As residents of the United States we have regular access to clean drinking water, especially with the help of whole house water filters. Nearly 900 million people, however, are not so lucky, and a significant number of these people are children. LifeSource Water Systems is acutely aware of this unfortunate fact, which is why we work with the House of Children project in Peru to help supply clean drinking water. We’re not the only ones working towards a brighter future – the Unicef Tap Project is on a mission to cut the number of people without water in half by 2015.

Unicef and NYC ad agency Droga5 developed a multi-platform campaign to help raise money  and awareness for this goal. They’ve enlisted celebrities, corporations, volunteers, and restaurants to encourage people to donate for the Unicef Tap Project.  Every dollar raised brings clean drinking water to a child for 40 days.  

Throughout World Water Week (March 20-26), participating restaurants across the nation are charging patrons $1.00 for a glass of water. Where this water would normally be free, restaurants are donating all proceeds to the Unicef Tap Project. Unicef is encouraging people to “dine at a participating restaurant and save kids’ lives” this week – you can see which restaurants near you are taking part by visiting the Unicef Tap Project’s location search online.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Unicef’s campaign is the Celebrity Tap fundraiser. By donating $5.00, you could win glass bottles filled with Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Dwight Howard, Robin Williams, Selena Gomez, or Adrian Grenier’s tap water. The campaign is fun and creative, playing up their celebrity status to a silly extreme. A Rihanna Tap Water print ad states, “Not your typical girl-next-door water, unless of course, you live next door to Rihanna.” You can read about the different celebrities and “experience the water of the stars” on Unicef’s interactive website.  

The Unicef Tap Project is important not only because it raises awareness of the world water crisis, but also because it helps us pay more attention to our own water habits. Do you buy bottled water or use a reverse osmosis system? Both waste considerable amounts of water and are contributing to our global shortage. By eliminating bottled water and installing an eco-friendly system, like a LifeSource Whole House Water System, you can help save this precious resource.  Learn more about the green LifeSource Water System. Happy World Water Week!