In honor of National Sports Day, August 29th, I’d like to share my full-circle story as both a lifelong sports fan and an impact investing advocate. First, a little background.  

I was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, where a unique religion is celebrated every Saturday during the fall. The service is held in Memorial Stadium, required dress code is red, and the faithful worship…football. My parents tithed, as season ticket holders. I even had the honor of tumbling on the altar, er, field.  

I was a competitive athlete in high school, as was my husband. We raised two kids, who are currently both Division-I student-athletes. My previous career was in college sports.  

Sports is in my blood.  

With the global pandemic of COVID-19, the past six months have been catastrophic on so many levels. We have lost lives, jobs, homes, and dreams. Difficult times require us to reflect on what’s truly important, seek perspective, and lean on what provides solace.  

But my happy place essentially vanished with the virus.  

Without sports to feed my soul, I focused on my other passion – impact investing – and I quickly realized powerful synergies. They both bring people together. They connect people through the desire for a common goal and collective purpose. They further the dialogue on social justice and racial equality. They inherently build diverse communities who work together as a team. They are value-focused — what means the most to us. 

Imagine if we directed the same amount of time, energy, and thought into our spending habits as we do into the playoffs, the championship game, or the MVP. Our purchasing and investing power are larger than any title or trophy. We have the ability to bring positive change into the world simply with our wallets. And everyone can join the team, impact investing is now accessible and inclusive.  

As a closing thought, the power of sport in facilitating positive social and environmental change is undeniable. The recent boycotts of the WNBA and NBA players are just one example. We need to listen, learn, converse, and act together, utilizing the platforms we have available every day.  

Support your team. Invest in your values. Make the world a better place.  

“Aappovaa Annam Shariram Annadam”

This Sanskrit verse implies that water (Aappovaa) is the basis for food, and the human body (shariram) is composed (survived) of food (annadam). Hence, it is utmost essential to save water.

August is National Water Quality Month. This reminds us to think of how valuable the water resources are like oceans, lakes, and rivers to preserve, which provide clean and safe water to us. Safe, clean, potable water should be a right for everyone, but it’s becoming a privilege nowadays. Many countries around the world are grappling with the issue of providing clean water.

In under-developed countries or developing countries, getting drinkable water to everyone is becoming more of a challenge to poor and lower-income families.

As a developing country, India is on the brink of a water crisis. Poor management of water resources and water pollution are the main reasons for this crisis. Many rivers flow throughout the country. So, they are the main sources for drinking water and household chores. But they are polluted regularly. The situation gets worse when people wash their clothes and bathe in river water.

On my last trip to India, I saw how lower-income groups of people have to struggle to get clean drinking water. People living in rural areas have to walk miles every day to get a few gallons of potable water for their families. Additionally, the majority of the population in India does not get access to clean tap water. During the monsoon months, most people who have access to clean tap water, will still boil the water before drinking.

Most of the middle-income and upper-income families use their own reverse-osmosis filters to treat tap water when it is available, but in most cities, it is supplied for just a few hours each day. Corporations supply drinking water in trucks to lower-income families who boil it to make it fit to drink.

This is not just India; access to clean water does not exist in many communities throughout the world. Unfortunately, having high quality, unpolluted water is continuously taken for granted, especially by developed countries. In the US, we use water for everything from drinking to recreation without thinking twice about it, but what most Americans don’t realize is, not all water is created equal, and having immediate access to clean water is a privilege, not a right.

How do we prevent harming the water quality?

It is important to only flush the three Ps (pee, poop and [toilet]paper). Flushing other items could contaminate the wastewater system, causing downstream water quality issues, or it could create major plumbing issues, including broken pipes.

Here are a few things we can do to prevent water pollution:

• • Make sure to dispose of any paint, pesticides, cleaners, chemicals, and other items at your local hazardous waste site.
  • Some landscaping pesticides and fertilizers are harmful to the water supply. When choosing your landscaping products, it is important to choose phosphorus-free products. It is also important not to overwater your lawn, since that can cause runoff of fertilizers and pesticides into the water supply.
  • Clean any oil leaks or spills with either kitty litter or baking soda, then dispose of that in the trash.
  • Dispose of pet waste as soon as possible.
  • Keep your gutters and sidewalks clean, so debris does not get washed into the storm drain.
  • Sweep paved areas around your house, rather than hosing them down.

You never know the worth of water until the well runs dry, so Conserve water, Conserve life.