Let's Be Nice To The Ocean

As the international community prepares every possible play on the word “nice”, Costa Rica and France prepare to host the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France in June 2025. This conference will assess progress toward fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal 14, “Life Below Water” (SDG14). At today’s one-day preparatory meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York, delegates acknowledged the threats that the ocean continues to face while praising the progress that has been made since the last UN Ocean Conference in 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. However, deep sea mining was given far too little attention by the proceedings overall. [Read more]

Mark the 11th Anniversary of the Tragedy of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec July 8th, 2024

Join us as we remember the tragic rail car explosion of crude oil in Lac Mégantic, Quebec, and connect it to recent incidents closer to home. From the Paulsboro, NJ train derailment of toxic chemicals to the East Palestine, Ohio derailment of PVC materials, these incidents highlight the urgent need for action to protect sacred water and ensure safety for all, regardless of income. Waterspirit has been involved with the decade long effort to enhance rail safety out of New Jersey, the Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains and we continue to realize the interconnectedness of public health and sacred water.

When: Monday, July 8, 2024, 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Where: THE LOCATION HAS CHANGED TO BE INDOORS DUE TO POOR AIR QUALITY AND EXTREME HEAT CONDITIONS - Knights of Columbus 829 Windsor Rd in Teaneck off of Cedar Lane (still near buses)

On this anniversary, we honor the 47 lives lost and communities devastated by a crude oil explosion in Lac M­égantic. This tragedy underscores the critical importance of worker safety, rail safety, and preventing the transportation of hazardous, volatile materials that endanger workers, waterways and communities.

Closer to home, incidents like the train derailment in Paulsboro, New Jersey and the recent derailment in East Palestine – a train headed for New Jersey- remind us of the ongoing risks posed by transporting toxic chemicals and materials through our communities. These incidents threaten our sacred water sources and the health of our families, highlighting the need for stricter safety regulations and proactive measures to prevent such disasters.

Water is life, and it is a fundamental right that transcends income levels. We must unite across communities to demand stronger worker safety standards, stricter regulations on rail transportation of hazardous materials, and a shift towards non-toxic alternatives that safeguard our sacred water sources.

Now is the time to advocate for change. Join us in calling for passage of new Rail Safety legislation in New Jersey: A4460/S3389, including minimum 2 person crews, shorter trains, effective wayside detectors-vital provisions to help prevent accidents.

Join our advocacy efforts to protect sacred water for all. Together, may we build a just and stable planet!

Let’s honor the past, protect our present, and secure a better future for generations to come. Together, we can ensure that water remains sacred and safe for all. See Waterspirit’s calendar posting for this event here!

Thank You for Marching With Us in D.C. Yesterday!

Thank you for being part of the proactive pursuit of a just and equitable society! Waterspirit’s Executive Director, Blair Nelsen, was present and took great pictures.

Advocating for policies that benefit low-income communities aligns with our goals of ensuring equitable access to safe and clean water for all. Yesterday was charged with emotion and determination. We journeyed together from New Jersey, from North, Central and South Jersey, to Washington, D.C. and also tuned in via livestream.

We witnessed a most powerful convergence of voices united in morality in stark contrast to recent Supreme Court rulings that jeopardize our ability to protect sacred water and criminalize homelessness. May we continue to find strength in the growing collective resolved to protect sacred water, commit to environmental justice and advocate tirelessly for accountability and human rights. Access to clean water is a fundamental human right; morality must be prioritized over profit and prejudice. Waterspirit reaching this broader network enhances our organizing directly with communities most affected by water-related issues.

Get involved with us today! Message: water@waterspirit.org and visit our Calls to Action Page

To learn more about the NJ Poor People’s Campaign, please email directly: newjersey@poorpeoplescampaign.org

Calls to Action to Prevent Plastics Waste & Pollution: Now Working

NOTE: The plastics related links to our Calls to Action page work; Please see below & SHARE

  • Send a letter to Senator Smith, urging him to strengthen and advance S3195, the “Skip the Stuff” Bill

  • Send a letter to Green Acres Director, NJ Leadership and Governor Murphy to prevent Green Acres funding from going to toxic synthetic turf

We appreciate your taking action with Waterspirit through our monitoring program offerings, found on our calendar, and timely advocacy opportunities found on our Calls to Action page.

