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Women and Water: A Live Talk Show in Support of World Water Day

In light of the tragic events that took place in Japan last Friday, I've heard many mumblings of "Are we prepared for such a disaster?" and "How close are we to the 'big one'?" Tragedies such as these hit close to home as we have family or know frien

In light of the tragic events that took place in Japan last Friday, I've heard many mumblings of "Are we prepared for such a disaster?" and "How close are we to the 'big one'?" Tragedies such as these hit close to home as we have family or know friends that have been affected and we end up reflecting on the possibility of such an event occurring in Vancouver. I have had the pleasure of working on an upcoming project that I feel has become all the more relevant to the city. Based on Michelle Mungall's radio podcast, Women and Water: The Live Talk Show is an evening dedicated to bringing together five B.C. women from all corners of the local arts, entertainment, and environmental community to lead a discussion around water sustainability and what we would do if our water resources were wiped out. Set to take place on World Water Day - March 22nd - Women and Water will encourage discussion between the speakers and the audience on topics relevant to the water resources in B.C. and the steps we can take to ensure that future generations will still be able to enjoy this important resource. The women involved are all impressive in their own right and I'm looking forward to hearing them speak and inspire all those in attendance. The night will be held at the Performance Works Theatre on Granville Island and best of all, it's absolutely free! Considering Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities anything free should be appreciated. And seeing as we have been voted "The Most Livable City in the World" by The Economist two years in a row, let's make it in our best interest to learn how to make it stay that way.

We asked the women involved a few questions based around the event and here's what they had to say:

Why is the topic of water important to you?

Michelle Mungall: Water is life. Everything that lives on this planet requires it. Water is also a powerful force that can carve the shape of a mountain over time as well as nourish a forest. Without it we will not survive, and therefore we can never take it for granted.

Azita Ardakani: Over 70% of our bodies are made from water, it dictates economy, equality and influences how we work in our societies. In developing areas the focus of bringing clean water to the homestead can be a matter of several hours of walking, which is a domino affect on everything that takes place for that family, from health to education, to equality. We also have water issues right here in our own back yards. If there is anything more important, more influential and more sensitive than the preservation, protection and education of our clean water resources I would like to know what that is.

Gwen Barlee: Water is the stuff of life. It is essential to living and it should always be considered, and protected, as a public good, Access to clean fresh water should be a basic human right. Water should not be controlled by market forces.

Karen Sander: Lack of access to safe drinking water is a major cause of death and misery for close to a billion people around the world. Children, in particular, sicken and die in the thousands every day from water born diseases and women and girls are forced to spend much of their day traveling great distances fetching water for their families. The Obakki foundation seeks to alleviate hardships of this sort where ever it can.

Lana Gay: Water is life. It is a necessity we often take for granted. I will always remember coming back from Haiti and trying to come to terms with the fact that the water in our toilets is cleaner that the water women were walking miles to gather. The idea of walking great distances to gather water that could potentially harm you and your family, while we flush clean water down our toilets, is completely heartbreaking and can be changed. Everyone should have access to clean, safe water.

In what ways are you or your organization involved in aiding global water issues?

MM: Along with raising awareness about water issues through Women and Water, I work with my constituents to protect our local water systems. Whether it is for hydroelectric production, recreational, agriculture or domestic use, I work with people every day to maintain clean public water.

GB: The Wilderness Committee is actively involved in protecting hundreds of wild rivers in B.C. from private power projects. We believe that wild rivers belong to the people of B.C. and should not be auctioned off to corporate interests.

AA: Lovesocial helped galvanize attention towards the global clean water crisis around the Summit on the Summit campaign where a group of celebrities, activists and musicians climbed Kilimanjaro for this cause. Our focus was to educate a younger audience on the issue as well as raise donations towards UNHCR and P&G PUR. Furthermore with the Oscar nominated documentary Gasland, we built the online infrastructure through social media for affected people and concerned citizens that learned about hydraulic fracturing - used in natural gas drilling and detrimental to our clean water resources.

KS: The Obakki Foundation has recognized easy access to safe drinking water is a key component for health and development in many rural African communities. For this reason we have funded several water projects in Western Cameroon. We also have a much larger water project in Southern Sudan where access to water is vital not only to health but to peace and the prevention of inter tribal warfare.

What sort of impact or important messages are you hoping the public will gain by attending this event?

MM: Water issues in rural BC is a major concern for urban areas of the province. Most of BC’s hydroelectricity comes from rural waterways , along with the province’s biodiversity. Rural agricultures is also important to sustaining  life as we know it, and the 100 Mile diet isn’t possible without accessible, clean and public water. As we move into an era of climate change, we need to think of the impacts on water, our adaptability and the need to conserve and protect our water sources for future generations.

AA: I hope that people will get a holistic view of different aspects of the water issue, it is a tiered concept, local, international, social and political. I hope that people are inspired to take action, on whatever level small or large that makes sense to them, and spread this message that is rooted in all aspects of life to those that they care about. With the introduction of social technologies this is now easier than ever.

LG: Water is not a privilege, it is a necessity. We have to start treating it that way.

Women and Water: A Live Talk Show will take place at the Performance Works theatre on Granville Island on March 22nd. A live stream of the show will be posted on the Women and Water website for those who are unable to attend.