Click here to view the embedded video.

How’d they do it? Beginning in December 2006, photographer James Balog and his colleagues set up 26 solar-powered cameras at glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, the Alps, and the Rocky Mountains. Each of the cameras were programmed to shoot a frame every daylight hour over three years to examine rapid glacier melt and its implications for the future. Not only was it a dangerous mission with harsh weather, but it was extremely successful mission. These images show the extent to which the glacial ice caps are melting, and quickly!

What does it all mean? Do the images put a chill in your bones, and not just because you are looking at ice? Over the past three decades, more than a million square miles (2.6 million square kilometers) of sea ice—an area the size of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden combined—have disappeared. And Balog’s images only enforce this devastating truth – glacial icebergs are becoming extinct.

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3. Water on the Table – the Fight of the Water Warrior

“Is water a commercial good like running shoes or Coca-Cola? Or is water a human right like air?” This is the question proposed by Maude Barlow – the “water warrior”. “Water on the Table” is a social issue documentary which explores Canada’s relationship to its own freshwater. The film outlines Barlow’s journey of advocacy throughout 2008. The world premiere of Canadian filmmaker Liz Marshall’s piece airs this Wednesday night at 10pm on TVO.

But “Water on the Table” is more then just a portrait of an activist – it presents Barlow’s argument in a clear manner, and allows the audience to make their own opinions and conclusions. It raises some very interesting points, and inspires some very important debates. Whether you agree with Barlow’s argument or not, one thing is clear, the world is running out of its most valuable resource, and something must be done. Don’t miss this piece, so you can make an informed decision and take a stand!

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“Is water a commercial good like running shoes or Coca-Cola? Or is water a human right like air”? This is the question proposed by Maude Barlow in “Water on the Table” (airing Wednesday, March 24 at 10pm on TVO).

When the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted over 50 years ago, water was not included in the list of protected rights. The rationale was simple. Water, like air, was considered so fundamental to life that naming a right to it would have been redundant.

However in more recent years, there has been pressure to privatize water in developing countries. Water Privatization is an issue in constant debate – having both negative and positive side effects. Originally, water privatization provided hope that there could be better distribution, less waste and more realistic pricing, but protesters and debaters everywhere think this will only result in rate increases, decreases in water quality, and loss of accountability.

Maude Barlow is the leader of this movement to end water privatization. Commonly known as the “Water Warrior”, she sees water privatization as a loss of one of our basic human rights: “Water must be declared a public trust and a human right that belongs to the people, the ecosystem and the future, and preserved for all time and practice in law. Clean water must be delivered as a public service, not a profitable commodity.” And it is the Third World countries that have suffered the most from water privatization, “12 percent of the world’s population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.” It is the Third World that struggles the most with severe water shortages. Just take a look at these statistics:

• Roughly 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to clean water
• Most of the world’s people must walk at least three hours to fetch water
• 1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This amounts to around 5000 deaths a day.
• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.

And as times goes by, these statistics will get worse. With our rapid population growth, the percentage of people without access to clean water is expected to double. There are arguments for both sides, but one thing that can not be argued is that something MUST be done. Either way, water should be safe, affordable, and accessible to everyone – not just those who can afford to pay.

Learn more about the Water Warrior and her plight to end water privatization in the new Canadian documentary, “Water on the Table” airing March 24th at 10pm on TVO’s Water Week.

Want to know more? Check out these other great resources:

The Blue Planet Project, a initiative created by Barlow – discusees the issues raised by water privatizations and provides alternatives. There is also several options for individuals to take action.

Food and Water Watch – an extremely informative tracking site and a non-profit organization working with grassroots organizations around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. It’s mandate states “We have the right to know where our food comes from with accurate labeling and we have the right to clean, affordable, publicly owned water.” Consumer tools and action tools provides readers with useful knowledge and easy ways to get involved.

The Program on Water Issues – a discussion forum that provides readers to learn, express, or even jump in on the collaborative research

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1. Tapping into Something Good
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3. Water on the Table – the Fight of the Water Warrior

• 2.5 billion people in the world don’t have access to adequate sanitation – that’s two fifths of the entire world’s population!
• 97.5% of the earth’s water is saltwater. If the world’s water could fit into a bucket, only one teaspoon would be drinkable.
• A person can live a month without food, but only about a week without water.

Makes you think doesn’t it?

Monday March 22 is World Water Day and UN-Water has chosen “Communicating Water Quality Challenges and Opportunities” as its theme. To mark the day, TVO will air a week of water-themed programming featuring the world premiere of the Canadian documentary Water on the Table, and encores of films that examine political, economic and environmental issues dealing with water quality and availability. Get Involved is partnering with TVO to support this fantastic endeavor to spread water education.

