day, millions of females begin their trek before sunrise to gather water of poor quality, lugging 75lb jugs back to their homes across rough terrain and jeopardizing their health in the process.  The water they retrieve can lead to waterborne disease transmission, which kills 3.575 million people die each year.  And as water scarcity increases and privatization grows, these poor households may have to spend 3%-11% of their income on water alone.  Even something as simple as going to the bathroom can be risky for women whose homes lack toilets and must venture to a remote location, risking sexual and physical assault, because of inadequate sanitation infrastructure.” – NRDC Switchboard

These posts show the depth and breadth of the conversation taking place around water today. From data centers and water conservation to issues of gender equality, bloggers are diving in and exploring water issues that impact us all. Finally, if you’re not in the mood for some heavy reading, our partners at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting have put together a great series of photos showing what water looks like around the world.

As Blog Action Day winds to a close later today, we hope that these stories will inspire you to act and keep the conversation about water issues going well into the coming days, weeks and months.

Don’t worry if you don’t yet know what to write about – we have you covered.

First, if you don’t want to focus on any specific aspect of the water crisis, we welcome you to simply write about Blog Action Day 2010 itself, telling your readers about this year’s topic. You can also embed our video or action widget to educate and empower your readers.

For those of you who want to dig deeper into the often shocking, disheartening, yet hopeful issues around water, we’ve outlined a list of ideas for things to write about below.

The problem of scarce clean water:

Nearly 1 billion people lack access to clean water, which causes a litany of struggles, diseases and even death.

• 40 Billion Hours: African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink. More Info »
• 38,000 Children a Week: Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions. More Info »
• Wars Over Water: Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa. More Info »
• A Human Right: In July, to address the water crisis, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right over. But we are far from implementing solutions to secure basic access to safe drinking water. More Info »

Water over-consumption in industrialized countries:

While the developing world faces a water crisis, those in industrialized countries consume far more than their fair share.

• Food Footprint: It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger. That means it would take over 19.9 billion liters of water to make just one hamburger for every person in Europe. More Info »
• Technology Footprint: The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that’s 40 million liters to charge those alone. More Info »
• Fashion Footprint: That cotton t-shirt you’re wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters. More Info »
• Bottled Water Footprint: The US, Mexico and China lead the world in bottled water consumption, with people in the US drinking an average of 200 bottles of water per person each year. Over 17 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture those water bottles, 86 percent of which will never be recycled. More Info »

Water and the environment:

The disregard for water resources in industrialized countries impacts more than humans – it causes environmental devastation.

• Waste Overflow: Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water sources. This not only negatively impacts the environment but also harms the health of surrounding communities. More Info »
• Polluted Oceans: Death and disease caused by polluted coastal waters costs the global economy $12.8 billion a year. More Info »
• Uninhabitable Rivers: Today, 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life. More Info »

Water solutions:

The good news is that there are great organizations working on solutions and new tools that empower people to do their part to address the water crisis.

• Building Wells: Organizations like Water.org and charity: water are leading the charge in bringing fresh water to communities in the developing world.
• Technology for Good: Do you want to measure how much water it took to make your favorite foods? There’s an app for that. More Info »
• Conservation Starts at Home: The average person uses 465 liters of water per day. Find out how much you use and challenge your readers to do that same. More Info »
• Keeping Rivers Clean: We can all take small steps to help keep pollution out of our rivers and streams, like correctly disposing of household wastes. More Info »
• Drop the Bottle: Communities around the world are taking steps to reduce water bottle waste by eliminating bottled water.More Info »

Still not sure what to write about? Shoot me an email at maria at change dot org and we’ll be sure to help you come up with an awesome post idea.

Below is a guest post from one of our partners, Ryan’s Well Foundation. Ryan Hreljac, the founder of the organizations, is an inspirational individual who exemplifies the fact that anyone can make a difference on water issues, regardless of their age.

