Live Earth - Run for Water

PHOTOS: Live Earth Run for Water April 18 2010

Andy Sternberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Photos are coming in from Run for Water events around the world! Nearly 200 events have taken place on, Sunday April 18, 2010. Send in your photos to be added to the slideshow!

View larger slideshow below.

Video from April 18th Friends of Live Earth Events Around the World

Andy Sternberg — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:38:44 +0000

Some of the most successful Run for Water events were organized and hosted by people just like you. Thanks to our Friends of Live Earth support toolkit and green guidelines for distributed events, April 18th was a day dedicated to awareness of the water crisis in cities from Tortola to Tirana, Riyadh to Rocky Mount, Vienna to Waxahachie.

Thousands of people showed up for a <,a href="http://correporelaguaperu.com">6K in the Miraflores district of Lima, Peru. 5,0000 runners and walkers took to Santo Domingo's Mirador del Sur Park, along with Linea Meta, to raise money for clean water projects.

In Amsterdam, His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange was among several prominent figures taking part in The Run for Water, while in Dar es Salaam, 2,200 people came to benefit Practica Foundation at Tanzania's new national stadium.

Watch the hundreds of videos and photos in the player below to find out happened in every corner of the world to raise awareness and funds for clean, safe water. And click here for more info on Friends of Live Earth.

Submit your own photos and video at video.liveearth.org/publish.

Safe Water Today Participates in the Run for Water Los Angeles

Live Earth — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:27:59 +0000

Safe Water Today a project of the Los Angeles based Earth Rights Institute 501(c)3 was a participant along with about a half dozen other organizations in the water village at the Los Angeles Live Earth Event. We focus on getting clean and safe water to those in need through the use of low cost low tech point of use Home Water Treatment Systems like the "The Extremely Affordable Gravity Powered Tulip Siphon Filter" and the Ceramic Pot Filter.

We brought both of these technologies to the event and it was a great opportunity to be able to get these simple and effective technologies out into the public eye.

As for the event, it was great, though for a city that is the size of Los Angeles it seemed to be only moderately attended. Having said that, the participants seemed to be enjoying themselves, there was moderate traffic in the Water Village and the networking opportunities with other related NGOs were fabulous.

The entertainment selected was appealing to the attendees and it created a light and fun atmosphere. Plus it didn’t hurt that a day that started out being a bit nippy ended with lots of sunshine. For more information about our work and to see the Tulip Siphon Filter in action visit www.safewatertoday.org.

Guest posted by Harry Pollak, co-founder of Safe Water Today.

Thousands Run for Water in Singapore to Benefit Lien Aid

Live Earth — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:55:12 +0000

The Dow Live Earth Run for Water was well attended in Singapore with more than 4,000 runners! Singaporeans are very supportive in charity runs usually and they often participate to marathons.

Non-profit beneficiary Lien Aid also around 300 visitors at our booth and managed to collect good signatures for the petition for "water as a basic Human Right." Watch the highlight video from the event below!

Click here to view photos from the Run for Water Singapore!

video by CTV, m:idea, School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic Singapore.

Gap Adventures Participates in Dow Live Earth Run for Water Events Worldwide

Live Earth — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:31:36 +0000

This page briefly outlines what each Gap Adventures office did for their runs -- We ran in London, Cusco, Lima, San Jose, Cape Town and Toronto, where our run fees contributed to local water projects.

In Cusco, Peru our run was a hike, through the Sacred Valley, where earlier this year 80 families that we work with (they are Gap Adventures porters for our Inca Trail trips and women who belong to Planeterra's Women's Weaving Cooperative), were devastated by floods, landslides and lost almost everything. Planeterra's project manager, Danielle Weiss, organized a relief trip with Gap Adventures staff and passengers who were currently travelling with the company. They hiked 6km to the base of one of the Sacred Valley communities and distributed food, supplies and lunch and played soccer with the kids. The full story on that can be found here.

Additionally we are raising money throughout earth month to install ten new water tanks in Kenya's Kuwour village where we have a community tourism project that provides access to clean drinking water. A description and video of the project can be seen here.

Below are some photos and we have a ton on our online community.

7,000 Participate in the Mexico City Run for Water!

Andy Sternberg — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:27:40 +0000

Clique aqui para leer en español.

7,000 runners gathered on April 18 in Mexico City to celebrate one more step for Water, colorful painted the Auditorio Nacional, music and dance that filled our hearts, Kany Garcia, Sandoval and the untapped knowledge of the Villa Aquatic everything under the expectant eyes who admired the convergence of wills. Environmental experience filled to cover all present.

With more than 500 volunteers filled the path of life and the presence of environmental educators encouraged participants to return to the path of ecological care, make a difference means going beyond the economic cost, is to consider the environmental cost of all our actions, every drop counts in this race, before, during and after .... Thank you for participating.

Congratulations Linda Moore - Winner of the Live Earth Fundraise for Water Giveaway!

Andy Sternberg — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:12:52 +0000

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Live Earth Fundraise for Water Giveaway!

The campaign was very successful and added to the total funds raised for Global Water Challenge. But there could only be one Grand Prize Winner.

Congratulations to Linda Moore of Maryland, who we sent to New York City (on the train!) for the April 18th Dow Live Earth Run for Water in Prospect Park along with her husband.

Thanks again to everyone who has donated and raised funds during the Dow Live Earth Run for Water.

It's not too late to donate to one of our dozens of global non-profits working to solve critical water issues (see the project listing below via our partners akvo.org):

Thousands Run for Water in Buenos Aires

Andy Sternberg — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:46:34 +0000

More than 7,000 people took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday April 18th for the 6K Live Earth Maratón del Agua. The event, benefiting Argentina-based clean water solutionn non-profit Espacio Agua, also featured a live performance by Kevin Johansen + The Nada. Watch video from the event below and check out more photos from Buenos Aires here as well as at maratondelagua.com.

Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, Takes Part in the Live Earth Run for Water Amsterdam

Andy Sternberg — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:57:17 +0000

The infield of Amsterdam's picturesque Olympisch Stadion was the stage for thousands of Live Earth participants on Sunday 18 April. But the stadium -- site of the 1928 Olympics -- also provided an epic backdrop for the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands -- His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange -- to take part in the 6K run.

Prince Willem-Alexander has long been a supporter of clean water projects and before the event on Sunday, discussed the importance of funding solutions to the global water crisis to the media.

The following summary of the Prince's remarks comes from our partners at akvo.org:

Dutch water sector trade magazine H2O has just published a series of quotes about Akvo from Prince Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange. The comments dominate an Akvo article written following the Unicef World Water Day matchmaking event in Rotterdam last month.

The Prince of Orange chairs the UN’s advisory board on water and sanitation – so we’re delighted to get this kind of feedback from the highest level of intergovernmental leadership. Describing Akvo in some detail, the article cuts to the chase on his views:

Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander is very enthusiastic about this particular project. “The beauty of Akvo is that it appeals to all generations, particularly the younger ones,” he explains.

“It is also a great example of genuine commitment. I have a lot of admiration for entrepreneurs who had nothing to do with the water sector but realised that they could make a major contribution to the sanitation problem with their knowledge. They put everything else aside to help others. I think that is marvellous.”

It gets better:

Willem-Alexander is of the opinion that the project has the potential to develop into one of the largest in the water and sanitation area. “This is because you will be able to follow your chosen project closely. Photos, film clips and blogs are much clearer than words alone in portraying the actual meaning of poor sanitation.”

His views on the action needed to speed up implementation of Millennium Development Goals related to clean drinking water and proper sanitation can be read here, when he spoke in Delhi in October.

Many thanks to Anke for the Dutch-English translation.

VIDEO: Pete Wentz and 200 Cities Run for Water

jgeeslin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:07:19 +0000

Live Earth TV host Shira Lazar caught up with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, an artist and philanthropist who has been a big supporter of Live Earth's global initiative, at the Run for Water in Los Angeles. He emphasized the importance of spreading the word and getting involved: "Clean water for everyone is a basic human right. Water is a local issue and a global issue. A child dies every 20 seconds from unclean water, and with just 10 dollars you can have clean water for a year for one child."

200 cities from around the world participated in the 6-kilometer trek, similar in distance to the walk many women and children in these developing areas take each day to secure water, much of which is unsuitable for drinking.

Over one billion people still have no clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion lack improved sanitation, according to the UN

Visit CBSNews for more info.

Live Earth Run for Water TV Special Airs on Bravo TV

Andy Sternberg — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000

One-Hour TV Event Tackles the Challenges and Solutions of the Global Water Crisis
Performances by Collective Soul, Estelle, Melissa Etheridge, John Legend and Rob Thomas
Airs Friday, April 23, 7 p.m. ET/PT

Live Earth, organizer of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, and Bravo today announced a one-hour special offering audiences an inside look at the global event and its mission to help solve the world water crisis, which will air on Friday, April 23 at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) on Bravo. Through discussions with impassioned advocate Pete Wentz and water crisis expert Alexandra Cousteau; discovery of solutions being implemented by NGO partners all over the world; and amazing musical performances from events taking place in the U.S., featuring Collective Soul (Chicago), Estelle (Minneapolis), Melissa Etheridge (Los Angeles), John Legend (New York) and Rob Thomas (Atlanta), the special will illustrate how the global water crisis affects people in every part of the world and how this issue can be solved through specific actions.

"Bravo has been a longtime supporter of Live Earth and their mission to raise awareness on these important environmental issues," said Frances Berwick, General Manager and EVP, Bravo Media. "We think this special - which airs as part of NBC Universal's Green is Universal initiative - will resonate with Bravo's eco-conscious viewers, and through heightened awareness comes change."

The Dow Live Earth Run For Water is the largest worldwide water initiative on record to help combat the global water crisis. Taking place in 150 cities across 50 countries around the world on Sunday April 18, the events consisted of a series of 6km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to get water), and culminated with water education villages and live musical performances aimed at raising awareness and funds to effectively address this critical issue.

"The goal of this TV special is to engage audiences in the challenges and solutions associated with the global water crisis in an educational and entertaining format,” said Kevin Wall, Live Earth Founder. “Bravo is the ideal network for this program because its viewers are very tuned in to environmental and social issues."

For more information about the Dow Live Earth Run for Water visit www.liveearth.org. For more information about the Dow Live Earth Run for Water special on Bravo, please visit www.bravotv.com.

The Roots, John Legend, and Alexandra Cousteau at the Live Earth Run for Water New York

Andy Sternberg — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:08:54 +0000

The eyes of the world focused on the global water crisis on April 18th as nearly 200 events took place in 80 countries to raise funds for and awareness of this critical issue. But only one concluded with a concert featuring two acts with a combined 8 GRAMMY awards -- the Live Earth Run for Water New York.

Before a mid-morning concert featuring The Roots and special guest John Legend in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, Run for Water participants lined up for an 8:30am start to the 6K run/walk. Six kilometers is symbolic of the average distance that many women and children must walk each day to get clean water.

(LEFT: Live Earth supporter and Blue Legacy founder Alexandra Cousteau addressed the crowd.. RIGHT: John Legend joins ?uesto and The Roots at the Live Earth Run for Water New York in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on Sunday April 18th 2010.

While many enjoyed the music, others explored the Water Village, which featured informational and educational opportunities to learn more about the global water crisis and to donate to sponsoring non-profits, including Global Water Challenge.
All photos by Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images.

Click here to see more photos from Live Earth Run for Water events around the world!

World Champion Marathoner Kara Goucher Starts the Minneapolis Run for Water

Andy Sternberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:20:45 +0000

It was a gorgeous day for a run at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis! And who better than 2009 World Champion marathoner Kara Goucher to signal the start of the Live Earth Run for Water Minneapolis!?! To nobody's surprise, Kara was also the first to finish the 6K run/walk.

