When you meet Kevin Lilly, you probably wouldn’t assume that he’s out to change the world. He’s a young guy with disheveled hair, a rock and roll wardrobe and a quirky smile. To look at him, you probably wouldn’t realize that his actions and the actions of those he’s helping to rally will go a long way to put an end to death and disease that dirty water (and lack of water) in remote areas all over the world.
Kevin runs the website “What About Blue“, a social network bringing people together to solve the global water crisis. He’s based right here in St. Petersburg and attends events to promote his cause. The mission is simple, to bring awareness of an issue that many of us in the civilized world take for granted. Starting in July and ending in October, he and two of his fellow adventurers (Brian Coggan and Danielle Katz) will kayak 2500 miles down the length of the Mississippi from Bemidji, MN, to the Gulf of Mexico, in order to help raise awareness of Water and inspire action to preserve, cultivate, restore, protect, conserve, and share safe water.
‘What About Blue?’ exists to encourage people to think specifically about Water and all the ways it is used in our lives. WAB aims to not only raise money to help combat this critical issue (Did you know that over 1.2 billion people live without daily access to clean drinking water?) but to create a network of individuals around the globe who are linked by their passion and concern for water.
Money raised will go to charities working on water issues, locally and nationally preserving and restoring waterways, and internationally to help build wells for those without access to clean water. For just $5 per month, you could help bring water to dozens of people who need it. Such a small contribution (about what you’d pay for a Latte!) could dramatically reduce water born diseases, and cut death in third world countries considerably.
Here’s a video by Fox Tampa Bay covering Kevin’s quest:
Being in the Tampa Bay Area, we’re all surrounded by water. We swim in the gulf. We deal with hurricanes. We are constantly at odds with our city government over when to water our lawns and how much water to use. Now consider what would happen if our water supply dried up. Consider how bad it is in developing nations where no one has access to clean water and the water they do have is filled with bacterial, viruses and waste.
Even if you don’t have money to donate, sign up for What About Blue and listen to the encouraging stories of Kevin Lilly and his collective. You will think twice before wasting water again.
