“Going Public” with Oil & Water Mission

It’s time to go public with this . . .

I believe oil and gas companies have the means and expertise to make a huge impact on the water crisis in the world.

Americans are willing to pay more for water than gas. They buy water in bottles for what would amount to $8 a gallon or about $400 a barrel. At the same time, one billion people in the world have no clean water to drink. In the time it takes you to read this sentence, another person has died in the world of a preventable water-borne illness. Thousands daily literally pay with their lives for the bad water they drink.

Not-for-profit organization are struggling to help drill wells, purify water, and they are not making a dent in the problem. What if not-for-profits meet with for-profit companies to address the water issues in the world? How can for-profit companies find viable ways to increase profits while helping the world water crisis? Or how can they be charitable in an area that relates to their core business of drilling/exploration/production.

It’s not just oil and gas companies that can play an important role in addressing the water crisis in the world. I want to help unite companies with money and ability with those (currently mostly non-profit) organizations that are helping produce water in places worldwide that have needs. Why can’t for-profit and non-profits work together to find solutions?

What can you–what can we together–do to help people have good water?

Here’s a headline that I want to see in the newspaper (or digital halogram-o-phone) in 2028:

Oil & Gas Companies Complete Two Decade Project: Everyone in the World Has Access to Clean Water

This Saturday, January 12, 8 am-10am, in the Great Room of Green Country Event Center in Tulsa (12000 E 31st St. Tulsa, OK 74146), a small group of people will gather to start a conversation about how oil and gas companies can help produce water for many of the 1 billion people in the world today who suffer without the most basic need: water.

Our guest speaker is Bobby Gardner who works with The Kibo Group (www.kibogroup.org), an East Africa development organization. Bobby and his wife, Candace, are leaving in a few weeks to do development in Uganda. They are looking for support from churches, individuals or companies for the ministry, water, reforestation, and economic projects they are doing.

The goals of this meeting are two-fold: 1) to learn from each other what efforts are going on worldwide and to build synergy and not re-invent the wheel if some are doing a much better job in water projects, 2) find out how we can support those doing development projects and connect them with those in like industries, namely oil and gas with water projects and specifically the Gardners and generally the dozens of water projects going in many parts of the world.

Here is a proposed agenda for the 2 hours.

1. Welcome and Introductions by attendees with brief description of their interest or projects – Greg Taylor
2. Guest speaker – Bobby Gardner
3. Responses, Questions, and Overviews from attendees
4. Water Treatment Project – Tim Schweikhard
5. Wrap Up & More about the The Kibo Group – Clint Davis

Coffee and continental breakfast will be provided.

Please forward this to anyone in Tulsa or surrounding areas who may be interested.

Contact Greg Taylor (gtaylor@garnettchurch.org) for more information or with questions.

Thank you,
Greg Taylor