Following the race, participants were treated to a live performance by Estelle and Paris Bennett.

Watch the episode of LiveEarthTV below to hear about why Kara Goucher got involved with the Live Earth Run for Water.

Click here to view the latest Run for Water posts.

Exclusive Rob Thomas Global Water Challenge Guitar at the Dow Live Earth Run for Water Atlanta

Andy Sternberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:01:53 +0000

Global Water Challenge is the non-profit beneficiary of U.S. Run For Water events.

Donate to a GWC project below:

John Legend, Questo, and Rob Thomas Wake Up Fans for the Run for Water via Twitter

Andy Sternberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:27:15 +0000

Not every musician is willing to take the stage before Noon. But for a good cause, Live Earth supporters will go a long way.

The Dow Live Earth Run for Water began more than 12 hours ago, shortly after daybreak on the New Zealand side of the International Date Line.

6K run/walks and live performances have taken place in more than one hundred cities, from Melbourne to Bali to Singapore to Amsterdam and Berlin (Watch the real-time photo slideshow). 6km is symbolic because it is the average distance many women and children must walk each day to attain clean water.

But you don't have to wake up at dawn and do a 6K to support Live Earth and help solve the global water crisis.

You can sleep in a little bit and catch the post-run/walk celebrations, complete with live performances and tour the Water Village.

John Legend and Questo of the Roots (performing in Prospect Park in Brooklyn along with Common) and Rob Thomas (performing in Atlanta) took to Twitter to literally wake up their fans today. Will you take part?

via http://twitter.com/johnlegend/statuses/12394481297.

via http://twitter.com/thisisrobthomas/statuses/12395560013.

via http://twitter.com/questlove/status/12395339241.

Follow @LiveEarth on Twitter for more.

Click here for the latest Run for Water coverage.

Congrats to the World's First to Finish the Live Earth 6K Run for Water

Andy Sternberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 04:46:08 +0000

Congratulations to Mike and Julia who were the first to finish the Friends of Live Earth New Zealand 6K Run for Water -- the first event to take place on April 18, 2010. "We completed the 6km Run for Water Live Earth event this morning," Julia Watson tweeted. "We had a great time, meaningful too."

Run for Water Australia was a success as well as, Live Earth Bali which featured live performances at the Pecatu Resort!

You can send us your photos and videos from the Live Earth Run for Water at video.liveearth.org/publish.

Live Earth Run for Water 'Timely' Says Maori Leader

Andy Sternberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 02:14:07 +0000

Ngapuhi leader David Rankin has stated that the Live Earth Run for Water, which takes place on Sunday 18 April, is a timely reminder for Maori that the water situation in New Zealand needs more attention.

"For decades, we have been using water without much consideration for its sustainability", says Mr Rankin, "and we are now seeing the consequences of that in the form of shortages that are spreading throughout the country"

"This is a particular issue for Maori, because in our culture, water has its own mauri - its own life force - and so when that is depleted, so are the people".

Mr Rankin will be attending the Auckland leg of the run on Sunday 18 April as kaumatua for the event ad says he feels honoured by the role he has been asked to fulfil:

"This is a worthy cause, and I am committed to doing everything possible to raise awareness among our people for environmental issues of this nature".

Auckland will be the first location in this global event where the run will take place.

Originally published in Scoop

UNEP: Communities Unite for Live Earth to Address Water Shortage

Live Earth — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:12:20 +0000

UNEP (the United Nations Environmental Programme) is a Live Earth non-profit partner. This was originally posted at UNEP.org.

Geneva (Switzerland)/Nairobi (Kenya), 16 April 2010 - "Every step and every drop counts to solve the water crisis."

This is the rallying cry of the global Live Earth Run for Water campaign which on Sunday 18 April will mobilize communities in more than 175 cities around the world to raise awareness of the growing scarcity of safe, clean water.

