Blog Action Day 2010 Wrap-Up

Following e-mail was sent to me from Ms Maria of Blog Action Day, 2010:
Blog Action Day 2010 Wrap-Up
From:
"Maria, Blog Action Day 2010"
To: lovepeaceunity01@yahoo.com

Hey Blog Action Day bloggers,

For over 24 hours this past Friday, all around the world, water was king. From river conservation to the water crisis in Africa, people couldn't stop talking about water. Even those who had never heard of Blog Action Day before joined, caught up in the energy and enthusiasm of the Blog Action Day community.

The final count for Blog Action Day stands at over 5,600 bloggers from 143 countries, reaching more than 40 million readers. It was a remarkable display of support for an issue that gets woefully little coverage in the mainstream media.

There were countless noteworthy posts among the thousands we read, and we wanted to highlight a small selection of these to demonstrate the breadth of topics covered by Blog Action Day bloggers – which ranged from data centers and water conservation to issues of gender equality and water contamination:

"I don't remember how old I was when I learned that water is not supposed to have a taste. I grew up in a town that was surrounded by oil refineries and heavy industry, basically learning that water that tasted like chemicals and metals was normal."
- Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green for All

"One of key areas where we can make a contribution [to conserving water] is through our data center operations. Every year, our data centers save hundreds of millions of gallons of drinking water simply by consuming 50% less electricity than the industry average for technology companies."
- The Official Google Blog

"Each day, millions of females begin their trek before sunrise to gather water of poor quality, lugging 75lb jugs back to their homes across rough terrain and jeopardizing their health in the process... Even something as simple as going to the bathroom can be risky for women whose homes lack toilets and must venture to a remote location, risking sexual and physical assault, because of inadequate sanitation infrastructure."
- NRDC Switchboard

"When I was nine, growing up in my native Bolivia, I paused one day from a particularly active game during recess to quench my thirst at the school tap. What I didn't know was that the water was contaminated. The price I paid for that innocent drink of water was a serious bout of Hepatitis and three months of missed school."
- Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, on the State Department Blog

"The issues around water in 2010 concern scarcity, access, pollution and more. But it's not all grim. There are new opportunities for tech startups, engineers, investors and creative people to solve problems around the water crisis. Water and waste water technology is a hot market that could get hotter."
- TechCrunch

For a longer list of some of the most noteworthy posts from Blog Action Day, visit our homepage.

By being a part of Blog Action Day 2010, you helped focus the world's attention of the vital issue of water rights and water access. But this is just the beginning of a much larger process to create real change around water issues. Next year, keep an eye out for The World Walks for Water, organized in part by our Blog Action Day partner End Water Poverty. And, if you're interested in learning more, check out the water page of the Change.org Environment and Sustainable Food sections.

Thank you all for making Blog Action Day 2010 a huge success. We'll see you next year!

Maria & the Blog Action Day team