Did you know that the Earth has 326 quintillion gallons of water but less than 1% of it is available for people to drink or use? This is because most of it is salt water found in the oceans or frozen in the polar ice caps. Everyone needs safe drinking water, but sadly, about 1.1 billion people do not have it. In fact, one of every six people on the planet has no way to get clean water.

This month I have been in Romania, one of the most beautiful countries I have traveled to yet. I have fallen in love with the gypsy people, the landscape, and the Romanian way of life. I have been the gypsy way of life – cleaning the carpets, working in fields, and cleaning the land. A small river even runs though our backyard – gorgeous! We go to the rivers to clean their carpets and in the summer the gypsy children swim in it. The sad part, though, is that the water is not clean. It is part of the culture to just throw the trash in the river and have it float down stream till it sits in a neighbor’s part of the river. We gathered all the trash around our land and burned it because there is no where else for it to go. Many neighbors felt shame that they had a trash-filled yard so they, too, began burning their trash. Shame fills the hearts of the Romanian people and it dictates many of their actions. A sad hope I have is that shame will bring change to their actions. The pollution of rivers is not just a problem in this small gypsy village; it is an issue that needs attention all throughout Romania.

The Danube river is Europe’s second longest river (after the Volga) and runs through ten countries – Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. For millions of people, it is a source of life and drinking water, and is a major channel for transport and tourism. Romania is the lower riparian and is consequently largely affected by the pollution of the river. Most countries appear to be at high risk of groundwater pollution from fertilizers, chemicals, untreated sewage and leaching from contaminated soils. An estimated 48 million people depend on groundwater sources for drinking water. If the people do not begin to pay attention to this issue very soon, the Danube could have major long-term problems.

Throughout Europe they are trying to make a difference and change the future of the Danube. Join the cause as Danube Day invites you to celebrate one of Europe’s greatest river systems and the people and wildlife that rely on it.  Over 81 million people in 14 countries will celebrate Danube Day on June 29th, and I hope you will consider it, too. Celebrating this day together helps protect the Danube so it can be used and enjoyed for generations to come. Last year they had over 160 events to raise awareness and support for the Danube. To learn how you can get involved please go to their website: http://www.danubeday.org/en/home.

One person can make a difference. A Planeteer does not just sit by and watch our environment deteriorate, we take a stand! Join any cause and make a difference. I hope that this year through my travels you have learned a little bit more about the environmental problems in our world. I hope you choose to get involved internationally or even just in your own backyard. We can make a difference, together.

See you next month in Moldova!