A town in Tennessee literally runs out of water; the Gobi Desert in Mongolia grows larger each year at an unprecedented pace; Beijing does not have sufficient drinking water for visitors to the upcoming Olympic Games… These are merely recent examples of a looming global crisis: diminishing access to fresh water.

Borrowing from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Haverford College's Center for Peace & Global Citizenship (CPGC), Koshland Center for Integrated Natural Sciences and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Program are collaborating on a joint symposium entitled …Nor Any Drop to Drink: A Symposium on the Global Water Crisis, to be held on March 28-29 in Stokes Hall on the Haverford campus, located at 370 W. Lancaster Avenue in Haverford, PA.

Thanks to the efforts of Nobel Laureate Al Gore and others, the issue of global warming is very much in the public eye. Relatively few are aware, however, that in the United States and abroad, there is an equally urgent problem: unless drastic measures are taken, millions will lose access to fresh water, a necessary ingredient for life. The purpose of the symposium is to raise awareness by students, faculty and the community at large of this impending crisis. The symposium will focus on the need for cooperation in the areas of economic development, business, public policy, environmental protection, and science & technology. It will be both global and local in scope.

Please take a moment to visit the symposium website for the full schedule and event details, as well as more information on the global water crisis.