Providing Access to Clean Water

How we take action for climate looks different for everybody. Some use a bike for cleaner transportation, others compost their food scraps, and some start an organization that provides access to clean water to communities in need.

Earth Day is just around the corner and this year we wanted to try something different. Invest in our Planet is the theme for 2022. Last month, I visited a unique destination called Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. Surrounded by volcanoes, Mayan textiles, and a spectacular setting in the central highlands over 1,500 meters above sea level. 

The goal of my trip was to explore various local settlements to learn about how they care for the planet. Whether it’s growing food using permaculture practices or organizing events to give back to communities in need, “the lake” has no shortage of good people doing good things for our shared planet we call home.

World Water Day

On March 22nd, an event was organized to celebrate World Water Day! World Water Day is about taking action against the global water crisis and supporting Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. In a tiny village called Tzunana, locals and travelers alike came together to ceremoniously celebrate and honour what gives us life; water. 

Water4Life Global

Attendees of the World Water Day event experienced a range of activities from medicine songs to a traditional Mayan fire ceremony, all with the calming sound of a peaceful river running nearby. 100% of the proceeds went to an organization called Water4Life, a foundation that distributes Village Water Filters to 40 different indigenous communities in Guatemala.

Clean water is a basic human right and Water4Life’s mission is to fight for the ability for people in poverty to provide safe drinking water for themselves. To date, they have distributed over 3,000 water filters and donating to Water4Life helps provide proper education to communities in need. With each delivery, Water4Life gives a full-on demonstration spoken in their native dialect. When provided with a new water system, they learn about the filter’s maintenance, process, and purpose.

EcoSafe® Helping the Cause

As the memory of World Water Day trickles into our Earth Day celebration, the EcoSafe team decided to help raise more funds to get clean water in the hands of people in need.

With every $50 donation, Water4Life supports a family to receive one home water filtration system, a natural sanitation product, a water education demonstration, and the planting of a native tree in communities living in Lake Atitlán.

Instead of another Earth Day giveaway, we’re doing a give back by donating $100 to Water4Life. Please consider making a donation to Water4Life directly at https://water4lifeglobal.org/.

Thanks for taking the time to take eco-action this year! There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day today and everyday. It is a pleasure to be working with a team that appreciates giving back to foundations like Water4Life Global.  

To greener days ahead,

Samantha Davies
Sustainability Programs Manager 
EcoSafe Zero Waste Inc.