Today, March 22, is World Water Day, and to help draw attention to the importance of preserving fresh drinking water all over the world, Crystal Light is donating 100% of today’s net profits to The Nature Conservancy. The makers of Crystal Light expect to donate as much as $750,000 that will be used to support freshwater conservation projects that sustain life and livelihood along some of America’s most celebrated bodies of water.

I find this an interesting example of cause-related marketing. We’ve talked quite a lot about cause-related marketing in this column. Simply, it is a corporation’s strategic effort to encourage people to buy its products based on a philanthropic relationship with a certain issue or charity.

Rather than your typical “buy one, give one,” and other campaigns that give a little at a time over a long period of time, this campaign is based on a single day. And it’s not a little at a time – Crystal Light’s one-day involvement represents a huge donation that will make a great difference to the Nature Conservancy and its important work with freshwater preservation.

So why should you care about freshwater preservation? There are actually many reasons why you should care. According to the Nature Conservancy, just one percent of water available on Earth is freshwater suitable for drinking. That comes from rivers and lakes, which are in great danger from pollution, over-extraction, dams, changing climate, and the degradation of lands that flank these bodies of water. All of these forces have the potential to destroy the natural processes and lifecycles that keep our freshwater supply healthy and clean.

To solve the problem, The Nature Conservancy suggests not only reducing water waste, but making every effort to protect our rivers, lakes and underground water supplies. And the proceeds from today’s Crystal Light sales will help support those efforts. So, if you’re a Crystal Light fan, your purchase today will go a long way. In the meanwhile, consider some of these water-saving tips from The Nature Conservancy:

• Cut down your morning water usage by taking a shower less than 10 minutes long and shutting off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
• Use fresh food. The manufacturing of frozen foods requires more water than it takes to make a home-cooked meal.
• When upgrading appliances, be sure to buy low-flow and water-efficient appliances. They will save water and money.
• Check for and repair leaky pipes and faucets. The tiniest leak has far greater impact than you’d think. Many cities lose 40 to 60 percent (or more!) of their water supply due to leaky pipes.
• Turn off the lights when you leave the room. Each year in the U.S. alone billions of gallons of water are used in the process of creating electricity.


Nature Conservancy Freshwater Conservation
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