PROJECT H2O
Our blue planet is not that blue anymore. In addition to deforestation and air pollution, our water systems have been significantly impacted by our everyday actions. We only have a few more years left to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and there is still so much to be done, including SDG 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation”. Water is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems, and human survival itself.
Climate change is our generation’s reality. Rising temperatures and increasing pollutants will continue to contribute to water scarcity across the world, degrading land. Responsible water usage is essential for life and ensuring there’s enough water for our and future generations.
Project H2O is an initiative that harnesses the transformative power of art to raise awareness and advocate for a water-secure future.
This learning-focused, experimental, and action-oriented project aims to inform and inspire the arts and development communities about the intersection of sustainability, particularly in the areas of water, sanitation, and biodiversity preservation. It seeks to explore collaborative opportunities to expand and scale arts-driven efforts in these critical areas.
The initiative features a series of community talks—both in-person and virtual—along with participatory, research-based opinion pieces and arts activation exhibitions that encourage reflection, dialogue, ideation, and action. Additionally, a selection of visual artworks will be auctioned to raise funds for providing clean drinking water to communities in need.
Join us as we explore alternative and effective ways to increase access to eco-friendly and water-conscious resources while integrating sustainable practices into our art, creative processes, and spaces. Together, we can help shape a healthier, more sustainable future.
Project H2O online arts exhibition features a collection of artworks by young, emerging, and established artists from around the world who share their stories of water and highlight the critical state of our water sources. Visit the online exhibition here.
The Reviving Waters virtual gathering aims to bring together the development and arts sectors, and further explore the intersection of the arts and water sustainability. Featuring works from visual artists, this event dives into creative, actionable solutions. To learn more click here.
As part of our 2024 Earth Day celebration and in support of Project H2O activation, we gathered on April 20th with subject matter experts who shared their insights on water sustainability, arts, and creativity from local, national, and global perspectives. Our guest panelists included Scott Berry, Director of Policy and Government Affairs at the US Water Alliance, and Fanny Breteau, Environmental Artist and former Graphic Designer at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The insights from this “Conversations on Conservation: All About Water” discussion, along with secondary research, have been compiled into the exploratory paper Achieving Water Sustainability Through the Arts Sector, published in the latest special edition of art’ishake e-magazine. [Request your FREE copy.]
March 08 – April 28, 2024 | 2100 M Street NW, Washington DC , USA
To raise awareness and advocate for sustainable water management, Arts for Global Development curated the Project H2O pop-up activation exhibition at Artomatic to engage the local community and artists. The exhibition served as a reminder of the critical state of our water resources, calling on the arts community to create thought-provoking works that spotlight water-related challenges and inspire collective action.
The exhibition showcased three visual pieces, two of which were enhanced by interactive audio prompts, deepening the viewer’s (especially the younger audiences’) engagement with the artworks and their message.
- To Flush or Not to Flush…That’s The Question.
- Cheers!
- Buh Bye Blue Planet
Ideas for How We Can All Make a Difference
- Speak up and help influence policymakers to reduce the discharge of harmful substances into water bodies
- Support water change makers and help clean up
- Connect with us at IG @art4development and tag #ProjectH2O on your social media platforms to help us accelerate participation
- Use eco-friendly and non-toxic materials in our artmaking and prioritize reusing or repurposing materials to minimize toxic waste. Discover where you can safely dispose of or recycle your art-related waste locally. This approach extends across all artistic disciplines, whether in visual arts, performing arts, or other multimedia expressions
- Change our own behaviors and be more conscious and accountable in the way we manage, consume, conserve and reuse water daily. Here are some simple things that we can all do to help reduce water usage, preserve and keep it clean in our daily lives:
- Look for leaks in bathrooms and kitchens
- Update showerheads
- Shorten shower time
- Turn off the tap while brushing teeth or shaving
- Use non-plastic/earth-friendly dental floss and nontoxic soaps and shower gels while showering
- Don’t throw things away in the toilet (including oil and paint!)
- Remember that recycling saves water too. Instead of plastic bags use paper or reusable bags
- Prefer glass containers
- Only wash full loads of laundry and dishes with nontoxic detergents
- Save the water used for washing veggies and fruits for watering plants
- Get rain barrels to harvest water
- Update appliances with water-saving features
- Don’t forget to scoop up pet-waste with recycled and earth-friendly, biodegradable bags
- Learn about wastewater treatment enhancements, conservation and recycling efforts in our community
- Design gardens with plants that require minimal water
- Check product ingredients and labels and consider purchasing those that are earth-water friendly
Have more suggestions? Write to us and let’s add them.