That shouldn't be a surprise, though, since Blog Action Day has been held on Oct. 15 for the past few years. It's an opportunity for bloggers to unite on an issue and share their knowledge and research with their audiences. Each year has a theme, too. This year it's water. Here's why:

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us who are subject to preventable disease and even death because of something that many of us take for granted.

Access to clean water is not just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue. An animal welfare issue. A sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, and it affects all of us.

Learn more about Blog Action Day, and sign up to participate if you're so moved, here.

The organization is also offering other ways you can take action. There's a petition for an international water treaty you can read and sign. And, you can raise money for clean water.

Further reading: Wine to Water's Doc Hendley spoke at TEDxCharlotte. Learn more about his experiences, raising money for water and helping impoverished communities gain access to wells here.

Dropping loads of bottled water in poor regions won't cut it. Here's why:

Rhiannon "Rhi" Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes snarky commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. Additionally, she's on the steering committee for the Greater Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.