Editor’s note: This week in honor of World Water Day we’re running a 6-part interview series with leaders of organizations working on water-related issues. Check back for a different interview each day through Friday, March 23.

I had the privilege of speaking with Jonathan Greenblatt about solutions to the world water crisis. Jonathan is an expert on all-things-water and co-founder of Ethos Water.

1) More than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water. This number is expected to increase with the rise in the global population. Scarcity doesn’t seem to be the issue, so what can to be done to improve access to clean water?

Scarcity is a problem. There aren’t enough people in locations with ready access to clean water. Moreover, sanitation access affects approximately 2.5 billion people, 40 percent of the global population, and the disease loop persists through poor hygiene rather than unclean drinking water so this also is a significant problem, but I believe that we could see meaningful progress if we explore and support more bottoms-up, entrepreneurial approaches that leverage market incentives rather than always seeking answers in centralized, top-down models that rely purely on subsidies.

2) The UN has reported that water shortages may already be having political and economic effects worldwide. How does the restricted water supply constrain economic growth in countries like China and the US?

I am not sure that water supply has constrained growth in the US, though it likely will affect migration patterns and living arrangements as climate change impacts the hydrological cycle.  In China, there have been a number of studies indicating that the contamination of water supplies due to industrial pollution is constraining economic growth as people get sick, cannot report to work, etc.

More answers and ways you can takepart after the jump…

3) A number of the earth’s freshwater sources cross borders and are shared by multiple countries. Do you anticipate these transboundary bodies of water to be the source of conflict in the future? What can be done to minimize the fight over these shared resources?
There are numerous cross-border disputes focused on water—in Africa, in Asia, in the Middle East.  This isn’t a new development but an age-old phenomenon that has occurred throughout human history.  I think we can expect to see even more conflict as clean water resources are strained by climate change, industrial expansion and rapacious consumption.  Clearly bilateral talks as well as multilateral cooperation facilitated by international agencies could help to mitigate these disagreements.  I think we also could hope that grassroots political will around the need to recognize water as part of our shared resources and manifested by the general population could tamp down the tension.

4) What technological innovations are currently being developed that will help alleviate the stress put on the global water supply in the future?

There is incredible innovation in this space.  We are seeing breathtaking technological developments in areas like purification and desalination as early-stage investment capital seeks to diversify beyond traditional clean-tech, and starts to flood into the water category, no pun intended.

We also have seen great progress as venture philanthropy is supporting simple but often effective businesses that use appropriate technologies and incentive-based models that motivate people to adopt clean water practices at a local level.  Entities like Acumen Fund, Gates Foundation and numerous others are applying capital to support specific technologies.  And operating entities such as KickStart, PATH, WaterHealth International, and many others are blazing trails on the ground.  It’s very exciting.

5) How can our readers takepart in the search for solutions to the world water crisis?

- Check out V2V, the online platform for volunteerism developed by Starbucks, to find local activities in your community to commemorate World Water Day.

- Start your own local Meetup on water issues.

- Eat at a restaurant participating in the Tap Project.

- Sign an online petition at Change.org to motivate Congress to act on water issues.

- Donate to one of the great nonprofits working in the field, such as Water Partners, the International Medical Corps, or CARE.

- Invest in a grassroots water-related project via GlobalGiving.

- Support a micro-entrepreneur with a loan via Kiva.

- Give the gift of Kickstart to a local entrepreneur via Changing the Present.

- Explore the issues via the scholarship of the Pacific Institute or the research of the The Global Water Challenge.

- Finally, if you are in NYC, be sure to visit the Charity:Water gallery at Chelsea Market!

Jonathan Greenblatt is a serial social entrepreneur and an acknowledged thought leader on ethical branding. Greenblatt is a board member of GOOD Worldwide, Inc. and formerly served as CEO. In 2003, Greenblatt co-founded Ethos Brands, the business that launched Ethos Water. Ethos is the premium bottled water that helps children around the world get clean water. In 2005, Starbucks Coffee Company purchased Ethos Water, one of only a handful of non-coffee business acquisitions in Starbucks’ 30-plus year history. Greenblatt then joined the company as vice president of consumer products and served on the board of directors of the Starbucks Foundation. Greenblatt also served as an aide in the Clinton White House and US Department of Commerce. He is a faculty member at the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, where he teaches social entrepreneurship. Greenblatt lives with his wife, Marjan, and their two sons in Los Angeles.

He can be reached at jgreenblatt@goodinc.com.