If you haven’t already heard about the fast-approaching World Water Day 2016, you certainly will soon. World Water Day is a global event celebrated every single year by millions of people who strive to make the world a better place to live, both now and for generations to come.

There are a few key components that distinguish World Water Day from other holidays. Everybody is encouraged to take part in this special day, regardless of gender, race, or creed. It’s a chance for the world to unite as one to end one of the greatest environmental crises of our time. Here are the basics of World Water Day 2016, and how it helps to make a positive change in the world we live in:

Why do we have World Water Day? The next World Water Day is on March 22, 2016, though in a perfect world, every day would help bring awareness to this important cause. We celebrate World Water Day to promote a healthier planet through protecting the Earth’s most precious resource — its water. Every person on the planet needs clean, fresh water, and this is currently unattainable due to the water pollution epidemic that is damaging our oceans and lakes.

The pervasiveness of water pollution. Many people are unaware of just how much of a problem water pollution has become. As of 2015, over 147 million people do not have access to clean, potable water. A shocking one in five deaths among children under the age of 5 are attributed to water-related diseases, and the World Economic Forum recently announced that the water crisis is the #1 global risk based on societal impact. Water pollution is not a myth. It is a very real problem, and events like World Water Day go a long way in ending this crisis once and for all.

Strel World Swim. As a special part of World Water Day 2016, world-famous swimmer Martin Strel is embarking on a journey unlike any other in the history of mankind. Strel will begin an epic journey around the world on March 22, 2016, beginning in Long Beach, CA and returning there 450 days later. Strel will swim around the entire world, marking the first time this has ever been attempted. He strives to promote clean water and an overall healthy lifestyle with his swim, which will surely capture the attention of the entire world.

Do some research on your own and find out ways that you can help support World Water Day 2016 and Martin Strel’s incredible swim around the world. Water pollution can not be halted without a concerted effort from people just like you who have grown tired of our beautiful planet wasting away into nothingness.