“What inspires me? When I see other  people who forget who they are in the sense of “I’m just a student,” “I’m just a teacher,” “I’m just nobody,” and try to be somebody in their particular way to make a difference.” – Ryan Hreljac

Ryan Hreljac knows a thing or two about inspiration. When he was in first grade, he learned of children in the developing world who did not have access to clean water.  Determined to help, he spent four months doing chores to raise the $70 he thought would build a well and fix the world’s water crisis.

When he learned the well would actually cost $2,000 – he simply replied, “I’ll just do more chores.”

Ryan’s first well was built in 1999 at a school in a Ugandan village and continues to serve thousands of people from the village and surrounding communities.

In 2001, the Ryan’s Well Foundation was formed. What started as a simple school project has since become the world’s project with the Foundation completing 630 projects in 16 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to over 700,000 people!

“When I was a kid, I started public speaking to help raise awareness. I was probably one of the worst kids you could choose for public speaking, so a lot of the words didn’t actually get across, but the message did.  Here’s this kid, not anything too special about him, who just wanted to make a difference.” – Ryan Hreljac

With the help of passionate and dedicated schools, church groups, organizations, community groups, individuals and more – the Ryan’s Well Foundation continues to focus on two primary goals: to BUILD water and sanitation projects in partnership with local non-governmental and community based organizations and EMPOWER people of all ages – youth in particular – to take action and get involved! Our classroom and fundraising resources help educate about the need to conserve water, demonstrate the importance of safe water and sanitation and inspire others to make a difference.

“I just love hearing more examples of people who … just do what they want to do and don’t care if it’s not going to fix the entire problem or not going to make the biggest impact on the world, but are naïve enough to do what I did when I was six.  And it’s amazing what can happen over time.” – Ryan Hreljac

This Blog Action Day, we invite you to visit the Ryan’s Well Blog to learn more about the world water crisis, our water and sanitation projects, the impacts to the communities where we work, the importance of conserving water at home and how we can each get involved and make a difference in the world!

With more influential blogs set to confirm their participation in the next few days, Blog Action Day 2010 is shaping up to be the biggest single day of action about clean water on record. But to make sure this happens, we need your help.

Every year, after Blog Action Day is over, we get countless emails from bloggers saying “I wish I had known about this day beforehand!” While there’s nothing we can do about those emails after October 15th, we have four days left to get the word out.

So, if you have a friend or family member who blogs, or are part of a blogging community, we need your help in spreading the word about Blog Action Day. It doesn’t matter how large or small a blog is or what topics it covers – we want everyone involved.

You can help spread the word three ways:

1. Send an email to friends: Do you know someone who blogs? Can you take a few minutes to send your blogging friends and family members a quick email, letting them know about Blog Action Day?
2. Post to a blogger forum or listserv: If you’re part of a blogging community, listserv or forum with lots of bloggers, you can use the same email to encourage everyone to participate.
3. Write an early blog post: In addition to posting on Blog Action Day this Friday, consider writing an announcement post earlier in the week letting the readers of your blog know about Blog Action Day. Many of your readers are likely to have their own blogs, and this will give them time to register before the big day.

Do you have other ideas of how we can raise awareness about Blog Action Day? Shoot me an email at maria at change dot org — I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Thank you for your continued commitment and support. Blog Action Day truly  would not be possible without you.

1. 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, causes 42,000 deaths each week.

2. 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 and causing disease.

3. 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 such long distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities.

4. It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun. And that’s just one meal! It would take over 1.8 billion gallons of water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.

5. 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 washing our 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 just 10 gallons to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.

Want more info? Our friends at Water.org just put together a handy resource guide for Blog Action Day 2010 bloggers where you can learn even more about water access in the developing world.

While these facts may be grim, there is hope for real solutions as more and more people around the world are waking up to the clean water crisis. Earlier this year, the UN declared access to clean water a human right and groups like Water.org and charity: water continue to work tirelessly to bring water access to the developing world. Take a moment to register your blog and grab an action widget, and get ready for an amazing day of blog activism.