A series of 6km community runs or walks will take place over the course of 24 hours, accompanied in some cities by educational Water Villages and sustainably-managed concerts featuring international artists.

Supported by the UN Environment Programme, the Live Earth organizers are aiming to stage the largest ever solutions-based initiative aimed at solving the world's water crisis.

Six kilometre runs were chosen as the campaign centerpiece, as this is the average distance women and children walk to collect water in many developing countries.

UNEP was also an official partner of the "Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis", a series of memorable rock concerts staged on seven continents on 07.07.07 (7 July 2007) which successfully triggered greater public awareness of the threat of climate change.

The organizers are hoping the campaign this Sunday will achieve similar results, only this time drawing attention to the daily challenge facing around 880 million people who do not have access to clean, safe water.

This startling figure includes an estimated 165 million people across the Pan-European region who must cope on a daily basis with contaminated or dwindling water supplies. Part of UNEP's contribution to the global effort this Sunday involves partnering with the City of Vernier to stage a Friends of Live Earth 6km walk along the River Rhône.

"While walking beside the Rhône, we hope the participants will realize that water is rare and valuable despite its apparent abundance in Switzerland," the Mayor of Vernier, Thierry Cerutti, said.

"Everyone taking part can learn about water conservation through organized information stands and signs along the route while they soothe their souls and appreciate the importance of living in harmony with great waterways such as this," Mayor Cerutti said.

Among the cities which will host a Live Earth Run for Water concerts are Los Angeles (Melissa Etheridge), New York (John Legend and The Roots), Atlanta (Rob Thomas), Rio, Brazil (Jorge Ben Jor), Cape Town (The Parlotones), Buenos Aires (Kevin Johansen) and Mexico City (Kany Garcia/ Sandoval).

UNEP is also linking the 'green' Live Earth concerts to a new UN Music and Environment initiative, currently under development by UNEP and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in conjunction with a cross-section of the music industry.

Other Friends of Live Earth events include clean-ups at local waterways, fund raising to donate money to build wells and other water infrastructure, and a photographic exhibition in Mumbai. A full list of Live Earth Run for Water and Friends of Live Earth events is available at http://liveearth.org/run.

The H2O of Household Items

Thomas M. Kostigen — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:33:01 +0000

The average American home has 10,000 items in it. We need storage units and cabinets in just about every room to house all these things. But you would need an Olympic-size swimming pool to store all the water it takes to make what we so casually call our stuff.

In fact, if you were to release all the water in all the items in our homes, at least 200,000 gallons would gush out like in some mad scene in a disaster movie. Americans expend a lot of water spending $78.5 billion a year on furniture. Heres why: Most of the furniture we own (38 percent) is made of wood. Just 1 board foot of lumber takes about 5.4 gallons of water to make. Wood, of course, comes from trees, and last time I checked, it took water to grow trees.

A full-grown pine tree, for example, needs thousands of gallons of water to mature to a size thats ready to be chopped down for timber. Most timber wood comes from trees more than a decade oldit takes that long to get big enough to be felled. Its one thing if that timber is derived from trees in a sustainably farmed forestone that is cared for and maintained so trees can grow anew for decades or centuries. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies companies that adhere to responsible management processes. But most timber trees arent so lucky. As much as 40 percent of the worlds timber supply comes from illegal logging. These illegal loggers chop down trees without regard for the soil, the water tables, or the futures of the forests. They wreak havoc on the environment, ruining chances for new trees to grow and resulting in the loss of water that we cannot easily recapturegreen water.

Green water is precipitation that falls on trees, soil, and grassy areas but escapes our capture and direct useits stored in such forms as soil moisture, and trees can harvest it, but we cannot.

Blue water is the water that ends up in rivers, lakes, aquifers, and other bodies of water that we can easily tap into.
The chair you are sitting in right now, for example, likely took more than 44,000 gallons of green water to make. If the trees it took to make that chair werent sustainably harvested, then more trees wont grow in their place and that amount of green water in that region is lost.

