Neither!You might think it was Jane Seymour because she's so involved with certain aspects of the water crisis. But she wasn't it. You might think it's money because all the water charities are always asking for donations. But that wasn't it either. So what was the main topic at the International Water Forum at the United Nations in September, the main issue that every single one of the speakers mentioned? AWARENESS! That's right. So many people in the world have no idea that there IS a problem with water. And most of the people outside the water sector who know that a Global Water Crisis exists, only believe it to exist in 3rd World Countries.
What do you think of when someone says Global Water Crisis? Chances are that you picture a scrawny child sitting by a mud pool with sadness screaming out of their face. Or maybe you picture a woman walking while balancing a jug on her head with little children in tow. Am I right? Well did you know that there are loads of water issues and troubles right here in North America? Did you know that Georgia and Tennessee are having a "water war"? A dispute over the line between the two states and where the real border is-- which affects the Tennessee River water rights. What about Chicago. What? They have Lake Michigan right there! Really. Well, read this. Even Canada has it's share of issues despite plenty of fresh water. What about the American Southwest and California? But you probably already know about that.
Jane Seymour certainly does. Yes she's still beautiful and she spoke to me in passing, as I took a photo of her when she was leaving. She's good friends with Jim Thebaut (who organized the event) and was the narrator on his "Running Dry" documentary about the American Southwest. She talked about education and what we as individuals can do, because it's up to all of us to take measures and do our part to help. Sometimes that can mean a small behavior change like turning off your taps, or it can mean a life commitment to something you believe in and are passionate about. Here's a snippet:
During the forum, I kept turning to my new friends Hame and Kadia (who are originally from Africa but who now live in DC) and smiling. I had told them about R4W and my ideas surrounding the project and as speaker after speaker talked about the problem of how to get people outside the water sector to be aware of the GWC, they just returned my gaze while nodding their heads. Get Hollywood involved and people will pay attention. It's such a simple idea and everything I'm suggesting has been done before! In these incredible times we are in, with marches on Wall Street, social responsibility coming to the forefront in corporations and Hollywood making remakes anyway, why not? The difference is that this remake will be new and will help many people in many ways. It's all about AWARENESS! Water and respect. C'Mon. Let's Do It!
