These organizations are coming up with sustainable solutions, both locally and abroad.
BY EMILY JOY MENESES
SPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Cover photo courtesy of Tyler Nix for Unsplash
Clean water is something that many of us take for granted. Every day, we take showers, drink water, brush our teeth, and wash our hands without ever thinking twice about how lucky we are to be able to do so.
Without water, coffee would not be possible—after all, coffee is 98% water—so we wanted to take some time today to explore the issue of clean water and how others in and outside of the coffee industry are helping to secure a necessity for our global community.
Life without clean water and working towards sustainable solutions
Around the world, communities without access to improved water sources are forced to drink from standing water sources like swamps, mud puddles, or earth dams, from which unsafe drinking water can cause deadly diarrheal diseases. However, studies have shown that by providing a community with safe drinking water, disease rates can drop up to 88% virtually overnight, and a number of organizations have committed to finding sustainable solutions.
Tea Drops is one such group; the Los Angeles based tea company has partnered with Thirst Project: a non-profit organization that builds freshwater wells in developing communities in need of safe, clean drinking water. For every purchase made with Tea Drops (no matter how big or small), the company donates a year’s supply of clean water to someone in need.
“I’ve always wanted Tea Drops to provide a larger vehicle to aid in social efforts,” shares Tea Drops founder Sashee Chandran (she/her). “Our decision to address the global water crisis felt natural, as water is not only critical for sanitation and education — but without it, you can’t even enjoy life’s simple pleasures… like a cup of tea.”
“Our partnership with Thirst Project immediately felt right,” she continues. “We’re both L.A.-based, and I really became familiar with their mission and the sincerity in their efforts over the years. In 2016, we embarked on the No Water, No Tea campaign, which is still alive and well. To date, we’ve built at least three water wells with Thirst Project in (South African country) Eswatini and have impacted over 140,000 individuals with our donation model.”
Another coffee company that has been a longtime supporter of water non-profits is Allegra Events, host of the The New York Coffee Festival, London Coffee Festival, Coffee Masters competitions, and countless other regional coffee events. Every year, 100% of the profits from these events go to a variety of water-focused non-profits like WaterAid, Splash, Water for People, and Project Waterfall, a non-profit working to bring clean water to coffee-growing communities, among others. Although the focus has pivoted to online events during COVID-19, their efforts to support clean water and sanitation are ongoing, and even more important than ever in a post-pandemic society.
Looking to the future
In 2018, the United Nations World Water Development Report proposed that by 2050, nearly 6 billion people around the world will experience scarcity of clean water: the result of increased demand for water, reduction of water resources, increased water pollution, and dramatic population and economic growth.
As the water crisis becomes increasingly dire, we’re being called to act on a multitude of levels: outside of the coffee community, grassroots organizations like Water Drop L.A. are working to provide unhoused individuals with clean drinking water, and non-profit Food & Water Watch is working to mobilize U.S. citizens to fight for long-term legislation that addresses food, water, and climate-related issues in profound and sustainable ways.
There are many ways to help secure clean water for those in need, on both a local and global scale; some quick research will help you find organizations in your area that are combating this important issue. When it comes to the water crisis, every effort on our part makes a difference.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Based in Los Angeles, Emily Joy Meneses (she/her) is a writer and musician passionate about culture and collective care. You can regularly find her at Echo Park Lake, drinking a cortado and journaling about astrology, art, Animal Crossing, and her dreams. Explore her poetry, short stories, and soundscapes on her website.
