Matt Damon
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
08/27/2014 AT 04:30 PM EDT
Matt Damon, an advocate for clean water worldwide, wasn't going to be wasteful when he stepped up to respond to the ice-bucket challenge.
Noting the ongoing drought in California and the global challenges of clean water, Damon went not to a garden hose or faucet but straight to the toilet to douse himself for ALS research, explaining that such water in Western nations is typically cleaner than drinking water in developing countries.
Though his choice might gross out some, Damon said adequate sanitation is still a problem for 2.4 billion people.
"Because I co-founded Water.org, and we envision the day when everybody has access to a clean drink of water – and there are about 800 million people in the world who don't – and so dumping a clean bucket of water on my head seemed a little crazy," Damon said in responding to a challenge by pals Ben Affleck (who did his own poolside with wife Jennifer Garner) and Jimmy Kimmel.
"As disgusting as this may seen, hopefully it will highlight the fact that this is a big problem and together we can do something about it," said Damon, who scooped water out of a toilet into a bucket at his home before soaking himself.
As the viral fundraiser continues online and many seek unique ways to pull it off, George Clooney, Bono and Tom Brady better get creative. Damon called out his "favorite actor," "favorite musician" and "the greatest quarterback of all time" to pay it forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment