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Water Activist Maude Barlow Speaks at Bishop’s University

SHERBROOKE, QC - 24 February, 2010

Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of  the Council of Canadians and well-known leader in the international water  justice movement, spoke at Bishop’s University on February 23. She was the  keynote speaker for the student-organized “Think Global, Drink Local” campaign,  which aims to phase out the sale of bottled water on the Bishop’s campus.

Barlow discussed the global water crisis, the current  debate surrounding the privatization of water, as well as environmental and  social issues as they relate to the bottled water industry.

“Maude brings a lifetime of research and activism to  the many issues surrounding our water resources,” said Bishop’s Principal and  Vice-Chancellor Michael Goldbloom. “Bishop’s students have taken a leadership  role in advocating for sustainable water policies and we are fortunate to have  Ms. Barlow to speak to these important issues.”

Over the years Barlow’s activism has encompassed many  facets of contemporary life, from women’s rights to social and economic equity,  and, more recently to issues related to the environment and human justice. She  has been referred to as the “Al Gore of water” for her recent efforts to draw  attention to the impending world water crisis.

Barlow has worked for 23 years with the Council of  Canadians. She founded the Blue Planet Project, a program that is working to  stop the commodification of fresh water resources, and is a founding member of  Friends of the Right to Water. In 2008, she was appointed senior adviser on  water to the President of the UN General Assembly, with the task of raising  awareness on water issues.

Barlow is the author of 16 books, including best-sellers Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World's Water and Blue Covenant : The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water . Barlow’s efforts have been recognized internationally. She has received the Right Livelihood Award for her work surrounding the fundamental right to water, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Most recently, in 2008, she won the Citation of Lifetime Achievement Award, Canada’s highest environmental honour.

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