TRF Trustee Chair
Rotary’s environment area of focus offers clubs and districts the chance to make a truly lasting impact in their communities.
One possibility is through the Community Action for Fresh Water partnership between Rotary and the United Nations Environment Programme, which launched the initiative in 2024 to protect, restore, and better manage freshwater resources worldwide.
Through the programme, Rotary and Rotaract clubs identify a local water body — a river, a lake, wetlands, or groundwater — and commit to its long-term protection and restoration. Members can draw on UNEP’s technical expertise.
Salvador Rico, a member of the Rotary Club of South Ukiah, California, and a technical adviser to the partnership, tells us more:
The partnership is deeply personal to me.
My passion for clean rivers comes from a painful family experience during my childhood in Mexico: We believe my older sister died of polio she contracted from swimming in a polluted river there. Unsafe water is not an abstract environmental issue; it is a matter of life, health, and dignity for families and communities.
This experience drives my work as a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, where I ensure Rotary members have access to proven technical knowledge so their global grant-supported projects deliver lasting impact through permanent, scalable solutions.
Today, Community Action for Fresh Water supports Rotary clubs globally by providing a shared platform to upload projects, learn from other clubs, and access technical and financial support through global grants and club-to-club collaboration.
The impact became tangible in 2024, when the environmental chair of District 4170 in Mexico shared a critical challenge: Small, family-owned textile factories were polluting the upper Lerma River watershed. Rotarians lacked clear solutions. Through the freshwater partnership, I connected them with UNEP experts who provided guidance on bioremediation strategies. That collaboration led to a global grant application and, we hope, cleaner water for this community.
The partnership among Rotary clubs, family-owned textile companies, and government authorities ensures shared responsibility and long-term stewardship.
Every Rotary club can amplify this impact by registering freshwater projects at communityactionforfreshwater.org.
Look around your community — I bet you’ll find a water body in need of protection. The Rotary Foundation can support your project through Community Action for Fresh Water and a global grant.
Holger Knaack
TRF Trustee Chair