PRESS RELEASE
Every drop counts – water advocate takes on desert challenge
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40 marathons, seven deserts, seven continents, seven weeks, one reason –
water
Water scarcity ranked the number one risk facing society – World Economic
Forum (2015)
40 per cent over demand for water by 2030 (hence 40 marathons)
Starts on 1st February in the Tabernas, Spain and ends on World Water Day
(22nd March) in the Mojave, USA
Focused on mass participation and awareness amongst millennials
Australian water advocate Mina Guli will run the equivalent of 40 marathons across
seven deserts to deliver one message to the world – we have a water crisis and we
need to do something about it, today.
Mina, founder and CEO of Thirst – an educational water conservation charity – is
taking on the gruelling seven week challenge across the world's seven continents to
raise awareness of global water scarcity, a crisis that was ranked by the World
Economic Forum for the last two years as the number one risk facing society.
The challenge will see her run 1,040 miles (1,688km) through deserts in Spain,
Jordan, Antarctica, Australia, South Africa, Chile and the United States of America,
where she will subject her body to some of the harshest conditions on the planet,
running through extreme stress and exhaustion in soaring temperatures up to 45°C
and sub-zero conditions as low as -23°C.
Mina will run through some of the areas in the world that are worst affected by water
scarcity, talking to local people and experts about their real life struggles with a lack
of water, and documenting this to share with millennials around the world.
Her goal is to highlight the risks facing the next generation, and to showcase the
simple solutions we can take in our daily lives to make a very real difference in how
we use and consume water.
Water is a big problem. With water demand continuing to exceed supply at an
alarming rate and forecasts of a 40 per cent greater demand for water than supplies
available by 2030, water sustainability is critical to the future of our planet.
With an average of 90 per cent of water being consumed outside the home (70 per
cent by agriculture and 20 per cent in manufacturing), the real key to solving the
water crisis is for companies to use water more efficiently – right through their supply
chains.
As well as raising awareness, Mina aims to build a community of water conscious
consumers, working together to take steps to reduce their invisible water
consumption. From choosing tea over coffee (saving 118 litres of water per cup1) or
chicken over beef (saving 2218 litres of water per 200g of meat2), Mina’s message is
that consumers can do small things to save vast amounts of water every day.
Water usage has had devastating effects across the globe as 650 million people live
without water3. Only 0.007 per cent of the planet's water is available to fuel and feed
its 6.8 billion people as almost all water is unsafe or unavailable for use4. By 2025,
1.8 billion people, almost a third of the world's population, will experience absolute
water scarcity. In 2009, Barcelona – one of the world's highly developed cities – ran
out of water and had to import from Marseille, Tarragona and Almeria, showing the
real issue of water scarcity5 in first and third world countries.
Ahead of the challenge, Mina Guli said: "We can’t afford to continue to use water in
the way our parents and our grandparents have used it before us. With a rising
population and escalating demand for products, our rate of water usage is
unsustainable. The problem is solvable by all of us – irrespective of where we live or
where we’re from. Just by making smart consumer choices can help save thousands
of litres of water.
"As I do this crazy thing to experience and document the grassroots effects of water
shortages across the globe, I hope to raise awareness of the water crisis and inspire
the next generation to believe they can make a difference by pledging to do just one
thing each day to reduce their water consumption. Small steps, each day, because
every drop counts.”
To find out more about the challenge as well as how to pledge your support, visit
www.Thirstforwater.org and keep up to date via social media by following
@thirst4water using #run4water.
The Route:
Run 1 – Tabernas Desert (Spain) 1st – 6th February
Run 2 – Arabian Desert (Jordan) | 8th – 14th February
Run 3 – Antarctica | 17th – 24th February
Run 4 – Simpson Desert (Australia) | 26th February – 1st March
Run 5 – Karoo Desert (South Africa) | 4th – 9th March
Run 6 – Atacama Desert (Chile) | 12th – 16th March
Run 7 – Mojave Desert (Unites States of America) | 17th – 22nd March
1
http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/
http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/
3
http://www.wateraid.org/what-we-do/the-crisis/water
4
http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity
5
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/arid-barcelona-forced-to-importwater-807810.html
2
NOTE: Each run will vary in distance with land temperatures expected to be between
-23°C and 45°C. In each country Mina intends to run the equivalent of one marathon
a day for six straight days.
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ENDS-
For more information and any media enquiries, please contact the team at Frank PR
on [email protected] / 020 7693 6999
Notes to editors:
About Mina Guli:
Mina Guli is a water advocate, an environmental lawyer and a pioneer athlete. At 22,
Mina was told she would never be able to run again after breaking her back, but has
since completed several ironman events and the daunting Marathon Des Sables, a
six-day, 251km ultra marathon across Madagascar. Mina is a leading figure in efforts
to protect the world's water supplies. In 2010 she was named a Young Global
Leader by the World Economic Forum and in 2011, she was named one of
Australia's "50 for the future".
About Thirst:
Thirst is a group that promotes saving water by educating young people, dedicated to
changing the way the world thinks about, uses & consumes water. Launched on
World Water Day in 2012 by Mina Guli, the charity looks to arm companies and
individuals with knowledge of the water crisis through education initiatives, unique
outreach projects and a large engagement network.
Thirst's vision is to build a grassroots community of Water Heroes – companies and
individuals working together to create a shift in purchasing behaviour, with
consumers favouring water-sustainable products.
We would like to thank the following partners for making these runs possible: