Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World (Hardcover)

by Rick Smolan (Creator), Jennifer Erwitt (Creator), Robert Redford (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From The Flint Journal First Edition
OK, I really hate to admit this, but there's no denying it: Blue Planet Run - The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World sounds like a noble but dirt-dry text on scholarly environmental issues. It's not just me. In fact, a co-worker walking past my desk took one quick glance at the book's plain white cover, muttered "boring" and kept on walking. But please, don't judge this book by its cover. Trust me on this. Just open the oversized volume to any page at all. You won't want to put it down. Blue Planet Run is a visually stunning tour de force by some of the world's top photojournalists, backed up by thought-provoking essays and profound commentaries on the many ways humanity is confronting the growing lack of a clean and plentiful water supply. The book's collection of more than 250 photographs are at once beautiful and haunting, enlightening and disturbing, inspiring and even, at times, amusing. From the cornfields of Nebraska to an oil-fouled Nigerian port, this group of talented artists and visionaries takes us on an amazing journey around the world. And despite its global scale, it is first and foremost a book about people, in a very intimate and individual sense. You'll meet Kenyan runner Emanuel Kibet; Las Vegas homeowner Joseph Cooper, who's replacing his backyard lawn with artificial turf; Imelda Carreon Valdozino and her mission to test for toxins in Mexico City's water supply. From the anonymous to the famous, young and old, rich and poor, their faces are all our faces, and their challenges belong to us all. Need another incentive? Buying this book isn't just a passive venture into eco-awareness. One hundred percent of the royalties from Blue Planet Run will be used to provide clean water to people around the world who desperately need it. Learning about a problem is the first step toward being part of the solution.

Product Description

From the creators of the highly acclaimed New York Times best-selling Day in the Life and America 24/7 series, Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt, Blue Planet Run provides readers with a fascinating and thought-provoking look at the water problems facing humanity on every continent, as well as some of the hopeful solutions and courageous “water heroes” focused on alleviating this crisis.

The large-format volume features more than 250 photographs by the world’s top photojournalists, illustrations by leading infographic artist Nigel Holmes, and provocative essays by Diane Ackerman (A Natural History of the Senses), environmental leaders Paul Hawken and Bill McKibben, journalists Michael Specter and Jeffrey Rothfeder, Emmy Award-winning TV broadcaster Mike Cerre, Michael Malone, of ABC News and inventor Dean Kamen (the Segway scooter). Advisors and staff include Phillip Moffitt, former editor and owner of Esquire magazine and Stephen Petranek, former editor-in-chief of Discover magazine.
Blue Planet Run highlights the vital contributions of nonprofits around the world, including the groundbreaking work of the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which seeks to provide safe drinking water to 200 million people by 2027. The book includes coverage of the 2007 Blue Planet Run, an unprecedented, non-stop, around-the-world relay race designed as a wake-up call to the world. Twenty-one runners, representing 13 countries, began the race on June 1, 2007, at the United Nations and concluded in New York City on September 4, 2007, having circled the Earth in just 95 days while running over 15,000 miles across 16 countries in Europe, Asia and North America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Earth Aware Editions (November 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160109017X
• ISBN-13: 978-1601090171
• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 11.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #162,270 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than water, December 19, 2007

By	Leland E. G. Larson "buzzylee" (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Awesome, simply awesome. Not only do you learn about "water," its' characteristics and challenges to people all over the world, some one billion having little access to clean water, but the photography is magnificent. The scenes are realistic, yet compassionate and communicate deeply. The people shots become you, me.... Buy this book, you'll learn from it, delight in the photographs, you'll find sadness, joy, hope in it. And, you'll be inspired to action.

"We are all in it together" might sound trite, and what can be truer? Yet, if something is not in your immediate experience, it may remain somewhat sterile information or a concept or just far away from your life. I find that sometimes. Not so! You'll experience this book, it will come into your close-in world. It is excellent beyond words. Run and buy it! You will be glad you did and you may find yourself, as I did, just sharing it with so many family, friends, then ordering copies for special or any occasions! While this easily could be a table-top book and be a $50-75.00 item, it is a bargain, no doubt in the hope that it will create greater awareness and results.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful ....compelling...., August 8, 2008

By	Cherene L. Snyder (Frostburg, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Rick Smolan has managed once more to bring together powerful photographs and compelling essays that challenge all of us to see, think, and act differently about something we take for granted everyday - water. I was profoundly moved and even at times angered by what I read and saw. Truly a book to read and reread - and one to pass on to friends, family, colleagues. A gift to the world.....

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative for all ages, June 2, 2008

By	S. Ann Kimball (Ione, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not only beautifully written (easy to understand), it has photographs that tell a clear story. Our water "issue" will be understood by all ages because the photos in this wonderful book tell their own story. As a gift or to keep, this book is a treasure.