What do Giorgio Armani, the Nature Conservancy, and Lenny Kravitz have in common? They all support World Water Day.



World Water Day is today, March 22. The goal of this international event is to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.



March 22, 1993 was the first day designated by the United Nations Assembly to focus on water issues across the globe. World Water Day has highlighted a specific aspect of freshwater each year since, and 2012’s theme is Water and Food Security.  Most of us know we need to drink approximately 2-4 quarts of water every day, but remember that each of us also requires about 500 to 1,300 gallons of water to produce the food (and coffee) that we consume daily.



Irrigation accounts for 70% of water withdrawals from wetlands, lakes, other water sources, because producing livestock and other animal products requires large quantities of water. Aquaculture, the world's fastest growing food producing sector since 1970, has increased every year, and water quality and quantity are obviously crucial for aquaculture farms. How can we help protect our freshwater resources? Conservation.



Millions of people around the world are able to take clean tap water for granted, but millions more don’t have this basic necessity. In fact, more than 10% of the world's population (or 780 million people) do not have a safe supply of drinking water, and that makes it even more essential to use all water sustainably. Every drop matters, so please join Monterey Boats and the many other companies, organizations, and individuals worldwide in acknowledging and supporting World Water Day.



Acqua for Life - Purchase a t-shirt from Giorgio Armani and help nations such as Ghana and Bolivia, affected by an inadequate water supply, through the Acqua for Life project. Mr. Armani has used children’s drawings from the communities involved on men’s and women’s t-shirts in an optimistic shade of aqua blue. Support the cause by purchasing one of these limited edition shirts today.



What's Your Water Footprint? – The global Nature Conservancy is sharing how it protects this valuable resource, and how we can do our part. “Water is necessary for everything we grow and manufacture,” says Conservancy scientist Brian Richter. “When we look at our entire water footprint … we start to grasp how dependent we are on rivers, lakes and aquifers. And how big an impact we have on them.”



Lenny Kravitz - The GRAMMY award-winning singer, songwriter, actor and activist is asking people to support the UNICEF Tap Project, which encourages people and dining patrons to pay $1 (or more) for the water they usually enjoy for free during World Water Week, March 19 – 25. With $1, UNICEF can provide a child with access to clean, safe water for 40 days, or 40 children for 1 day. Mr. Kravitz is appearing in PSAs and taking to Twitter and Facebook with his message that all children can and must have access to clean water. “I was born in New York City," he said, "and have always taken access to clean water as a given."