Many of you have asked us how you can get more involved. Here are three ways you can help make Blog Action Day 2010 a success, and be part of the effort to save the 3800 children who die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities:

1. Embed an action widget: Together with US Fund for UNICEF, we’re helping to build a movement of people across the world calling on UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to accelerate the UN’s work to supply clean, safe drinking water to the world’s poorest populations. You can help this movement by grabbing our interactive action widget and embedding it on your blog, empowering your readers to join the cause.

2. Raise funds for water: We’ve partnered with leading organizations to enable you to raise money to provide clean drinking water to those in need. Among these is charity: water, which allows you to create a fundraising page to raise money to build wells in Africa. You can also directly donate through Water.org, an organization co-founded by Matt Damon. Just $25 provides clean water for a lifetime for one person.

3. Spread the word: We need your help to spread the word about Blog Action Day 2010 across the web. Take a moment to tell your friends to sign up via email, Facebook and Twitter. The more voices we have involved in the conversation, the greater our collective impact.

Blog Action Day 2010 is shaping up to be the biggest online day of action around water to date. But we need your help to make it even more successful. By registering your blog, embedding an action widget, fundraising for clean water and spreading the word, you’re helping shed light on an often over-looked, yet incredibly important issue

I am very excited to announce this issue as the topic for Blog Action Day 2010: Water.

Today we unveiled the Blog Action Day 2010 site, and aim to make this year’s event the largest single day of action on the web in 2010 . Click here to check out the new site and register for Blog Action Day 2010, held on October 15^th.

You don’t need to be a water expert to participate – you just have to be interested in joining thousands of other bloggers from more than 100 countries in collectively raising awareness of one of the most important issues facing our world.

After all, clean water is essential for our survival, but dangerously scarce. Nearly one billion people in the world today don’t have access to clean water and 42,000 people die each week from water-borne diseases. And the issue doesn’t stop there – water availability impacts a wide variety of issues from the environment to women’s rights and from technology to fashion. If you’re unsure what to write about on October 15th, check out our list of water post suggestions to get started.

Last year, Blog Action Day included influential voices ranging frm the White House to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. This year, we’re looking forward to an even larger group of influential voices, from celebrities to politicians, to help widen the scope of our conversation.

But we need your help to get the momentum going. Register today and help kick-off Blog Action Day 2010!

To make Blog Action Day 2010 an even bigger success this year, we need your help in answering the following question:

What important issue do you think the world should talk about on October 15th?

Based on nominations we received during voting process for last year’s topic, we’ve put together six potential topics for this year, outlined below. To vote on your favorite topic, click here.

• Water: The UN recently declared water to be a human right, but millions around the world still lack even the most basic access, causing widespread disease and the possibility of military conflict over access to clean water.
• Human Trafficking: From prostitution to forced labor, more than 27 million people are modern-day slaves, making human trafficking one of the most overlooked man-made tragedies in the world.
• Women: The most discriminated against group in the world isn’t a minority: it’s women. From inequality in schooling to reduced economic opportunities, women face a disproportionate degree of adversity all over the world.
• Sustainable Food: Industrial agriculture has overtaken the world’s food supply – creating obesity in the developed world and spreading genetically modified crops and oftentimes undercutting local farmers in the developing world.
• Hunger: While many of us may take healthy, nutritious food for granted, more than 1 billion people around the world see it as an unattainable luxury.
• Oceans: Overfishing and pollution have decimated untold species of fish and other ocean life over the past few decades, and recent oil spills have shown how vulnerable aquatic life is to man-made disasters.
• Don’t see an issue you’re passionate about in this list? We’d love to hear any additional suggestions.

Blog Action Day 2010 is just 2 months away, and we have a lot of work to do between now and then. We’ll announce the winning topic for Blog Action Day by early September and look forward to hearing your voice on October 15th.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, suggestions, or want to be more involved in planning or promoting Blog Action Day, email me at maria (at) change (dot) org.