Since the utter devastation in Haiti due to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the island nation on January 12, Americans have been generous. No doubt you already contributed to one of the successful texting campaigns by the Red Cross or YéleHaiti or the Hope for Haiti Now benefit that was televised on TV and radio stations around the globe. These efforts and others like them have raised tens of millions of dollars.

But that’s just not enough.

Given the scope of the devastation, which killed more than 250,000 people and left millions homeless, it is going to take years to repair the country and billions of dollars from generous people worldwide.

Two of our AirDye® licensees have arranged for a generous portion of their sales to benefit the people of Haiti.

julieapple gives 50 percent

Between noon February 3 and midnight (ET) February 5, Julieapple will donate 50 percent of the purchase price of any bag to the Haiti Outreach Program (HOP). HOP has worked in Haiti for over ten years. Since the earthquake, the organization has been providing clean water, medicine, clothing and medical personnel to the people of Haiti.

Set an alarm so you’re sure to stop by the Julieapple store between February 3 and 5. Pick up an eco-friendly, life-loving, hardworking bag and help the people of Haiti.

a lot to say about haiti

Sisters Alison and Jennifer over at A Lot To Say feel passionate about doing the right thing. They are putting their money where their hearts are and giving a generous portion of any purchase with the promo code gec is used at checkout. Not only is A Lot To Say donating to the Green Energy Council, who will use it to support water and clean energy projects in Haiti, but you’ll also get a 10 percent discount.

Check out A Lot To Say tees, tote bags, umbrellas, scarves, or other items made with 100 percent recycled PET fabric and AirDye technology to support the clean energy and clean water for Haiti.

We encourage you to be generous. Even if you’re not interested making a purchase, consider a donation to one of the worthy causes mentioned above.

Seems like each week there are more and more stories in the media discussing water scarcity and water quality. With so many floating around, we’ll choose a few each Friday that we think everyone should know about. So, here is the first batch of water-related stories from around the world:

crisis in haiti

Of course, we’ve all been glued to the T.V. and computer monitors following  developments in Haiti. We know that even before the 7.0 earthquake, the island nation’s infrastructure was less than ideal. And since 10 days ago, there simply isn’t any infrastructure at all. Water, food, and shelter are continuing to flow in from around the world. According to Yobie Benjamin’s article yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle’s online edition, water tanks are being installed around the city and hundreds of thousands of liters of water have been distributed, but it’s just not enough, nor is it sustainable. Benjamin is looking for the public to help pressure the U.S. government to get a large-scale solar powered water filtration system delivered. If you’ve got connections, the author asks you to reach out to Bobbie Dunphy or tweet him at @yobie.

hazards of growth

Water quality problems are not new for China. This week J. Carl Ganter published a well-documented piece in Circle of Blue called Tracing Kunming, China’s Freshwater Hazards. Ganter examines one of China’s newest projects, the Kunming International Airport. The airport is supposed to be a model for green development. Unfortunately, the construction is wreaking havoc with the local freshwater supply, which is already stressed. Even if you don’t have time to read the entire article, you have to take a look at the photos.

making money from water scarcity

Over at Seeking Alpha, an online community and resource for investors, David Rupprecht wrote an article Electricity and Water: Scarcity Will Drive Prices Upwards. He lays out a suggestion that with both energy and water supplies dwindling, there’s an opportunity to make money by investing in utilities. Do you agree?

water shortages leave crops and patience short

This week Pakistan is reporting that drought and water diversion by India will cause a 40 percent decline in this year’s wheat crop. According to a treaty between the two countries, India is supposed to release 16,000 cubic feet of water per second from the Chenab River. Instead, they have only been releasing less than one-third of that amount which has resulted in the closing of a number of canals and exacerbated the drought. One farmer told The Nation that he thinks future wars will be fought over water.

water-wise baseball

The Minnesota Twins new 40,000-seat Target Field will truly be the greenest ballpark in the country. The new facility has a number of eco-friendly design elements; most important to us is what they are doing about water conservation. The park has an integrated rainwater-recycling system that will collect, filter and disinfect up to 2 million gallons of water each year. You can read more about the Twin’s new home at Treehugger.

Know of another water story we should have posted? Share your link in the comments.

Regular readers of Good for Water know that water scarcity and quality are very important to us at Colorep. Indeed, a few others with “slightly higher” profiles are also working to raise awareness and make real changes. Last week, former President Bill Clinton made access to fresh, clean water a top priority for the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).

While the organization is only four years old, its members have made almost 1,700 commitments valued at $57 billion dollars. Indeed, CGI has made life better for some 200 million people in 150 countries.

Of course, a quick scan of the types of issues CGI members are tackling around the world show that unhealthy water is a root cause of many of the problems. From combating diseases such as diarrhea to food shortages in India, the problem is often due to lack of water. Indeed, the organization’s 2009 commitments include bringing safe drinking water to 18 million people.

As you can see in the video, Matt Damon presented one specific project to the forum: Water.org is committing $2 million to bring safe drinking water and improved sanitation to at least 50,000 Haitians over the next three years.

You can learn more and help the effort by visiting Water.org’s Haiti Challenge website. One of the good things about safe water, is that it is a relatively inexpensive problem. It only takes $25 to bring someone clean water for life.

We’ll keep our eyes open for other programs and we invite you to post links to other non-profit organizations who are working on this critical issue.