EarthAction

Handcarts vs. Drudgery

Photo from KoruCarts Facebook Page

Some 40 million people (mostly women and children) frequently carry heavy loads, often to the detriment of their health, security, education and development (UNDP). 37% of Africa's population is at least 30 minutes away from a water source (WEDO).

Many organisations are drilling for water, and providing pumps closer to communities, though this can produce mechanical and social problems of its own. The water must still be contained and carried, often more frequently than before.

What can we do to reduce the load-carrying drudgery that is impeding progress for so many?

Supermarkets provide us with shopping carts so we can easily gather and carry our goods. Would it not be reasonable and appropriate, if the load-carriers were provided with their own form of shopping cart, a durable handcart?

Unfortunately, such handcarts are rarely available in areas where they are most needed, and wheelbarrows make a poor substitute.

Non-profit KoruCarts were created to - 

• Design and test a range of suitable and acceptable handcarts.
• Provide handcart-related advise and technical services.
• Promote the concept of handcart distribution for developmental purposes.
• Establish partnerships with governments and humanitarian organisations.

We now offer a range of handcart designs that you can import or have made locally.

This is the steel KoruCart Alpha model, which can be made in four capacities and wheel sizes -

Other styles and materials are available, including sheet-metal and wickerwork.

Please consider how EarthAction and KoruCarts could defeat drudgery, using handcarts.

You can contact KoruCarts at korucarts@gmail.

READ MORE

 

Creating Art From a Plastic Ocean

"A team of scientists and artists investigates the buildup of marine debris along the Alaskan coast. Their goal: to create art from the trash they find and raise awareness about its impact on oceans and wildlife."

Tell Congress to Fund Ocean Conservation Efforts here.

Source: National Geographic

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Landmark project launched at the Budapest Water Summit

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the Global Water Systems Project (GWSP) launched the International Water Quality Guidelines for Ecosystems (IWQGES) project at the Budapest Water Summit.The project is an attempt to improve the sustainable management of global water resources.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that aquatic ecosystems are deteriorating faster than many other natural systems. At present, international guidelines only exist for drinking water, recreational use, irrigation, livestock, and water reuse, among others. No comparable international water quality standards exist for ecosystems. The aim of the IWQGES project is to develop a set of voluntary, science-based policy and technical guidelines to improve the frameworks for sustainable management of the water resources and aquatic ecosystems.

“The quality of water in our ecosystems is a global concern. Its deterioration threatens to cause large-scale changes in water use, biodiversity, and ecosystem health and functioning that will affect us all,” said IWQGES project manager Prof. Dr. Janos Bogardi (GWSP). “This project comes at a crucial time where comprehensive and practical guidelines for water quality for our ecosystems are desperately needed.”

This comprehensive project will address both issues of water quality, including chemical, biological, and biodiversity aspects and issues of water quantity including availability, changes over time and morphology of bodies of water.

Clike here and here to learn more.

Image Source: UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

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Women, Water, Life

Bringing in World Toilet Day With a Flush

UN Designates November 19 As World Toilet Day

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. General Assembly has designated November 19 as World Toilet Day to spotlight the plight of 2.5 billion people who don't have basic toilets.

According to the U.N., six billion of the world's seven billion people have mobile phones – but only 4.5 billion have access to toilets or latrines.

The General Assembly resolution approved by consensus Wednesday urges the U.N.'s 193 member states to promote behavioral changes and adopt policies to increase access to sanitation and end open defecation, a key cause of diarrhea.

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the annual observance of World Toilet Day "will go a long way toward raising awareness about the need for all human beings to have access to sanitation."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/24/un-world-toilet-day_n_3647242.html

Sustainable Development in China

 

Beijing smog - Source: Guardian UK

With the heavy burdens of climate change, environmental degradation and rising populations competing for resources, many countries are looking to sustainable development initiatives. Sustainability serves to meet the needs of both developing and developed populations while limiting their harmful impact on the environment so that future generations may live comfortably and prosper. Further, sustainability seeks to reuse precious resources in such a way that their access or function shift from a limited supply to an alternating, enduring resource. 

