World thirsty for clean water

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Paul Hemminger holds
dirty bottled water being used to promote clean water project on campus of Bowling Green State
University. (Photo: Andrew Weber/Sentinel-Tribune)

Walk across the Bowling Green State University campus this week and someone may ask you to take a bottle
of dirty water with you.
They’ll also tell you that one of eight people on the Earth don’t have access to clean water and that
4,200 children around the world die daily due to diseases related to drinking dirty water.
They don’t want you to drink the bottle of dirty water, but to share the information with others as a
part of World Water Week.
Paul Hemminger, a student from Sandusky, said the group "bottled" its own dirty water in 2,000
used plastic water bottles and applied new labels with facts about dirty water.
In the place of "nutrition facts" on a regular bottle of water the label reads "Dirty
Water Facts." The only similarity is in calories "0." Other categories are causes of
disease – unsafe water and sanitation 80 percent; Deaths – children under 5 years old, 90 percent;
Children per day – 4,200; $1 donation – Days of clean water, 40.
Every day this week at 4 p.m. the group has sponsored a "walk for water." Hemminger said the
walk represents the distance many people around the world have to walk every day to get unsanitary
water.
To bring home the fact that many homes around the world do not have running water, the group has
designated a "central well," in this case a hose outside of Moseley Hall. Some students have
volunteered to get their water from that source for a day or more during the week.
Wednesday the group was approaching any who walked on the north side of the Education Building, asking a
$1 donation, or to think about a $10 donation by using their mobile phones – texting "TAP" to
864233.
Funds will be used to support organizations such as UNICEF Tap Project, LifeStraw, Water, Blood: Water
Mission; and Start with Water (Rotary International).
The group will be in the same location today and end their effort Friday in the Union Oval, where they
spent Monday and Tuesday. The website is www,bgsuwaterweek.org.

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