Wash Your Car and Wash Away Thirst

Jesse with his cousin, Daron, in front of the Valiant

When my son, Jesse, was a child, one of the ways that I entertained him was going to the car wash. For a few dollars we could ride through a tunnel of dancing rubber, whirling brushes and extreme water. "A car wash is one of the few places within the civilized world where one can scream one's head off and not alarm others," I instructed him. So as soon as our '64 Valiant lurched into the downpour we would start screaming, then laughing, and not stop until the car was spit out at the end of the tunnel. We would emerge exhilarated and the car would be clean, even though it was beyond it's ability to shine. Jesse would often say, "When I grow up I'm going to buy a car wash," and I never doubted him.

Jesse is now the proud owner of ENVI Auto Care in Portsmouth, NH. Within weeks of his ownership he discovered a Rotary-sponsored program called Wash Away Thirst (www.washawaythirst.org) that provides clean drinking water to those in need throughout the world.  ENVI Auto Care is the first car wash in NH to sign up for this innovative program, which means that every car washed at ENVI will provide one day of clean water to one person. Since starting Art for Water, Jesse's heard all about the millions of people who die every year from preventable, water-related diseases because they do not have access to clean water. As a result, he is mindful of water conservation, environmental standards, and global water issues. When he found out about Rotary International's efforts, he jumped at the chance to support a program that alleviates suffering and raises awareness of this critical humanitarian crisis.

If you're in Portsmouth, NH, check out ENVI Auto Care and take part in the Wash Away Thirst program. The next time you go to another car wash, ask the attendant if they belong to Wash Away Thirst. And if they don't, keep asking until they sign up.

New York Aquarium Hit Hard by Sandy

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

The New York Aquarium in Brooklyn will be closed indefinitely because of the severe damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Throughout the buildup to and the duration of the storm, I kept thinking of the Aquarium and wondering how they would manage to keep all 12,000 fish and marine mammals safe, especially the walruses who stole my heart last summer. Fortunately, the only victims were 150 koi carp who were outside in temporary holding tanks because their exhibit was being renovated. The staff worked tirelessly to ensure that all of the other fish and sea mammals survived the flooding and power outages. http://www.nyaquarium.com/multimedia/slideshows/homepage-sandy-damage.aspx

In June, Art for Water was the visiting artist for the Aquarium's first art exhibition – Amaze-ing Water. Christine Badalamenti, Noel Greiner, and I spent 3 days working with hundreds of Aquarium visitors to create Wave of Words for the group art exhibit. We were stationed in the Ocean View room, a magnificent second-floor open-air setting overlooking the beach, the walrus tank, and surrounding the top of the main fish tank. What better place to write about water with the breeze carrying the smell of salt air? We lucked out with perfect weather and an enthusiastic crowd.

I can only wonder what the future might be for the New York Aquarium housed right along the historic coastline of Coney Island. Art for Water had the memorable experience of sharing its message and exploring the significance of the relationship between saltwater and freshwater with the visiting patrons and local community. Now it appears that relationship is ever more tenuous and important to consider as the ocean recedes and locals clean up after Sandy. Will there be a New York Aquarium on the boardwalk at Coney Island? What should the Aquarium do as Climate Change threatens to bring the tides even further ashore? We are grateful that Art for Water could participate in the first art exhibition at the New York Aquarium on the boardwalk of Coney Island, hopefully it will not be the last.

Click on the link above to see how you can help the New York Aquarium.

From Paper to Rubber: Stream of Conscience Goes Outdoors at Montshire Museum of Science

Typically Stream of Conscience is made out of paper, lots of it. But when David Goudy, Director of Montshire Museum of Science, asked me if an outdoor version would be possible, I said, "Sure!" without knowing how it could be done. My first idea was to re-purpose plastic detergent bottles, but the process of collecting, cleaning, and cutting was daunting. Also, the waves that could be cut from the bottles would be small and the colors are brash. Next bright idea was Marmoleum, a flooring product made out of sawdust, linseed oil, and dye. But it wouldn't hold up to the weather. I had difficulty accepting this because the product is beautiful and comes in many colors, but I couldn't get anyone to agree that it was a good idea to use. Finally, after lurking in a flooring store knowing that there had to be something that would work, the attendant brought out solid rubber floor tile samples! They turned out to be easy to cut, thanks to can-do, cabinet-maker Curtis Mead, and come in a range of beautiful colors. And, they are weather-proof. The next challenge was finding markers that would not only hold up to the elements, but also come off so the tiles can be re-used. I had only two tile samples: one navy and one gray. I wrote all over both of them with China Markers that I've had for at least 25 years and put the tiles outside. The writing held up beautifully and the marks rubbed right off.  Bingo!  Not so fast . . .When the new batch of China Markers came in they were nothing like my antique models. Not only were they not as rich and difficult to peel, but also solvent was needed to get them off the tiles. And, each color behaved a little differently. Disappointed with the quality, I sought out other brands and other marker options but found that each color behaved uniquely in all markers tested. After much trial and error, I settled on metallic Sharpies to supplement Berol China Markers (the best brand I could find, but nowhere near as good as my old ones). When I finally got all of the tiles – 22 different colors – each tile color responded uniquely to each marker type and color. Yikes. Thank you, Citra-Solve, the one consistent product in this process.

