A quick note on the "Plastic Bottle Count" you see on the right hand side of the page. Basically I'm trying to hold myself accountable to the impact I'm having while I'm here. While India is a beautiful country, the roads are littered with empty plastic bottles. This is a problem I've seen around the world, and have continually contributed to. Since I'm working on a water project I thought this was a good time to try and take responsibility for how I get my water.
So for this trip I bought myself a niffty UV water purifying PEN and am attempting to leave as few plastic bottles behind as possible. This is easier said than done, especially since I'm skeptical about a little UV light magically turning my Indian tap water into safe drinking water. So the count is to shame me into following through. I was inspired by a great project that a friend in Portland started called Leave No Plastic Behind
PS The 4 bottles were all used when I first landed in Delhi and was too jet lagged to dig the purifier out of the bottom of my backpack. Just shows you how quickly those bottles pile up.
Hey darling! Glad to hear your updates. Sounds like a pretty awesome project you're doing. My friend Eli did a water project in the mountains of Morocco for the Peace Corps - he organized the building of a pipe (or something) that brings water from a spring down into the village. It was pretty neat, because the village was really excited about the pipe and lots of people got involved with helping to build it. And now people don't have to carry water for miles!
ReplyDeleteSo... have you gotten sick from the purifier yet? I hope not!!
Love you,
Laura
Hey Karina,
ReplyDeleteI love the idea!
Try finding out what local people do to purify their water - I just got back from my family's house in Bhavnagar where they had some clear rocks that makes the dirt settle and then uses cotton, cloth filters. I've also worked with Cipla who makes Aquasef, a powder that you add to the water.
Until the monsoon gets into full swing, don't take too many chances with water - you have a lot of work to do!
Warmly,
Rita
Karina,
ReplyDeleteI'm sending you a separate, long, admiring email because I love you, and you're doing amazing work and your photos are amazing and you're the best freakin' econ partner ever, but I just wanted to publicly provide a testimonial. . .
You will probably not be surprised to learn that I have been using the PEN for years. And I swear by it! I'm proud that you've made the switch. I am in the process of molding you in my image.
Besos,
Barbara