There is a silent holocaust occurring around the world caused by lack of water and sanitation. People are dying because the international aid community and national governments are not listening to the poor or looking at the overwhelming evidence. — Barbara Frost, chief executive of WaterAid

This workshop focuses on the scarcity of clean water on our planet and the importance of sanitation to protect our water supplies. Participants ask themselves not only, "Why is protecting water the right thing to do?" but also, "Why is it good for me when I do the right thing?" They consider how their own stewardship can matter to others, perhaps far across the world, who lack the sanitation to ensure clean water. They learn we should conserve the water we use in our own homes and communities, even though it may be abundant—not only out of respect for the interconnected web of life, but also because as we consume less of the world's resources for ourselves, they can be more equitably shared.

Goals

This workshop will:

• Explore themes of stewardship and water
• Demonstrate relationships among sanitation, clean water and health
• Reinforce the idea of water as a common resource that does or should belong to all life that shares the interdependent web.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Reflect on abundance and lack of clean water in two meditations
• Understand the global scarcity of clean, drinkable water
• Learn that sanitation is a critical factor in community health and how toilets ensure clean, healthy water
• Discover water conservation at home and fundraising for communities which lack clean water abroad as two strategies we can use to promote for global sanitation and clean water equity.