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Participant Media Launches Social Action Campaign For Last Call At The Oasis On World Water Day

“Know Your Water,” Includes Water Bill of Rights, Combines Efforts of 30+ Leading Organizations to Reach Over 10 Million Worldwide

 

 In celebration of World Water Day, Participant Media has launched its Social Action Campaign for its film Last Call at the Oasis, which ATO Pictures will release in U.S. theaters beginning May 4th.  For “Know Your Water,” Participant has teamed up with over 30 of the world’s leading organizations dealing with water issues that together have the ability to reach more than 10 million people worldwide.   Chad Boettcher, executive vice president of Social Action for Participant Media, said, “We believe this film will be a powerful “wake up call” to motivate people to take personal actions and advocate for policy change, so we designed “Know Your Water,” to build awareness and inspire individuals to change their behavior around water, advocate for better water policies with a ‘Water Bill of Rights’ and create an engaged and sustainable community around the issue.”   The Water Bill of Rights, the primary initiative of the campaign, is a petition on the film’s Social Action website, takepart.com/lastcall, to be sent to members of Congress and Governors. This declaration clearly addresses the measures that need to be taken to ensure safe, clean and reliable water for all citizens, in the four key areas of quality, conservation, consumption and infrastructure.  In addition, everyone who signs the Water Bill of Rights will automatically receive information about the most important water-related issues and action items for their individual communities.   National Geographic will team with Participant for another key initiative of the “Know Your Water” campaign which is focused on “hidden water”—that there is underlying water consumption in almost everything we use, wear, eat and do, which most people never bother to think about.  Original content including a video and infographic will illustrate this concept.   Along with additional opportunities to take action, the “Know Your Water” site will feature personal tips for conserving water at home.   Participant’s other campaign associates include Alliance for Water Efficiency, American Rivers, Arid Lands Institute, California Center for Public Health Advocacy, Center for Environmental Health, Ceres, charity: water, Clean Water America Alliance, Clean Water Network, Corporate Accountability International, Environment America, Environmental Working Group, Food and Water Watch, Friends of the Earth Middle East, GRACE Communications Foundation, H20 Conserve, Meatless Monday, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pacific Institute,  Pesticide Action Network North America, The Regeneration Project, Riverkeeper, The Sierra Club, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Sustainable Silicon Valley, Water.org, Water for People and Waterkeeper Alliance.   Participant Media, the company that has illuminated such issues as climate change, the industrialization of food and the state of public education in the U.S. with its groundbreaking documentaries An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc. and Waiting for “Superman”, turns its attention to the global water crisis in Last Call at the Oasis. With Academy Award®-winning director Jessica Yu (Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien) and Academy Award® nominated producer Elise Pearlstein (Food, Inc.), Last Call at the Oasis sheds light on the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes the defects in the current system, shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects and introduces us to individuals who are championing revolutionary solutions. It also presents a convincing argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century. Featuring activists Erin Brockovich and Lynn Henning, respected water experts including Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon and social entrepreneurs championing revolutionary solutions, the film posits that we can manage this problem if we are willing to act now.   Participant Media (participantmedia.com) is an entertainment company that focuses on documentary and narrative feature films, television, publishing and digital content about the real issues that shape our lives. For each of its projects, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Participant’s online Social Action Network is TakePart (takepart.com). Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll in 2004, Jim Berk serves as CEO. Participant’s films include The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson’s War,  An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night, and Good Luck, , The Visitor, Food, Inc., The Cove, The Crazies, Countdown to Zero,Waiting for “Superman,” Fair Game, PAGE ONE: Inside The New York Times, The Help andContagion.