Bye Bye Broussard, Hello Badalamenti!

Christine Badalamenti, an Environmental Studies Master’s Candidate at Antioch University New England, will be joining Art for Water this summer.  Christine will be picking up where Will Broussard left off, helping with exhibitions, community outreach and social media, proposal writing, and anything Art for Water needs!

Christine grew up on Long Island, New York.  Surrounded by development and small parks, her only connection to wild places was the Atlantic Ocean, and a few summers spent in the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania.  Christine went from studying Theater and Photography in high school to English and Philosophy in college.  Always she longed to return to the ocean and the trees.  Now in her second year of Master’s Candidacy she is learning how to communicate her passion for environmental advocacy through all she has learned, and looks forward to gaining a deeper understanding of how Art for Water gracefully accomplishes this task.

Christine will be very busy with Art for Water’s two exciting artist in residencies this summer.   She looks forward to sharing this journey with all of you and hopes everyone will be following along.

Art for Water wishes Will all the best as he has relocated to North Conway, New Hampshire, where he has taken a job as Outreach Coordinator for the Mount Washington Observatory.  He will be providing climate and weather-based educational programs for students both in the White Mountains region and across the US.  He is sad to leave Art for Water, and has promised to return to Harrisville for visits.

Mount Washington Observatory Weather Discovery Center

Can 9 People Talk for 3 Hours about Water?

Yes they can. Last night in Keene I attended a regional component of a statewide conversation about the future of water in NH sponsored by the Governor's Water Sustainability Commission and facilitated seamlessly by NH Listens, a civic engagement initiative of UNH's Carsey Institute. The objective was to "create the opportunity for NH residents to engage in an informed and productive conversation – we are not pushing a particular agenda or set of solutions, but are seeking to engage many people in order to gather ideas, experiences, and recommendations for the future of our state's water." In addition to Keene, conversations took place in Berlin, Greenland, Manchester, and New London. NH Listens will compile everyone's suggestions and opinions for the Commission and the participants.

Nine people attended Keene's facilitated conversation about 5 important water challenges that the state faces. But first we shared what brought us out on a rainy Tuesday night to talk for 3 hours about water. The answers were heart warming: water should be held in the public trust for the benefit of not only people but also the environment and all creatures; we can't live without it; and water needs to be elevated to a new level of awareness for its necessity and beauty. Sympatico level established right away.

NH's first challenge is the projected increase in population density in the southeastern part of the state and the resulting water needs, as well as stormwater management as forests are converted to developed land with impervious surfaces. The second challenge is the threat imposed by changing precipitation and temperature patterns, and extreme water-related events. The third is our aging and inadequate water infrastructure. (Photo above of burst water main in NYC in September discovered while taking a break from installing Stream of Conscience at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine) The fourth challenge is how to implement management systems for water information in this new era. And last but not least, how to fund resolving the first four challenges and how to raise awareness publicly and politically so that funding is palatable.

Lots of constructive ideas were discussed from reducing the amount of water that can be commercially pumped without a permit (currently about 57,000 gallons a day!) to establishing a school curriculum for all grades that fosters water awareness. There could be an opportunity to rethink how water is used as we upgrade our aging infrastructure to incorporate gray water for toilet flushing and lawn watering. Everyone acknowledged that water knows no boundaries, so it would be helpful to approach these solutions in terms of watersheds rather than municipalities or even states. Another idea is to establish a Clean Land Act to complement the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, which would further protect the environment when land is developed.

Three hours of genuine concern, thoughtful ideas, and constructive problem-solving. Kudos to Governor Lynch for establishing the Water Sustainability Commission and to the Commission for reaching out to the public for input, feedback, and ideas. It is wise to be having conversations now while the issues are still manageable. For the past 5 years, Art for Water's primary message is that it's time to start thinking about water. Way to go, New Hampshire, for joining the conversation! I'm hopeful that we can keep it going.