Buying secondhand furniture is great way to stem the drain on virgin materials. Theres certainly plenty of vintage from which to choose. The US Environmental Protection Agency says theres an 8.8-million-ton pile of furniture at our landfills. So next time you hear some inane furniture-store ad claiming that its prices cant be beat (!), or that your mattress will be free (!!), or that you wont have to make payments until 2060 (!!!), remember that there are other prices to pay -- environmental prices -- for buying something new.

Photo by Nature Form Furniture via Flickr. Thomas M. Kostigen is the author of The Green Blue Book: The Simple Water-Savings Guide to Everything in Your Life (Rodale). www.thegreenbluebook.com.

Live Earth Amsterdam Update

Mark Charmer — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:21:02 +0000

It’s busy here in Amsterdam as we enter the final days before Live Earth. Read on for a quick low-down on what’s going on, for friends and media who want to pick up the story. Get in touch if you need more info, or want to join us on the day.

Photo: Anna Norén and Peter van der Linde of Akvo check out the 1928 Olympic Stadium – the venue for Sunday’s Live Earth Run for Water, in Amsterdam.

Live Earth Run for Water in Amsterdam

What’s happening?

On Sunday 18 April, at 11am, people will come together at the historic 1928 Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam to run for water. Anyone can join in. Register online at http://www.liveearth2010.nl

Sunday is the grand slam moment to conclude a month when Dutch kids and grown-ups have walked or run for water, raising money for water projects around the world. To date, more than €1.2 million has been donated to water projects.

Top Dutch celebrities and media will join thousands of people running for water over a 6km distance, the average that people must walk to fetch water in much of the developing world. This is one of many global runs and concerts, part of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water.

Why come?

Be inspired by the kids. Meet the children who have raised more than €1.2 million. They’ll be telling their story, in front of the cameras.

Aid spending tied to real projects. Meet the people changing the way we spend development aid. Talk to Akvo.org and see what you’re spending money on. See demonstrations of some of the great technologies that can transform people’s living conditions.

Meet the celebrities joining the run.

See sports and television personalities such as Inge de Bruijn, Gerard Joling and Beau van Erven Dorens.

Why water?

In the poorest parts of the world, almost 1 billion people lack access to clean water or proper sanitation. They’re at risk of water borne diseases. Most don’t even know it’s the water making them ill.

This is a problem we can solve easily in a decade, if we all come together and make it happen.

Photo: Two years ago, kids in Sacheta, Southern India, were suffering from flouride contamination. It’s in the ground water – as well as aching limbs, another side effect is white teeth. Now rainwater is harvested from rooftops. People feel the difference within weeks – the community becomes much healthier.

Why is this new?

Photo: Akvo co-founder Peter van der Linde.

For the first time, everyone funding Live Earth projects around the world can see where the money goes thanks to the Dutch internet startup Akvo.org.

“People no longer want to just write a cheque to a charity,” explains Akvo co-founder Peter van der Linde, an expert in disaster management who now leads Akvo’s global partnerships.

“They want to feel their money is going to something specific. We’re offering people the chance to spend funds on real people, in real communities via the web and SMS. And we’re making it easy to see the results.”

Fund real projects today, via the web or SMS

All the money from Live Earth is funding real projects.

Online

Anywhere you are in the world, see the projects online, or choose what to help fund:

http://www.akvo.org/rsr/liveearth/

SMS

Anyone in the Netherlands can also start donating to online water projects today through Akvo, by sending an SMS message.

Donation € 1,50/month

To become a fixed donor, sms

WATER AAN or WATER ON to 5757

Cancel anytime by texting:

WATER UIT or WATER OFF to 5757

(€1.15/month goes to Akvo projects).

Editorial note

Interested in learning more about Akvo? Please check www.akvo.org, or contact:

Peter van der Linde: +31(0)65238 6509, peter@akvo.org

Mark Charmer: +44 (0)7976 960739, mark@akvo.org.