The Water Quilt Project

• We are doing this to emphasize the importance of conserving and protecting our water resources. New York is home to 33 Groundwater Guardian Communities
• We must reduce the amount waste we generate and learn ways to be more sustainable
• We want to give the children of the Hudson Valley an active role in the Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentenial

The quilt will incorporate the Quadricentenial Logo and the Groundwater Guardian logo as major centerpieces.

The Groundwater Guardian Program is a national program that recognizes local activities to protect water. (see www.groundwater.org)

There will be two centerpiece quilts -- Hudson- Fulton-Champlain Quadricentenial and the Groundwater Guardian. Those quilts will be 60 feet by 64 feet, but actually made up of 64 smaller quilts. Hudson Valley companies or quilt clubs may help manufacture the centerpiece quilts.

Up to three awards will be given for excellent quilts in the following categories:

• Best overall quilt
• Best traditional quilt
• Best 3-D quilt (use your imagination)
• Best use of photography
• Best use of children’s water art
• Best us of recycled materials
• Best use of fabric paint
• Best use of non-traditional quilt materials
• Best use of felt
• Best depiction of fish in the Hudson River
• Best depiction of water conservation
• Best depiction of recycling
• Best depiction of materials reuse and waste reduction
• Best depiction of groundwater protection
• Best depiction of an aquifer
• Best depiction of the Hudson River
• Best map of the Hudson River watershed
• Best depiction of Henry Hudson’s boat the Half Moon
• Best depiction of Robert Fulton’s steamboat
• Best depiction of Samuel De Champlain’s boat
• Most colorful quilt
• Best quilt by a group of children 10 or under
• Best quilt by a group of children 12 or under
• Best quilt by a group of children 14 or under
• Best quilt by a group of children 16 or under
• Best quilt by a group of children 18 or under

Individual quilts will be made using water and/or materials reuse themed artwork of the students and children of all ages.

• Traditional quilting techniques.
• Fabric painting.
• The artwork may be printed on special fabric sheets and those sheets can be quilted together on a backing of material such as a king size sheet.

On a designated day (or days throughout the year-long celebration) the quilts will be delivered to a local football stadium or open area for assembly and display. All participants will be invited to sit in the stands of the stadium and be part of photograph of the quilt.

Water is essential for life, and yet less than 2% of the water on the planet is fit for drinking. We must protect water from pollution and conserve it for our children and their children. According to 2005 United States Geological Survey (USGS) figures, groundwater provides an estimated:

• 22% of all freshwater withdrawals
• 37% of agricultural use (mostly for irrigation)
• 37% of the public water supply withdrawals
• 51% of all drinking water for the total population
• 99% of drinking water for the rural population

Fifty percent of the United States population depends on groundwater for daily drinking water. Groundwater is also one of our most important sources of irrigation water.

The average consumer does not realize that about 75% of waste is created in the manufacturing process of products they purchase. We must develop effective waste management practices for businesses in the Hudson Valley. And, we must educate the public about the origins of waste and the cost of waste to us and our environment.

Unfortunately, groundwater is susceptible to pollutants. Groundwater is generally a safe source of drinking water, however, there are concerns that contamination may increase as toxins dumped on the ground in the past make their way into groundwater supplies.

Pollutants that contaminate groundwater may be some of the same pollutants that contaminate surface water. Compounds from the surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater. For example, pesticides and fertilizers can find their way into groundwater supplies over time. Road salt, toxic substances from mining sites, and used motor oil also may seep into groundwater. In addition, it is possible for untreated waste from septic tanks and toxic chemicals from underground storage tanks to contaminate groundwater.

Waste is an accepted part of our industrial processes, but many companies are discovering that their waste may be somebody else’s raw materials. The problem is twofold:

• How to get people to see waste as a resource, and
• How to get companies to design their systems to either reduce waste or not generate waste to begin with by waste assessments, distribution of reusable business waste, and workshops illustrating possible uses for our materials.

Introducing students to the materials alone in a creative educational setting is an exciting and inspiring activity, but it's only the tip of an iceberg of information, which can strongly effect the development of a student's environmental awareness and "think twice" attitude. Background information students can use includes:

• the type of product each material is used for;
• actual manufacturing processes;
• the volume of the waste stream created by each product
• water conservation techniques
• water pollution sources and their impacts
• the hydrologic cycle

For example, you can present a classroom of fourth graders or a troop of Girl Scouts with a pile of material; for example, white bits of felt. The students can then get deeply involved in a creative project to use that material to show how they can conserve and protect water. It is an experience in critical and divergent thinking, combining science (proportion, sequencing) with art (representation, intuitive expression) and valuable for that content.

But the impact of such a lesson plan is multiplied threefold when the student learns that the white felt fragments she is using to construct patterns on a quilt is the waste in the manufacture of felt-tipped markers; a tool she uses almost every day, which is manufactured in the Hudson Valley. Instantly, the picture gets bigger. The student gains a context larger than just themselves or the material, and opens a window on a wider view of the world.

The focus of quilt making is to educate the youth and reinforce that education by having the youth portray the lessons learned during the quilt making process. The challenge for both the youth and their adult mentors is to portray the lessons in a very creative way in the quilt.

• Was founded on the principle that education is a powerful motivator for change and that factually informed people who understand the value and vulnerability of groundwater will act responsibly and responsively on its behalf.
• Believes groundwater education for people is the central tenet of our work and that our customers are diverse, including everyone who consumes groundwater or benefits from its bounty.
• Focuses on education for action: understanding that pollution prevention is the most effective, cost efficient way to protect groundwater.
• Engages interest in, and inspires action on behalf of, groundwater protection and conservation through on-the-ground programs serving people.
• Implements national and international programs while supporting local groundwater protection initiatives.