Two Week Challenge

Welcome.  You're probably wondering why I've called you here.  I've called you here to CHALLENGE you!

Before I get to the challenge, a quick story.

I recently completed the last paper of my English Composition class.  The beginning of my last post shared some of my excitement.  I didn't put too much effort into the paper.  It wasn't worth a ton of points, and it was about a book I've already read a couple times.  When I wrote the paper I did it in one sitting.  Knocked out a few pages, saved it, and submitted it.  I did a basic spell check but nothing else.  Didn't read it over.  Didn't make sure my sentences made sense.  I wanted to be done with it.  I turned it in Saturday and this morning I checked my online class site to see my grade.  Before this I decided that I was not going to read the professor's notes because it wasn't going to be pretty.  I checked my grade and he gave me 100%.  This flabbergasted me.  Prof continued to praise my writing and told me how much he enjoyed it.  Which leads me to a few theories:

1.  I am extremely good at B.S.ing
2.  He cared as little about grading everyone's last paper as we all cared about writing our last paper
3.  My paper was actually good

I'm leaning towards theory 2.

So... Ready to be CHALLENGED?

Starting Friday March 8 Active:Water is challenging us to sacrifice the beverages we know and love to better people's lives.  Here are some facts I'd like to share (compliments of Active:Water's research and website):

-884 million people lack access to safe drinking water.  That's approximately 1 out of every 8 persons on earth. 

-Less than 1% of the world's fresh water is readily accessible for human use. 

-Nearly 2/3 of people who lack access to clean water live off of wages of less than $2 a day.

-Poverty and water scarcity force people to rely on unsafe sources of drinking water. It also means they cannot bathe or clean their clothes or homes properly.  

-1.4 million children die each year from diarrhea. That's over 3,800 deaths each day from just one form of water-related sickness. 

-At any given time, close to half of all people living in developing nations are sufferring from a health problem related to water and sanitation deficits.

For two weeks, starting this Friday, I am asking you to join me in giving up everything but tap water.  Make a tally sheet of everything you would have drank if not on the challenge.  At the end of the two weeks donate that amount to Active:Water.

Sounds crazy, huh?  I drink two cups of coffee a day.  I told myself to cut down on my caffeine this week but I have not.  It's going to be tough but worth it in the end.

Do you blog?  You can add the Two Week Challenge badge to your site.  It will link people to the Active:Water site for people to learn more.

Please consider joining me in this fight.  I'll be writing small posts over the two weeks with more facts, how it's going for me, and some inspiration.

Thank you!  We can do this!