Join us as we wave good-bye to the receding wave of Water Week on Jan 20th from 6-10pm for Water is Life Fest at the Civic Media Center!
We are topping off our first Water Week with our fourth Water is Life Fest that began in January of 2017. This is a continual effort to educate and inform the public about local water issues through art, conversation, and interaction. We hope to inspire the people of Gainesville to organize and mobilize to ensure a healthy environment for us all.
Water is Life Fest is a quarterly event that aims to connect and educate the community about our unique Floridan Aquifer that feeds the mouths of the U.S Southeast region. The purpose of WiLFest is to better understand how our aquifer works, what threatens it, and the ways we can protect it. The event features expert speakers, bands, artists, vendors, and interactive informational displays. The focus of discussion will be on the proposed phosphate mine in Bradford/Union counties and new industry advancements in solar power.
Water is Life Initiative started this festival as a fundraiser for Standing Rock last January of 2017. Then, as one of the founders became more involved in direct action against the Sabal Trail Transmission pipeline, the focus shifted toward raising awareness of our own local “black snake”. From the fracked gas now flowing through our rivers and springs to the phosphate mine that is in the works less than 40 minutes away, we intend to raise awareness on these issues so we can better tackle them.
There are many threats to our water and they will continue to persist. The problem is that most people aren’t aware of how fragile our water systems are, nor of the dangers that our water supply is currently facing. Even if knowledgeable, what to do, where to begin? We hope these festivals will serve as a platform for that discussion. Through music and art we hope to make these difficult issues more apt to be received. Please come out this January 20th at 6pm and join us to save our most vital resource.
