AVEDA
NETWORK SEEKS TO RAISE $4.5 MILLION IN APRIL
FOR CLEAN WATER PROJECTS
Eco-Beauty Brand’s Annual Campaign Raises Funds and Awareness about Global Water Crisis
TORONTO, Canada (March 2012) — Aveda’s April 2012 Earth Month campaign will inspire its network of beauty professionals and consumers in more than 30 countries to raise $4.5 million for the protection of clean water — a basic human right that nearly 780 million people
[i] worldwide fight for daily.
Now in its 13th year,
Aveda Earth Month 2012
raises funds and awareness for environmental projects around the world. Since 1999, the Aveda network has raised more than $22 million to help support organizations that directly affect environmental change; since 2006, $16 million of this amount has been earmarked for water-related causes.
More than 4,100 children in developing nations die each day from preventable conditions directly linked to consumption of unsafe drinking water
[ii]. Those living in developing nations typically have access to fewer than 30 liters of water each day
[iii]; in contrast, the average Canadian uses 329 liters of water each day
[iv]. In developing nations, 70 percent of industrial waste and 80 percent of all waste is dumped, untreated, polluting local water supplies
[v].
KEY EARTH MONTH 2012 FUNDRAISERS
§ Light the Way™ Earth Month Candle
Aveda’s 2012 Light the Way™ soy wax candle, sold exclusively during Earth Month, features a stress-relieving aroma formulated with organic French lavender. One hundred percent of the purchase price ($13) will be donated to
Global Greengrants Fund
. Candle proceeds will total $1,407,000 if all are sold.
§ Aveda Walk for Water
Aveda Walk for Water unites the Company’s network and guests in a series of walks around the world during the week of April 22, 2012. These walks extend six kilometers, symbolic of the average distance women in developing countries walk each day to collect water for their families.
In Canada, the Walk for Water will be held on Sunday April 22, 2012. Please see
www.iwalkforwater.com
for more details.
WHERE EARTH MONTH MONEY GOES
For the sixth consecutive year, Aveda will partner with
Global Greengrants Fund as its exclusive global Earth Month partner to provide grants for community-based water projects in more than 40 countries. Global Greengrants Fund provides small grants to grassroots organizations working for clean water, clean air, sustainable livelihoods and healthy communities.
In Canada, the Collega network of Aveda salons, spas, and stores will hold its fifth annual Canada-wide series of Walks for Water in 15 cities, in honor of Earth Month and in support of its charitable partner WaterCan which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The 2012 goal forthe dedicated Water Warriors is to raise $450,000 for clean water rights to benefit WaterCan’s efforts throughout eastern Africa. Worldwide, nearly 1 billion people do not have access to clean safe drinking water.
Last year the Collega network of Aveda salons, spas, and stores raised $375,000 and has raised 1.2 million dollars since 2006, and dramatically improved the lives of approximately 48,000 people in Africa, primarily children, thanks to its Walk for Water initiative. Aveda’s commitment to this cause and to WaterCan has grown over the years and is now strengthened with the appointment of Raffaela Caruso, one of the founding partners at Collega for Aveda, to the board of directors of WaterCan.
“We are incredibly proud of our association with WaterCan and the results we have achieved,” says Ray Civello, President of Aveda Canada. “Last year, thanks to the dedication of our Aveda Canada tribe of salon professionals, sales advisors, support staff, students and all our concerned customers, we raised enough to supply water and change the lives of over 15,000 people in need in East Africa. This year our goal is to raise $450,000. While the work that we are supporting is changing lives drastically, I have also witnessed the incredible need that still exists in Kenya and other East African countries. One in seven people do not have access to clean water. We are helping to change this.”
For more information about walks and online donations, and locally-sponsored initiatives, guests can visit
Facebook.com/Aveda
Canada and
www.iwalkforwater.ca
.
About Aveda
Founded in 1978, Aveda™ creates high performance, botanically-based products for beauty professionals and consumers — while continuously striving to conduct business in an environmentally sustainable manner. Headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, Aveda manufactures innovative plant-based hair care, skin care, makeup and lifestyle products, available at retail in Aveda Experience Centers and more than 7,000 professional hair salons and spas in more than 30 countries.
About WaterCan
WaterCan is a registered Canadian Charity that provides the world’s poorest people with access to clean water, basic sanitation, and hygiene education. Working with local partner organizations in Africa, WaterCan supports small-scale, community-driven projects that dramatically improve the quality of life in rural areas and urban slums. For more information, please visit www.watercan.com
.
