NACWA Member Update (MU07-14)

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) is proud to help promote The 2007 Blue Planet Run (http://blueplanetrun.org/), the first ever around-the-world relay for water. Sponsored by the Dow Chemical Company, this international athletic event spotlights the human crises caused by the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation globally and complements the important work being done by Water for People (www.water4people.org). NACWA supports these endeavors because they help shed light on the critical value of this nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure. In addition, Blue Planet Run will be recognized with an award at the Clean Water American Gala Celebration on September 18 in Washington, D.C.

The Blue Planet Run started at the United Nation’s headquarters in New York City in June and will complete its stages through China and Japan by the end of July. It will return to the United States August 1 as the relay passes through San Francisco. At its completion in New York City on September 4, the relay team of 20 runners from numerous countries will have covered 15,200 miles across 16 countries and four continents. They will have run 24 hours a day over 95 days to deliver the important message that “we can and must begin today to alleviate the catastrophic burden placed on over a billion people who, every day, must drink unsafe local water, or travel long distances on foot, to search for safe water for themselves and their families.”

Currently, more than 1 billion people across the world — or roughly one-sixth of the global population — do not have access to safe drinking water. Nearly 2.2 million people, mostly children, die annually from diseases associated with unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene.

Events in cities and towns along the route will mark the run's arrival as well as educate local residents about the global water crisis. More information about the route and when the runners will be in various U.S. cities and the events being planned is available in this Update and at http://blueplanetrun.org/run/route.

To support the event, the Blue Planet Run Foundation was established to raise money for sustainable water projects in the rural developing world with 100 percent of donations directly benefiting these organizations. More information on the foundation is available at http://blueplanetrun.org/.

The Route

Major U.S. Cities & Events Listing