A Poetic Social Mission for Global Water Conservation

So do you ever think about water? And I mean really think about it. You turn on your tap and clean, clear water flows right out. An endless supply. To do whatever with. It never doesn’t turn on. It’s just always there.

When I was 9 years old, I lived in Somalia. My father worked with the State Department and for two years we were stationed in Mogadishu. During a trip back to the U.S., I remember taking a bath and saying to my mother “You mean, I could DRINK the water coming out of the tap right now? Actually drink it and it won’t make me sick?? WOW!” It was a Richie Rich moment, but instead of swimming in coins I was lounging in real, clean, drinkable water.

Of course, I was a privileged American child who was able to live in an actual house with running water in the first place. Who cares if it wasn’t drinkable, it came out of the tap so that we could bathe, and wash dishes and then boil it and strain it and treat it and then maybe, fingers crossed, drink it. (Of course, I still managed to catch a whopping bout of dysentery while I was there anyway. And I was lucky I only had it once.)

But the other Somali children who walked by my house everyday didn’t have such a privilege. And, of course, dysentery was far more common place – and deadly – in their families. I have vivid memories of visiting villages where women and children walked miles and miles with jugs and cartons to get their fill of family water at a well. I remember camels and goats and people gathered and surrounding those wells, pulling buckets upon buckets up and out of a muddy hole. If the water was at all clear, it was a good day. But who knew if it was at all potable. And women and children would balance those buckets and jugs on their heads and carry them back to their homes. Miles and miles. Everyday.

Water. It’s kind of a big deal.

So when I was asked by some social media folks who work for the One Drop Foundation if I would like to be a part of an enormous event this week which will help promote awareness about clean water, I jumped at the chance. Here’s whats happening.

The One Drop Foundation is actually an initiative lead by Cirque du Soleil and it’s founder Guy Laliberte. Now who is their founder exactly? You may have heard about him. He is currently orbiting our earth. He has been described as a “Space tourist and circus entrepreneur” – he’s the astronaut wearing the clown nose you’ve seen on TV. And while he is currently fulfilling a dream of his to venture into space, he is also there to raise awareness about the One Drop Foundation.

So how is he going to do that?

Guy describes this as his Poetic Social Mission in space. On October 9th, he will connect from space with 14 cities around the world and reach out to such celebrities and influencing personalities as Al Gore, Peter Gabriel, Matthew McConaughey, U2 and Shakira.

And on October 9th, U2 will be playing here in Tampa. Thanks to the folks at Cirque Du Soleil, my husband and I will be there to cover this incredible event at the U2 concert. We will have the opportunity not only to watch an amazing band who have influenced music and social awareness worldwide, but we will be able to witness the Poetic Social Mission from space for ourselves.

This whole thing, this whole global event, this connection to space and the dream and Poetic Social Mission of a circus founder turned astronaut is all about one single resource our entire planet can not live with out: Water. Because if there is any way to make water a more equitable resource, one that a Somali child has as much access to as an American child, we will finally have some chance at offering a healthy future for every member of our global community.

Stay posted for more information about local efforts to manage water conservation as well as further updates about this amazing event coming up on Friday.

(And for Twitter users, you can change your avatar to raise awareness about the One Drop campaign here.)