We are human and we are made of mostly water. Living in an interconnected world, our actions ripple through Earth’s environment revealing a crucial duty to preserve sacred water sources. The intrinsic link between plastics and sacred water requires that we empower ourselves to make informed choices and advocate for policies that prioritize the health and integrity of our natural resources.

From the moment plastics are produced, the materials pose significant threats to the purity of our waterways. Understanding and addressing this connection across the life cycle of plastics is vital for the health of our communities and Earth.

Raw materials for plastics are created by extracting fossil fuels-which adds to habitat destruction, water pollution and exacerbates climate crisis. Plastic pollution then threatens sacred water sources by entangling wildlife, introducing toxins into the food chain and changing natural habitats. Single-use plastics have inadequate lifespans and they often end up in water bodies, persisting for hundreds of years, breaking down into microplastics that infiltrate our waterways. Plastic –from start to finish- directly impacts sacred water sources, like the rivers and lakes we so enjoy, through permanent contamination and ecosystems disruption.

Take action TODAY to prevent plastics in our waterways with Waterspirit on our Calls to Action page & share widely!

Are you coming to the March on Washington?

On June 29th, we're rallying together to address crucial issues that impact us all, including but not limited to water protection, economic justice, and environmental equity. These are not just isolated concerns—they are interconnected parts of a larger struggle for human rights and dignity. Access to clean and safe water is a fundamental human right yet many communities in the United States of America face water contamination, inadequate water infrastructure and privatization threats. Water knows know bounds; this movement for peace through justice is growing.

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is asking us all, including Waterspirit and our ripples, our networks, to resist issues of greed, exclusion, and environmental racism. Together, may we amplify the voices of those affected and demand change.

Your presence and support are crucial. Let's come together to create a future where everyone has access to clean water, economic opportunity, and a perpetually healthy environment. Check out the NJ Poor People’s Campaign’s recent press conference on June 3rd announcing this movement on their facebook page.

Join us on June 29th to connect, learn, and take action. Want to board the bus but not sure where you will leave from? NJ Poor People’s Campaign has buses filling up from Newark, New Brunswick and Trenton. Email us water@waterspirit.org

Whether you can come or not, together, we can build a just and stable world for all!

The Mass Assembly will be livestreamed in both English and Spanish on the PPC National Page and on Facebook

Embrace the Flow: Discover the Magic of Skipping the Stuff

Waterspirit is pleased to be partaking in a catalyzing effort to prevent excess waste from going into our waterways and landfills unnecessarily.

Imagine the staggering magnitude of our collective disregard: 40 billion single-use plastic utensils discarded each year in the United States alone, their indestructible nature ensuring they persist in the environment indefinitely, breaking down into toxic microplastics that infiltrate even the most intimate realms of our existence.

In recent years, plastic has been discovered coursing through our bloodstream, infiltrating breast milk, and even embedding itself within the very chambers of our hearts. The toll on human health is profound, with the National Institute of Health linking the entire lifecycle of plastic—from manufacturing to transportation, use, and decomposition—to a litany of ailments, including cancer, insulin resistance, and reproductive system disorders.

The solution is clear: restaurants must heed the sacred call to only provide single-use plastic cutlery and condiment containers upon request, thus sparing our waterways from further desecration and alleviating an unnecessary burden on both our wallets and the Earth's fragile ecosystems.

Join us as we urge our towns to pass ordinances, like Hoboken just did, that honor the sanctity of water, rejecting the culture of waste and embracing the ethos of Skip the Stuff.

Let us call upon the New Jersey representatives to enact legislation that reflects our commitment to being stewards of the environment, ensuring that our state continues to shine as a beacon of environmental leadership in these troubled times. Visit our Calls to Action page for updates!

Want to be involved in this effort? JOIN US! water@waterspirit.org