Happy Monday 👋

Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:

• How to get involved in Nutrition and Hydration Week 🥗💧
• The green walls that reduce urban pollution 🪻
• How researchers found a way to recover gold from electronic waste 🪙
• And more… 💚

Did you know that nearly 200 million children experience severe health issues due to malnourishment? While 37 million children are suffering from obesity, which can lead to life-long health issues…

Or that more than 700 million people lack access to clean water?

I have to admit, those are not great news to start the week…

But now that we are aware of these, we can help make a positive change 💚

🥗💧 Event of the Week: Nutrition and Hydration Week

👉 Did you know that today (March 11) kickstarts Nutrition and Hydration Week? This week is dedicated to educating the public about the value of healthy eating and drinking to maintain health, wellbeing, and social care. 

1️⃣ The big picture: Nutrition and Hydration Week was founded in 2012 by a group of healthcare experts to raise awareness of the dangers of malnutrition and dehydration, as well as reduce pressure on health and social care systems. Today, Nutrition and Hydration Awareness Week is a global initiative to end world hunger and dehydration, and promote a healthier lifestyle for all. 

2️⃣ Why is this important: Around the world, nearly 200 million children experience severe health issues due to malnourishment. In fact, half of all deaths in children under 5 are due to undernutrition. On the other end of the scale, 37 million children are suffering from obesity, which can lead to life-long health issues. In addition, 703 million people lack access to clean water, causing them to walk around 6 km everyday to carry 40lbs of clean water back to their communities. Even in developed countries, malnutrition is a big problem with 9% of the US population alone suffering from some form of eating disorder in their lifetime.  

3️⃣ How can you get involved: You can get involved in Nutrition and Hydration Week by signing up to get involved in the Global Tea Party to raise awareness of the worldwide issues surrounding malnourishment and a lack of access to clean water. You can also get involved by adopting a healthy lifestyle to protect our beloved planet or setting up a fundraising event in your local community. 

Below are our favorite charities that are especially relevant this awareness week:

• 9 Best Charities That Advance Healthy Nutrition
• 21 Best Charities That Fight for Clean Water
• 9 Best Charities That Fight Hunger Globally
• 9 Best Charities That Combat the Obesity Crisis
• 9 Best Charities That Combat Eating Disorders

📢 Three Good News

🪻 The geen walls that can strip pollution from the air:

• New research conducted by scientists at the University of Surrey have found that by planting on a green wall, communities can reduce air pollution without taking up too much street space.
• In 2021, 97% of the urban population was exposed to concentrations of pollution above the health-based guideline level set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The study found that 10 plants, including lavender, evergreen, and ivy were the most effective at absorbing and washing off polluted particles. It’s hoped that this study will convince town planners to think more about what they plant in housing developments.

🪙 How researchers have found a way to recover gold from electronic waste:

• Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new method to extract gold from electronic waste by using a protein fibril sponge; a byproduct of the cheesemaking process.
• More than 50 million metric tons of electronic waste are produced every year around the world, caused by the discarding of mobile phones, laptops, and other electronic devices. 
• Recovering this gold from electronic waste is a sustainable solution to the rising demand for precious metals, without using highly toxic chemicals. 

🚱 A new electrochemical approach to removing harmful pollution from water:

• Scientists from the University of Rochester have developed a new electrochemical approach to cleaning up water pollution caused by ‘forever chemicals’ found in food packaging, clothing, and firefighting foams. 
• The study focused on a particular type of chemical called Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) which, despite being banned in the US since the early 2000s, still continuously shows up in water supplies, affecting wildlife and human health. 
• The process involves the use of lithium hydroxide which is a cheap and effective way to defluorinate PFOS chemicals. However, further studies are due to be conducted on why this process works so well and how to upscale it to further protect our planet. 

🤝 Three More Important Awareness Events For This Week

💧 March 10-16, National Groundwater Awareness Week:

• In the US alone, more than 44% of the population depends on groundwater as a primary water source.
• This week was established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater. 

😷 March 11, National COVID-19 Day:

• On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. 
• On National COVID-19 Day, the world is encouraged to reflect upon lessons learned, acknowledge our collective grief, and share hope for the future. 

🤝 March 13, National Good Samaritan Day:

• On this day in 1964, a young woman in New York City was attacked and murdered as onlookers watched but took no action.
• This was the inspiration for National Good Samaritan Day, which encourages people to serve others with compassion.

Related: You can discover all the 115 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for March 2024!

📜 This Week in History

🇨🇱 March 11, 2006: Michelle Bachelet became the first woman to serve as president in Chile. 

🎭 March 11, 1959:  Lorraine Hansberrys’ ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ became the first play to be produced on Broadway that was created by an American African woman.

♀️ March 12, 1912: Juliette Gordon Low formed the very first troop of American Girl Guides (that later became Girl Scouts) in Savannah, Georgia. 

💭 Quote of the Day

“The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.”

— Juliette Gordon Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts

Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society together!

Stay impactful 💚