Friday, October 15, 2010

Blog Action Day: Water!

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Welcome to blog action day! As someone who feeds on human connections, it's no surprise that I love the idea of people around the world talking about the same thing. The topic this year is water, and I wanted to take the chance to talk about one of the Washington Ethical Society's social justice initiatives, a partnership with a small village in El Salvador called El Rodeo.

Actually, what I really want to tell you about is buckets and terracotta filters. That's what goes into a water filtration device that can bring clean water to anyone in the world. Water from any source is poured into the filter and collects in the bucket, then is dispensed through a spigot on an as-needed basis. Because the water is contained in the bucket, re-contamination is avoided. Clean water significantly decreases disease, particularly in children, and I don't need to tell you why that's important.

Those buckets and filters were one of the things that the El Rodeo community identified as a need when they met a delegation from the Washington Ethical Society for the first time this past summer. The emphasis of the delegation was connection building, relationship building--you know, religious stuff. But at the end they talked about concrete needs, and clean water was it.

I invite you to come hear more about the buckets and filters, and about the El Rodeo-WES partnership, on Sunday, October 31 at 12:30pm at WES. Until then, enjoy all the clean, de-contaminated water you drink today, and may every sip inspire a little gratitude.

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