The Estria Foundation shifts the social consciousness on critical human and environmental issues through education, art projects and community events around the globe. We work towards a society that places value on people and the environment above the accumulation of wealth.

In 2011, we have launched the #Water Writes series to create 10 collaborative murals in 10 cities across the globe on the theme of water. Your contribution would allow us to continue our work and expand our collaborative capacity.

The world water crisis is an issue of access. Every day, lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills thousands, leaving others with reduced quality of life. Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use. (according to the World Health Organization).

Through the process of painting murals with some of the communities most impacted by water rights issues, the Estria Foundation hopes to utilize our artistic techniques to assist ongoing grassroots struggles, create a global platform to raise awareness and inspire a movement.

2011 Water Writes Locations:
Los Angeles, California - KIPP LA Prep Middle School in Boyle Heights
Oakland, California - Broadway @ 21st Street in Downtown
Honolulu, Hawaii - Kalihi Community
Gaza Strip, Palestine - Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance Water Filtration Centers
Palawan, Philippines- Palawan University
San Salvador, El Salvador-
Windowrock, Arizona- With members of the Hopi and Dine tribes.
Bogota, Colombia-
Arcata, California - Along the Klamath River where a series of dams are being removed after a major advocacy campaign launched by local native tribes and environmentalists.

Thanks you for your time and support.

For more information please contact: nancypili@estria.org.

Water Facts:

• Picture a disposable water bottle ¼ full of petroleum. That is how much petroleum it takes to make and distribute a single plastic bottle of water.
• It takes THREE bottles of water to make and distribute ONE disposable plastic bottle of water.
• 120 grams of greenhouse gases are generated by a single disposable plastic bottle of water.
• It takes over 700 years for plastic to decompose.
• Plastic pollution is a world-wide problem. There is a growing "garbage patch" of plastic estimated to be more than twice the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific Ocean.
• Ecosystems and wildlife are negatively impacted by plastic debris.
• Disposable plastic water bottles are made out of oil which is a finite natural resource. Plastic bottles require energy to make and transport. Currently, the amount of oil we use to produce water bottles each year (17 million barrels) could fuel over 1,000,000 cars for an entire year.
• The amount of oil the US uses to produce plastic water bottles annually could fuel 1 million cars for a entire year!
• Americans discard 38 billion plastic water bottles per year, and it takes 1.5 billion barrels of oil to produce them.
• Only 17% of plastic water bottles are recycled