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As an incoming LGS freshman I was astounded by how many cultures, religions, and world issues that I had blindly ignored during my formative years. Now through LGS, I realize that there are many issues and dilemmas that can be solved by education. For instance, I was not aware of the water crisis that our planet has been experiencing. That is why I decided to start the Water Initiative named H20: Go Blue! to better educate everyone on Adelphi’s campus about the water crisis.
Some of the facts that made me start this initiative are the following:
- Out of the 6 billion people on earth, 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe clean drinking water.
- The average American uses 150 gallons of water a day, in other countries people cannot find five.
- The water industry is estimated to be 400 billion global industry, just behind both oil and electricity.
- These are few examples of how we have been treating our “blue gold”, to change these statistics for the positive side and one that made me start the H20: Go Blue! initiative is the fact that:
- The cost per person per year having 10 liters of safe drinking water everyday is only $2.
As part of the initiative, I plan to raise awareness about the water crisis and participate in the Food and Water Watch’s Take Back the Tap! Campaign. Other activities and events associated with water will include attending the Water Fest held on October 12 in Battery Park and hosting a panel discussion on water issues in the spring semester.
Written by John Campana
Water Fest Reflections
Trip to Water Fest
On Sunday, October 12, a few members of LGS attended Water Fest at Battery Park in the city. I chose to attend this event because I am interested in the water crisis that is happening in the world. I think it is interesting that for so long people have avoided drinking tap water because they thought that it was bad for them, while all along it is really bottled water that is bad. When we arrived at Battery Park, we were warmly welcomed by volunteers working at the event (one of them was the speaker from our seminar class).
The event took place right on the water; it was interesting to see that the location of the event paralleled what the event was about. There were tents set up, live music, and food. At one of the tents, there was free water--free TAP water that is. At the same tent, they sold reusable water bottles to encourage people to stop drinking out of the plastic disposable ones (a couple LGS members bought them). At another tent, they had a taste test set up where people tried to decide which cup they were drinking had tap water and which one had bottled water. At another tent, there was information about the Drop Summit (some LGS members signed up to receive more information about it). The program, Water Fest, was all about “Taking Back the Tap.” We all received stickers that are blue and white and say “Take Back the Tap!”
Overall, the event was really informative; the only problem that I saw was that there was not enough advertisement for it. We almost got lost on the way there because the first sign we saw for Water Fest was at the actual event--I wish more people had known about it.
Written by Shea Butler
Edited by Yoko Liriano
Water Fest
On October 12, 2008, several Levermore Global Scholars attended the Water Fest, which was held at North Cove Marina, Battery Park. The reason for the trip was to better understand the various myths and misguided information on bottled water, as well as to support Take Back the Tap! This day was dedicated to water and the many activities associated with water such as paddle boating, to kayaking in the east river. This was in association with LGS Freshman John Campana’s initiative named H20: Go Blue!
Water Fest was carried out by many non-profit organizations, such as Food and Water Watch and Riverkeeper, dedicated to our precious, limited water resource. These organizations raise awareness about the vast dangers of bottled water and the misconceptions formed in the United States because of the extensively advertised “purity” of bottled water. This event was extremely educational and enjoyable! Those who attended received free lunch and enjoyed live music.
As far as activities are concerned, the most interesting tent at Water Fest was that of Food and Water Watch because it carried out the famous “Water Test.” The goal of this test was to illustrate that it is ridiculous to think that the purity of water is derived from its taste. As part of the test, test takers are given three small cups of water, one from a bottle, and the last two from tap. The cups are mixed in no particular order and then given to test takers to drink and assess. What we found is that most people could not tell which water came from a bottle, and which came from tap.
Overall, the Water Fest was very well structured and highly informative about all aspects of the “water wall.” We also learned about how other countries, such as Australia, have already reached their water walls, and were shocked to find out that the United States of America is only twenty years away from the water wall. This is definitely the issue of our generation.
Written by John Campana
Edited by Yana Kusayeva
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