 

 With a population of over 1.3 billion, China would do well in the 21^st century to develop programs that sustain the environment and its people for generations to come, and potentially bolster their image on a global scale.  China could have the world’s largest economy by the year 2030, and their position as an economic leader ensures that the world will follow the trends they set.  There is a great responsibility to lead and usher in a more sustainable future, not only for China’s rise as a global political power, but as its industrial sector begins to take off and flourish. 

 According to a recent report, since 2001, China has answered the worldwide call to develop responsibly across a broad spectrum of areas including: economic restructuring, health and lifestyle improvements, resource conservation and environmental protection.  But there are still many challenges ahead. A developing industrial sector has forced China to become an extreme polluter as many companies are forced to choose cheaper (and dirtier) methods for production. 

 The Global Markets Project, a conglomeration of the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, has spearheaded China’s effort to make major shifts in economic, political, social, and global development to ensure a forward-thinking agenda is omnipresent in all of China’s decisions regarding production, consumption, trade and infrastructure.  They produced studies in 2008 outlining many of the issues facing sustainable development which must be overcome in the following years. 

 Accomplishments:

• China’s poverty rate declined from 10.2 percent in 2000 to 2.8 percent in 2010.
• Energy consumption declined 26 percent from 2005 to 2010.
• China is developing global forest product chains that imports and exports raw materials that try to comply with patterns of sustainability.  

Challenges Ahead:

• GDP only ranked 100^th in the world and there are still over one hundred million living in poverty.  
• There is uneven sustainable development across regions.
• China has weak scientific and technological capacities.
• China’s global forest product chain development is impeded by trade policies, poor governance and incompetent business practices.  
• Global cotton and textile product chains must be stronger.  The cotton industry needs to shift to areas that favor sustainable production.  
• Further problems in sustainability involve carbon storage, biodiversity, water regulation and cultural heritage.

Potential Solutions:

If China becomes more involved in the global community through trade and resources, then it will gain stronger global partnerships that will increase the viability of sustainable development. An amalgamation of International Relations expertise combined with much of the findings in the aforementioned study found that:

• China must match forest product commodity chain sustainability through better management, marketing and by matching foreign productions standards.  
• China must strive to increase technology funding and implementation.
• Create systems in which coal consumption decreases by as much as 670 million tons in three years, by 2015.  
• Reduce reliance on energy intensity by 21 percent in 2015.
• Overhaul their global cotton and textile production industry by relocating the industry to more sustainable areas; exporting production; improving the demand for sustainable products; improve production standards; and initiate green trade policies and sustainable initiatives that are mandated and governed responsibly.  

• China’s electronics and electronic equipment manufacturing sector needs to be improved through regulatory standards and management during e-product manufacturing, during e-waste collection, dismantling and disposal, and require improved resource management, energy use and green initiatives in production standards.

By outlining a sustainable and energy efficient strategy, China could reduce its dependence on industrial antiquities and be successful.  Imagine a China that is less reliant on fossil fuels and factories that produce harmful waste.  This would benefit not only China and its people, but the world.  

- Anisha Sekar: EarthAction Contributing Writer

This article comes to you from NerdWallet.com, an unbiased source for quantitative analysis.

Women, Water, Life

"Women carrying water in Jaisalmer" - Photo credit: sushmita balasubramani from flickr (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License)

With the heat on her back and dryness in her mouth, she walks. She walks for miles and miles each day to parch another day’s thirst.

"Water management is a key factor in the global battle to remove the scourge of extreme poverty and to build secure and prosperous lives for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world." - World Health Organization, 2007

Water is life and we live on a water planet, though it doesn’t appear that way in the many places we call home. With the twin problems of desertification and commdification escalating, water is becoming more and more of a scarce resource. One area hit especially hard is sub-Saharan Africa where the weight of this burden disproportionately affects women and affects the family at large. It is estimated that women in sub-Saharan Africa collectively spend about 40 billion hours a year collecting water. 

There is a direct connection between inadequate access to water and illness. The difficulties of the long and ardous walks that must be made by women to procure water is componded by the weight of the water on their shoulders. They are vulnerable to attacks or fatigue. Even after the journey is over, another is soon on its way. And for all the effort, the water may easily be polluted.

Inadequate access to water means fewer safe options. It means there’s less water available for hygiene and sanitation. It means drinking polluted water, even when the risk of death or disease is high. 

This is a major issue that goes beyond Sub-Saharan Africa. It affects hundreds of millions of people living around the world who do not have access to safe and local water supplies. But these deaths and struggles are easily avoidable with the right amount of action and support. A study conducted by Stanford University found that reducing the amount of time spent walking by just fifteen minutes can reduce the illnesses of children significantly.

Time is the most valuable currency and it is spilled away. Every day, individuals spend 3-10 hours carrying water. This adds up to billions of hours a year of useful energy that evaporate from the world. This time spent walking for water is time that’s stolen from the community, from the family, and from the individual. Less time spent worrying about obtaining necessities would mean more time spent working towards greater fulfillments of life. It means time spent caring for children, pursuing education or employment. Time is key to breaking the cycle that keeps people in poverty. We can start to make this better today, and be a “ripple” of change.

Action:

• Write to your member of congress for support on this global water crises, only through pressure from the public comes the push for change: http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1747&ea.campaign.id=13493

• You can also make donations that will directly fund water projects around the globe: http://www.charitywater.org/projects/map/ 

• Learn more about this issue, because it begins with awareness: http://www.unwomen.org/how-we-work/csw/csw-56/facts-and-figures/

 

Chris Daly is the Promotions Intern at Earth Action. After high school his passion for social justice began with the two gap years he took before college. He worked for the AmeriCorps program City Year in Boston and New York City where he did community organizing and civic engagement work. It was this work that made him realize this was what he wanted to do with his life but felt limited without furthering his education. His focus is on Latin American studies, anthropology, and human rights work while also enjoying interests including bicycling, blacksmithing, street art, and cooking. 

 

Featured Partner: Meet the Anza Cart!

Can you imagine life without a water tap at home? What if the nearest water source was two miles away and you had no access to a car, bicycle or any public transportation? These are not the everyday problems we think about during our morning shower, but women and children all over the world are commonly spending five or more hours each day collecting and carrying water, firewood, and other heavy necessities on their heads.  It’s unsafe, unhealthy, and incredibly time consuming. For a vivid illustration of this reality, see this excerpt from charity: water’s video entitled “Water Changes Everything”:

 

In East Africa, farmers and villagers head-carry because affordable handcarts or wheelbarrows are not available to them. But a simple tool like a cart can save a family thousands of hours a year, allowing children to return to school and adults to work on income-generating opportunities. Fortunately, there is an organization working to make this essential tool available at a realistic and affordable price; their name is Anza and they are planning to sell their revolutionary handcart in East Africa at a radically low cost to villagers all over the region. Below, you can see the “Anza Cart” (left), and how it compares to current alternatives:

The Anza Cart is a transformative product that can improve the livelihoods of farmers, empower women, and keep children in school. Thus, an investment in the Anza Cart project is exceptionally effective in terms of social impact and also extremely efficient in a practical economic sense: thanks to thorough research and careful design, the Anza cart requires only a very small subsidy from donors. Anza has conducted years of field-based research that indicate that every $10 invested in Anza yields an average of $1320 in returns for its owner. Below, you can see the projected impacts of 1850 Anza Carts:

Anza has recently sent its first shipment of over 1000 carts to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and is working to send another as soon as possible. A $10 donation fully subsidizes one cart and helps a family of five lift themselves out of poverty.

You can be a part of this initiative by donating an amount that you are comfortable with at www.anzacart.org!