Some fashion news worth looking at: Giorgio Armani is proud to renew his “Acqua for Life” challenge in 2012 to stimulate greater public awareness about environmental and developmental problems, particularly water safety and scarcity, by supporting eco-friendly projects by Green Cross International (GCI) promoting access to safe water for children and their communities, in poor countries.
The challenge is inspired, and linked, to the exclusive fragrances Acqua di Gio for men and Acqua di Gioia for women, which are both associated with water, and closely connected with a perception of nature’s bounty, freshness and environmental harmony. These values are compatible with the initiatives and principles of Green Cross, the nongovernmental organization founded in 1993 by Mikhail Gorbachev that responds to the combined challenges of security, poverty and environmental degradation to ensure a sustainable and secure future for all.
“I am always very aware of problems connected to the environment and in particular to water, an element I love very much since it is regenerative, precious and essential to life,” says Mr. Armani.
Water covers 75% of the planet, but only 3% represents fresh water and less than 1% (0.7%) is actually accessible to meet all our needs.
Children are always the first victims of water shortage and pollution, as they are more vulnerable, and each day 4,000 die worldwide from preventable water related diseases, mostly diarrhoea. Almost 900 million people have no access to safe drinking water.
GCI’s projects include tested sustainable solutions of constructing basic catchments systems on roofs of school buildings and diverting rainwater into overhead 20,000 litre-capacity water storage tanks, which school children and community members can monitor, treat and use.
This serves as a strong reminder that beyond health, having access to safe drinking water is a fundamental human right that, if not achieved, can be an obstacle to education and reinforce the cycle of poverty.
