PUR Water Filtration and P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program Take Jessica Biel, Kenna and Other Cultural Influencers to Meet Those Affected by the Clean Drinking Water Crisis Before Embarking on SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro

Climbers Begin Week-Long Ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro to Raise Awareness about the Need for Clean Drinking Water

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Jan 08, 2010, 06:06 ET

CINCINNATI, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- After months of training and preparation, today the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro climbers will begin their highly-anticipated ascent of Africa's tallest (19,340-ft) mountain - Mt. Kilimanjaro. The reason? To raise awareness about the need for clean drinking water, as well as funds for clean water programs in the developing world.

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The climbers have spent the last few days visiting a village near Arusha, Tanzania where they saw, firsthand, the toll the global water crisis is taking on communities around the world, as well as the relief efforts being used to help. One clean water solution is the PUR sachet, which was developed by Procter & Gamble's (NYSE: PG) PUR Water Filtration. Since 2004, PUR and the CSDW program have worked together to prevent water-related diseases around the globe with the PUR sachet, which is a tiny packet of powder that can transform potentially deadly water into clear, purified drinking water within 30 minutes.

See the PUR sachet at work here.

"Before this trip, I never realized the full scope of the clean drinking water crisis," said Jessica Biel. "Meeting the people in Arusha and seeing how just one PUR sachet can mean the difference between healthy water and contaminant laden water has been an incredible experience I'll always remember. It's going to be my motivation to reach the summit!"

The climb - which will benefit PUR Water Filtration's partner, the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW), among other clean water efforts - was created by Grammy-nominated musician, Kenna, whose father nearly lost his life as a child after contracting a water-borne disease from drinking contaminated water.

Who's Climbing?

Kenna - Grammy-nominated musician and creator of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro
Jessica Biel - Actor (upcoming films Valentine's Day and The A-Team)
Emile Hirsch - Actor (Into the Wild, Milk)
Isabel Lucas - Actor (Transformers 2)
Lupe Fiasco - Grammy-nominated musician
Dr. Greg Allgood - Director of the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program at Procter & Gamble
Alexandra Cousteau - National Geographic Emerging Explorer
Kick Kennedy - Environmental activist and granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy
Elizabeth Gore - Executive Director of Global Alliances for the United Nations Foundation
Jason Walsh - Renowned Trainer and Movement Specialist

Dr. Greg Allgood personally took the climbers on their Village Visit near Arusha, Tanzania. He frequently makes trips to Africa with the CSDW Program and recently traveled to Arusha in October 2009. However, this is the first time he's brought such a diverse group to see the work he does around the world.

"It was amazing seeing the reaction my fellow climbers had during their eye-opening visit to the village," Dr. Greg Allgood said. "There are 4,000 children who die every day from unsafe drinking water, a statistic that PUR and the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program have been working tirelessly to help address."

Why Climb for Clean Drinking Water?

There are over one billion people in the developing world who don't have access to clean drinking water.
With no running water, many families have no choice but to drink from rivers and streams contaminated with bacteria, parasites and viruses, which contribute to a prevalence of diarrhea-related illnesses that cause widespread death.

Join The Cause

A portion of the proceeds from the climb will go to benefit the CSDW Program. Anyone in the U.S. can join the climb and the clean drinking water cause by purchasing a PUR water pitcher or faucet mount filtration system. One purchase of a PUR system will donate a week's worth of clean drinking water to children in need in the developing world.(1)
Donations from purchases of PUR water pitchers and faucet mounts will go towards the CSDW program's goal of providing more than 4 billion liters of clean drinking water in the developing world from 2007-2012, helping to preventing an estimated 160 million days of diarrheal illness and saving an estimated 20,000 lives. To date, the CSDW program has delivered over 1.8 billion liters of clean drinking water to those in need.

To learn more about PUR Water Filtration or to donate to the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, please visit PURwater.com and CSDW.org.

To find out about the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro program, please visit summitonthesummit.com and make sure to follow Dr. Greg Allgood and Jessica Biel on Twitter at @DrGregAllgood and @JessicaBiel as they tweet about their and their fellow climbers' efforts during and after the climb.

About PUR

PUR is a leading brand in the at home water filtration category and is an economical alternative to plastic bottled water. PUR is the first leading brand to claim reduction of trace levels of pharmaceuticals identified in U.S. tap water*. In addition, PUR water filters remove 99.9 percent of microbial cysts such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which can lead to intestinal illness, as well as 94% of atrazine. PUR water filters also reduce many kinds of contaminants in the water, while leaving fluoride, which is essential for developing and maintaining healthy teeth in children and adults, giving it the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Approval**. With every purchase of a PUR Water Filtration System, a week's worth of clean drinking water will be donated to children in the developing world through the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program(1)- P&G's flagship philanthropic cause. The Children's Safe Drinking Water Program and PUR's water purifying technology are working together to help prevent water-related diseases by providing clean drinking water to children in developing countries. For more information about PUR Water Filtration or PUR's water purification technology, visit PURWater.com or CSDW.org.

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro

SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro is an ascent to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis and will take place this coming January. Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist, and "actionist" Kenna masterminded the expedition in which many of the world's brightest minds and major global influencers, will climb Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro. The climb will not only raise awareness of the global clean water crisis, but also raise funds for The Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and PlayPumps International. All funds raised by SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro will be managed and distributed through the United Nations Foundation, the project's charitable advisors. Corporate partners and sponsors of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro include HP, PUR, and First Ascent. For additional information, please visit www.summitonthesummit.com.

1) For each PUR system purchase, PUR will donate 10 cents to the CSDW fund. For additional program details, visit PURWater.com or CSDW.org

* Based on manufacturer testing for reduction in trace levels of 12 pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals may not be (present) in all users' water.

** The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs' Acceptance of PUR is based on its finding that the product is an effective water filter that does not remove fluoride from tap water. The ADA endorses community water fluoridation as a safe, beneficial, and cost effective public health measure for preventing tooth decay.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble