BE WATER POSITIVE

Living on the ocean, we think constantly about water.

Despite its apparent abundance, clean freshwater is vanishingly scarce — and we're racing to change that.

Despite its apparent abundance, clean freshwater is vanishingly scarce, and we’re racing to fix that.

By promoting a message of water positivity, we aim to shed light on global water scarcity and inspire positive change in how we manage our precious water resources and our environment.

Our purpose is to build awareness of what it means to be water positive.

Freshwater is under pressure like never before.

Each of these is making it harder to protect what we have left:

Pollution from farming and industry
Droughts and flooding driven by extreme weather
Population growth
Poor infrastructure
Extractive land use

Water is Life. Let's Protect It.

What it means?

To Be Water Positive means doing more good than harm to our water systems, replenishing freshwater resources, and tackling the global freshwater crisis head-on.

It’s about protecting and managing our watersheds and rivers, reusing and recycling water where we can, using innovations such as desalination, and stopping pollution at the source. It’s about restoring balance for people and for nature.

What do we see?

At Canada Ocean Racing, we sail the world’s oceans and seas. We see the impact of what happens on land – plastics in gyres, algal blooms in warming seas, and pollution carried downstream into the ocean.

What do we find?

But we also see hope: new technologies from our partners, growing global awareness of freshwater scarcity, and more people asking better questions that lead to real change.

Why do we race?

That’s why we race: To raise the profile of water scarcity on the global agenda – from households to businesses and policymakers, to amplify the solutions, and to Be Water Positive.

What is the Be Water Positive Initiative?

It’s a global call to action to tackle freshwater scarcity — a movement led by innovators, solution-makers, and pioneers in the water industry.

With the support of our strategic partner, the International Desalination and Reuse Association, and campaign stakeholders such as H2O Innovation, we are working together to elevate water scarcity as a critical pillar of the global climate agenda.

To Be Water Positive means thinking short- and long-term, managing our water usage today, and reimagining the systems that bring water to our taps. It invites action across government, business, infrastructure, and community.

Being water positive can mean:

Taking immediate steps to reduce our freshwater footprint
Reducing water waste and pollution
Supporting clean technologies and nature-based solutions
Investing in water resilience
Ensuring access to safe water for all communities

It also means holding decision-makers to account. Whether it’s your local council, school, or workplace, we encourage everyone to ask:

Where does our water come from?
How is it treated and reused?
What are we doing to protect what happens upstream (before it reaches our taps) and downstream (once we’ve used it)?

Why Water?

What we drink, eat, make, and use — all of it depends on freshwater. Without it, nothing thrives.

Only 3%

of the world’s water is freshwater — and even less is accessible

1 in 4

people globally lack access to safe drinking water

Climate change

is drying and heating our water systems faster than we can adapt

Land-based pollution

and raw sewage discharge are turning our rivers into toxic highways, funnelling pollution to our oceans and seas, and damaging critical ecosystems

Other FAQs

How does Freshwater Scarcity and Pollution Affect Ocean Health?

At sea, we witness the end result of water mismanagement, but the real damage starts long before the water reaches the coast.

Rainfall on farmland and roads washes chemicals, plastics, and waste into streams. Poorly treated sewage and industrial discharge make their way into rivers or are pumped into the sea. From there, it all ends up in the ocean damaging coastlines, coral reefs, and ecosystems.

Here’s how freshwater problems impact marine health:

Runoff pollution fuels harmful algal blooms and ocean dead zones
Wastewater discharge introduces toxins, microplastics, and pathogens
Reduced river flow increases ocean temperature stress and harms biodiversity
Algal blooms can heavily restrict desalination processes vital for water-scarce regions

Protecting the ocean starts upstream. That’s why being water positive is about restoring the whole water cycle, from rain to reef.

Why We Are Speaking Up?

As sailors, our lives are shaped by water. We witness its power, its beauty, and its fragility. We believe water stewardship is not optional – it’s vital.

We have chosen to race around the world not just to compete, but to raise awareness of freshwater scarcity, drive conversations amongst new audiences, push the issue up the climate agenda, and champion real solutions.

Our partners are developing game-changing solutions: water reuse and recycling technologies, desalination innovations, and smarter watershed management. We’re here to connect the dots and get more people involved.

What Can You Do?

Whether you live on the coast or far inland, everyone uses water and everyone has a role to play in protecting it.
You can start local:

Change your impact: Reduce consumption, recycle greywater, avoid pollutants
Vote for water: Support leaders and policies that protect water resources
Champion innovation: Adopt water-positive technologies from reuse systems to smart agriculture
Spread the word: The more people hear about water positivity, the faster change happens
Push for better infrastructure: Rainwater tanks, greywater systems, low-flow technologies at your home, schools, workplaces and local councils.

What are our Partners Doing to Be Water Positive?

H2O Innovation is a water solutions company focused on providing best-in-class technologies and services.

The International Desalination and Reuse Association has been connecting people and ideas to Desalination and Reuse solutions for over 50 years to support sustainability.

We’re Racing to Connect the Dots

We’re a global team with a bold mission

To spotlight freshwater issues wherever we race, touching every corner of the earth. We’re connecting partners, promoting innovation, and giving freshwater a voice. The health of the oceans we love to race on start upstream, and everyone has a part to play.