Spring is here, but the hot days of summer will be upon us before you know it. 72% of persons experiencing homelessness are thirsty all or most of the time. When faced with difficult circumstances in life, the last thing you should have to worry about is how to find and pay for water. It's a basic human need.

Often those struggling are given small single-use plastic bottles that allow water to become hot quickly, and do not provide enough water for a day. In high temperatures the chemical bonds in the plastic also break down and leach into the water, making the water unsafe to drink.

Ara solves this need. They donate reusable water bottles to the homeless.....your purchase makes it possible, and to-date they've handed out 964 bottles to help the homeless stay hydrated.

Shop for a reusable bottle of your own....and help the homeless get one in the process 👉 https://www.giveara.com/shop

Source: Ara
📸: Ara

Every April, advocates from around the world join the "Shower Strike" to raise awareness of global water issues. Without clean water, education cannot thrive, gender inequality grows, economic activity becomes stagnant, and development is stifled. Today, 2.2 BILLION people worldwide lack reliable access to safely managed drinking water (with about 2 MILLION being in the U.S.) *

Participate in this annual event in one of two ways:

💧 Go on a "shower strike" for one week (when it's convenient) OR carry a container of water and walk outside each day for a week to experience what African women and girls do to find and transport water to their home. If the average 10-minute shower utilizes ~25 gallons of water you'll conserve 175 gallons of water the week you don't shower!

OR

💧Take your participation to a new level. Well Aware's "Shower Strike" contains options to fundraise, if you're so inclined. Specific dates are April 19-25. All proceeds will go to water projects in East Africa. For details 👉 https://wellawareworld.org/shower-strike/

*: UN, WHO
📸: Medical News Today

Looking for an easy way to help our local waterways (and our health and 🌎 at the same time)?! There’s a free-and-easy way to make an impact. Every year, Prescription Drug Take Back Day shines a spotlight on the destruction that precription meds can have on our health and environment when disposed of improperly, including flushing down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage. The great thing? You can dispose of prescription meds anytime of the year, so if the official day on April 22, 2023 doesn't work for you, it's easy to take part.

Last year's event collected 721,093 lbs. (360 tons) of medications from across the U.S.!

By cleaning out your medicine cabinet and finding a drop-off location for safe disposal of unused/expired meds, you’ll be:

💧 Helping to keep medications out of our waterways. (Over 80% of waterways tested in the U.S. show traces of common medications such as acetaminophen, hormones, blood pressure medicine, codeine, and antibiotics.)

❤️ Helping to prevent medications from getting into the wrong hands. 50% of people who misused prescription painkillers got them from a friend or family member. 

🐠 Helping to keep marine life safer. (A recent study off the coast of Florida found 58 prescription drugs in 93 bonefish.)

Go ahead and clean out those medicine cabinets. Find a medication drop-off near you on April 22 (as well as other days of the year): https://www.dea.gov/takebackday

PS - Anytime of the year, local drugstore pharmacies generally take back prescription meds for proper disposal. Just ask and stop by!

📸: Spotless Factory