International water activist Mina Guli recently completed running 200 marathons in one year around the world to raise awareness of the global water crisis. She is in South Africa to inspire runners participating in the Comrades Marathon this Sunday.
The founder and CEO of Thirst – a non-profit that is solving the water crisis by changing the way we think about water – is a global leader and entrepreneur passionate and committed to making a difference. Her 15-year career as a world leader in climate change started with the law but progressed quickly to the World Bank and co-founding boutique investment firm Peony Capital.
With all her achievements, Guli already has enough clout to affect change, so why put herself through this gruelling physical challenge? ‘I’m not a runner by any stretch of the imagination. When I was younger, I avoided doing any form of exercise,’ Guli admits. ‘But I realised that to raise awareness of the dire global water crisis that we are facing, I would have to do something very challenging to make a real impact.
‘It’s a supply and demand problem,’ she explains. ‘Water is falling more densely due to climate change, causing more floods or droughts, and it’s falling where we don’t have the infrastructure to capture it. The flooding in Gqeberha is one example. Pollution and deforestation have increased, devastating the natural water that usually helps us accumulate water supplies, which means they are heavily constrained.
‘Our water demand is increasing at twice the rate of our population, meaning that as our population rises, so does our need for more things requiring more water to make them. Take, for instance, your clothes. It took more water to make those than the average human drinks in 40 years. And it’s not just food and textiles, but also power. Water goes into everything we use, buy and consume daily. When you multiply that by the billions of people on the planet, you realise that our water demand is increasing rapidly.
‘It’s vital to raise awareness of this problem because we need to manage our resources better, and that requires recognising we have a problem and raising water higher in the agenda to the top of companies’ and governments’ action lists worldwide.
‘For too long, water has been in everything, but we’ve treated it as if it is nothing. So, what message do I want to convey? That we have an urgent water crisis that needs action now.’
In 2016, Guli completed the 7 Deserts Run, the equivalent of 40 marathons across seven deserts on seven continents in seven weeks, to highlight the global water crisis. Guli told the stories of some of those affected by it during her run. The expedition’s success encouraged her to undertake the 6 River Run to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6. She ran 40 marathons in 40 days down six of the world’s great rivers on six continents. With media coverage worldwide, including on CNN, BBC, ITV, ABC and CCTV, Guli’s messages about water have reached more than four billion people, inspiring a generation of water heroes.
‘When I was in Tajikistan in central Asia, I had an opportunity to run a marathon to the top of one of its glaciers. When we reached the pinnacle, one of the guides said, Mina, look around you. This region alone has lost 1 000 glaciers due to climate change. We have a major problem. The time for soft language is over. The time for action is now. Please tell people directly,’ she recalls.
By running these marathons, Guli wanted to show people that they can do hard things and that challenging themselves is necessary to solve these global problems. ‘I think it’s easy to look at some of these water issues and think them insurmountable, deciding to tackle smaller problems first. But the truth is, we need to solve this crisis because it affects us all.’
What motivates Guli when the going gets tough? ‘I think about a couple of things. The first is focusing on my purpose. I think about why I’m doing it. My goal might be to run the Comrades, but my purpose, water, is much bigger.’
Guli’s top-three running destinations
Antarctica
It’s the only place I’ve run that’s so quiet you can hear the sound of your heartbeat.
The Richtersveld
This is where I truly realised the significance of our water challenge and decided that tackling it was what I would do for the rest of my life.
The Arabian Desert, Jordan
It’s so hot you feel like you’re in an oven with a fan on, surrounded by these tall, pink cliffs that make you feel like you’re in this spectacular, biblical landscape. It’s important from a historical perspective, but also from the people’s that live there in some of the most water-scarce regions on the planet.
Smart ways to use water in your home
- Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
- Take shorter showers.
- Place a brick in your toilet’s cistern.
For more information about Mina Guli, visit minaguli.com
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