Check out TVO’s Water Week schedule here:

Water on the Table

March 24th at 10pm (repeated March 28th at 10:30pm)

Is water a human right, or a commodity to be bought and sold like gold and oil? That’s the question at the heart of this timely new documentary by filmmaker Liz Marshall. Over the course of a year in Canada and the United States, the film follows Canadian activist Maude Barlow as she campaigns against the privatization of water and tries to bring attention to how industry is polluting the water table.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A World Without Water

March 21st at 8pm

Filmmaker Brian Woods examines the dramatic impact of the battle for water ownership on the lives of four disparate groups of people in Bolivia, India, Tanzania and the heart of the planet’s richest nation, the United States.

Toxic Trespass

March 21st at 10:30pm

Filmmaker Barri Cohen investigates the effects of the chemicals all around us, beginning with her 10-year-old daughter, whose blood carries carcinogens like benzene and the long-banned DDT. She heads to Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario, identified as Canadian toxic hotspots, with startling clusters of deadly diseases.

Strait Through the Ice

March 24th at 7pm

Scientists and explorers weigh in on how the melting of Arctic polar ice, opening up the Northwest Passage, can be both an ecological catastrophe and a commercial godsend.

National Geographic’s Extreme Ice

March 27th at 7pm

Photojournalist James Balog and his team conduct the largest photographic study of the cryosphere (the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form and ground is frozen) ever attempted – in order to assess the rapid glacier melt and its implications on the future environment of our planet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Learn more at TVO’s Facebook Page or reading the Water Week Press Release!

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2. Water Education 101
3. Toxic Trespass – airing this Sunday on TVO

Episode 1 – Online Activism: An Overview: WATCH

- With social tools like twitter and facebook, and thousands of sites devoted to issues and causes –– like minded individuals are hooking up about everything – and it’s revolutionizing how activists organize. Individuals can organize large scale events with virtually no cost, to create awareness and engage others for their cause.

Episode 2 – Transparency: Tell No Lies: WATCH

- Controlling and spinning a message has driven public relations for decades. The motto has been– it’s better to conceal than to reveal. But the internet has allowed us to access any and all information surrounding institutions and government. Not only can individuals share and discuss products and policies, but concerned citizens can use accountability sites to report neighborhood problems.

Episode 3 – The Power of the Citizen: Politics 2.0 – WATCH

– Social media has forever changed democracy. Citizens are now being engaged like never before, as a dialogue in now emerging between politician and voter. People can now actively participate in their society, as governments have begun giving them the opportunity to brainstorm ideas to create change initiatives in their communities. And this concept of active citizenship is only the beginning of this democracy make-over.

Episode 4 – The Power of the Consumers: Consumers Pumping Up the Volume – WATCH

– The power is back in the hands of the consumers. With networking sites, blogs and forums, customers can share their opinions on virtually any purchase. But the conversation isn’t just one ended, consumers have begun to demand a conversation with the companies themselves. The digital space has finally given consumers the power to stand up and be heard.

Episode 5 – Twitter and Micro-messaging – WATCH

– Twitter is the “hot” micro-messaging tool, and it’s bringing people together faster than we ever could have imagined. Events like Ho Ho Ho TO proved micro-messaging’s success and its capacity for social change. But micro-messaging doesn’t always need to connect people over serious issues. It has made creating events, and coming together virtually effortless. The world is flattening in not only a geographical way, but a social way too.

Episode 6 – Crowdsourcing: The Wisdom of the Masses – WATCH

– Crowdsourcing is all about taping into the power of your consumers, acknowledging that many customers interested in an organization or a company are also going to be extremely knowledgeable about your products. Crowdsourcing also gives companies the opportunity to test products before they hit the mass market. From designing their own t-shirts, to measuring craters on Mars for NASA, this ability to harness our collective talents all over the world is one of the most powerful tool to bring about social change.

Episode 7 – A Virtual Printing Press – WATCH

– Self-publishing has become easier then ever before, and simple tools like blogs, Youtube and Twitter, your message can reach the over 1.5 billion people online. Anyone can publish online and for free, which means that content is diverse, unique and frequently controversial. Citizen journalism has also taken to the internet, as everyday citizens take to the streets and have begun conducting their own interviews and asking their own questions that haven’t always been addressed by the mainstream media.

Episode 8 – A Loss of Privacy? – WATCH

– The internet has closed the geographical gap and put information right at our fingertips – but its also important for all users to remember that anything they put on the web, can be difficult to remove, and accessible by almost anyone. Any profile or account you create online can be searched by employers, potential spouses, friends, family and strangers – which not only puts your reputation at risk, but also your safety. As a user you need to be aware and beware of the digital crumbs you can leave behind.

Want to learn more about a specific topic? Check out the full length interviews – as our Digital U Podcasts.

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2. Digital U Heads to Net Change Week!
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Donations can be made through their website; and your donations will help contribute to quality and inspiring programming – which aims to improve education and literacy for all ages. As a publicly funded organization, TVO relies on its 3.5 million weekly viewers for their support and donations. The GO Public campaign is extremely informative regarding the current issues for public television and outlines TVO’s plans for the future. Public television is YOUR television – whether it’s sharing public opinions, or bringing communities together – your financial support goes towards YOUR local television, so your donations will not go unnoticed!

Tweet or Facebook about this campaign!

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