Art for Water in Marlboro, VT

by Will Broussard

On Tuesday, April 3rd, Christine and I traveled to Marlboro, Vermont to work with students and teachers at Marlboro Elementary School (MES). We introduced Art for Water in a morning meeting with the entire school, held 5 consecutive workshops for combined classes, and finished the day by installing Stream of Conscience in the front lobby. The morning meeting and workshops that followed reminded me a lot of our time in Idaho; bringing me back to those moments when the children became place-based educators and I was the naive pupil. This was our first workshop since returning from the west, so it was a real treat to hear what local New England students had to say about water. MES has students ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade, so our workshops also served as crash courses in early childhood development and adaptive teaching styles. That being said, all students were truly bright, engaging and eager to take part in Stream of Conscience. Their teachers and administrators were very interested and supportive of our work, and we even had after-school visitors comment on the installation as we added the finishing touches.

Art for Water's visit to MES coincided with numerous classroom art and writing projects focused on water. The junior high students used it as an opportunity to debate the effectiveness of using art for advocacy in social change. Reflecting on Christine's morning talk, one student wrote "When so many people care about something it creates talk and talk leads to debate" and continued, "when people see the art and they know the public helped make it, they might think the cause is more important." Another student wrote that "this project also made me realize how unfair life could be, and how many people didn't and don't know how few people have access to clean and sanitary water. I now feel inspired to spread this information to the best of my ability." Art for Water is pleased to instill a sense of empathy and public service in the minds of our future leaders.

Tuesday's series of workshops would not have been possible without Carol Berner, Coordinator for River of Words in the Connecticut River Watershed, who invited us to MES. We hope to work with her on future public art projects in southern Vermont and beyond. Many thanks to the supportive teachers and administrators at MES who were all so helpful and happy to be part of this project, the most recent incarnation of Stream of Conscience. A final thank you to the students themselves, for making this day so thought provoking and special.

World Water Day 2012

by Will Broussard

As many of you know, Art for Water promotes awareness for the global water crisis through the creation of public participation art installations. Today, 2.6 billion people live without basic sanitation, and 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Fortunately, we are not alone in spreading the facts. Yesterday was the United Nation's World Water Day, a day of education and festivities focused on the global water crisis. Every year the UN chooses a theme for the special day, with this year being "Water and Food Security."

Italian roast to keep me going at 2pm

Right now, we share the planet with 7 billion people. By 2050 that number is expected to rise to 9 billion. An increasing demand for a decreasing resource highlights the importance of educating ourselves in how much water we use so that we may become better stewards of this resource in the future. Did you know that most of the water we ingest on a daily basis comes to us in the form of the foods we eat? Our meals, from the cereal we ate for breakfast to the hamburger we ate for dinner all require water to grow, ship, and prepare. Agriculture and livestock production are the most water intensive activities. According to Waterfootprint.org, an average of 52 gallons of water are required to grow a single pound of cereal, and 1,018 gallons of water is needed for every pound of bovine meat produced. For a single cup of coffee, 37 gallons of water are necessary to grow the plant that produces the beans that are then roasted and seared with boiling water to be drunk hastily by you and I. Apart from just drinking it to quench our thirst, it is amazing to think about how much water is required to feed our world. As the UN puts it, "it takes one thousand times more water to feed the human population than it does to satisfy its thirst." What a revelation. 

So, knowing now how much water goes into producing the foods we eat, what can we do to curb our water use? In addition to the advice about reusable water bottles and attention to leaky faucets, we can begin chipping away at the global water crisis by thinking about what we eat and where it comes from. We can research what foods are the most water costly, and eat these more sparingly, or eliminate them from our diets completely. We may also want to think about growing some of our own food, or consider supporting a local CSA (community supported agriculture) program, which will reduce the amount of gasoline required to transport the produce from the ground to your stomach. Locally grown food decreases our water footprint and dependence on foreign oil, ultimately increasing our level of domestic food security for future generations. Speaking of food security, the city of Seattle, Washington may be ahead of the curve as it is in the developmental stages of an urban food forest to be built in the center of the city. If the test plots prove successful, the final 7-acre forest will be the "largest urban food forest on public land" in the entire country. Very cool!

As World Water Day wrapped up globally and another unseasonably warm afternoon in Harrisville came to an end, I wanted to leave us with a story of hope. For those of us, including myself, who are prone to pessimism over feelings of insignificance regarding our ability to influence the global water crisis, it is important to be mindful of how individual actions add up. Wendy Pabich, friend of Art for Water, environmental scientist, and creator of the blog Hydrophilia, tells a story of a Pakistani man's New Year's pledge to reduce his ecological footprint. In a landscape desperate for water, he determines that if he alone turns his faucet off while shaving, it saves the country 1,900 gallons of water annually. After doing some quick math he determines that if every clean-shaven man in his country were to do this, it would save 40 billion gallons of water every year, or "enough to grow 70,000 acres of wheat, 24,000 acres of rice." Very simple, very impressive. Small acts will add up, and we should not underestimate our collective power. Our future depends on it.

Happy World Water Day!