H2OKits.com Water Blog

The week before Memorial Day has been designated National Recreational Water Illness and Injury (RWII) Prevention Week. RWII Prevention Week 2011 will take place May 23-29, 2011, marking the seventh anniversary of this observance.

Each year, RWII Prevention Week focuses on simple steps swimmers and pool operators can take to ensure a healthy and safe swimming experience for everyone.

The theme of RWII Prevention Week 2011 is swimmer’s ear (otitis externa). Swimmer’s ear is a common problem for swimmers of all ages and can cause severe pain and discomfort. During RWII Prevention Week 2011, CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program and its partners will provide the public with new information and recommendations on how to prevent swimmer’s ear.

What are RWIs?

Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can also be caused by chemicals in the water or chemicals that evaporate from the water and cause indoor air quality problems. Diarrhea is the most common RWI, and it is often caused by germs like Crypto (short for Cryptosporidium), Giardia, norovirus, Shigella, and E. coli O157:H7. Other common RWIs include skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. Children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk for RWIs.

CDC

Green Talk Radio host Sean Daily speaks with Ryan Hreljac, of Ryan’s Well. At the age of 6, he began his active life of advocacy for water-poor communities in 1998 when he determinedly focused his sights on building a single well for a dry village in Africa. The story touched hearts and launched an avalanche of media reports, films, inspirational book chapters, and speaking requests that resulted in more donations and attention to water issues than he could have imagined. In 2001, with support of family and other volunteers, Ryan established the Ryan’s Well Foundation, a registered Canadian charity that helps build wells, educates children about water and sanitation, and motivates people of all ages and backgrounds to perform their own “power of one” miracles. Blue Living Ideas

Earth Day has come and gone, but the issues that have brought us this wonderful day are still unresolved. It was nice to see everyone being so environmentally conscious on this particular day but I don’t understand why the general public can't be greener everyday? The earth and all the resources was given to us as a gift and we are the stewards of this great planet, so why are so many people numb to the issues that directly impact the very essentials that sustain life?

Anyhow, I want to focus more on the positive impacts that are being done by individuals, groups, and companies to make our environment a little greener.

Please share with us what you did this Earth Day, because sharing may inspire someone else to act!

As some of you may know, on November 15, 2008 we gave away one of our Water Pitcher Filters and all the participants had to do was follow us on Twitter.com.   Bill Lewis (Twitter follower iammrbill) was one of those individuals who had nothing to lose and is now our big winner.  Mr. Lewis resides in Jacksonville, Florida where he is a Freelance Audio Visual Technician doing video projection and engineering for corporate business shows all over the World. When asking Lewis about himself, he made this statement, "Water is precious and we should not take it for granted at anytime" and I would have to agree.  Unfortunately, many individuals do!  Anyhow, many thanks to all those how participated in our give away and congratulations to Bill.

Who Doesn’t Like Free Stuff? We are going to give away one of our Pitcher Water Filters including the shipping, to a H2OKITS Twitter follower. That’s right…. Absolutely Free, including shipping and handling! The give away starts NOW and ends on November 15, 2008 at 12:00 p.m.. How Do I Get My Name in the Drawing? The only way to be included in the give away is to follow us (H2OKITS) on Twitter.com. Don't have a Twitter.com account? It's easy. Just click the link to get your FREE Twitter.com account and start following H2OKITS today. On November, 15, 2008, at 12:00 pm EST, all followers will be entered into the drawing, so you must be a H2OKITS follower at the time of the drawing in order to win the give away. Shipping Your Prize: The Pitcher can only be shipped within Canada and the USA however, our followers may be from other parts of the World, so there will be a cash alternative based on the exact cost for the product that we would have to pay... minus the shipping. The cash prize will be paid via PayPal. Declaring a Winner: On November 15, 2008, the winner will be announced on Twitter.com and this blog at which time the winner has 7 days to claim their prize. After 7 days, a new winner will be drawn. Prize will ship in 2 to 3 weeks after your shipping information is received. I wish you all the best.