Green Ads Blue Water Neutrality program

GreenGraffiti® leads by example and is one of the first companies in the world to compensate for our water usage. For each liter of water we use to produce an expression we invest in a water harvesting project that provides one liter of clean drinking water in the Semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil.The prgram was specifically developed for GreenGraffiti® by The Value Agency.

The three pillars of the Green Ads Blue program

1. The GreenGraffiti® Water Neutrality Program is based on reduction, compensation and communication: we reduce our water consumption by the awareness-raising program, we compensate our consumption by investing in a Brazilian water project and we openly inspire others to do the same.

2. We make use of a symbolic Water Neutrality formula: it is impossible to actually create new water, but you can create access to clean drinking water in water scarce areas and in vulnerable communities. So this is exactly what we do.

3. For every liter of water we use, we make sure that at least one liter is created where people need it the most. GreenGraffiti® does not want to offset the bare minimum, so we overcompensate.

How does it work?

- GreenGraffiti® works with a NGO partner, a Brazilian rainwater-harvesting organization called AS–PTA

- AS-PTA installs rainwater tanks in the Semi- arid water-scarce regions of North Eastern Brazil. Because AS - PTA provides the families with training on how to construct, maintain and manage the tanks, the families can manage their own drinking water supplies

- In the rainy season (three to four months), families harvest and store rainwater in a large tank, They manage, disinfect and use the water during the remaining dry months. One tank holds approximately 16,000 liters of water. This is enough water for a family of five to use for six to eight months

- Once the tanks have been installed, women and children no longer have to spend hours a day fetching water: children can go to school and women can even start generating their own income. The construction and maintenance of water tanks creates new jobs, and the increased access to clean drinking water stimulates health and safety in the communities

- AS-PTA aims to install 1 million water tanks in North Eastern Brazil in 5 years. The current number of installed water tanks is 350,000

- A general rule used in rainwater harvesting is that creating one liter of water costs approximately 10 euro cents

- GreenGraffiti® uses approximately ten liters of water per expression, and therefore invests 1 euro per expression to provide ten liters of drinking water

- GreenGraffiti® aims to place 10,000 expressions this year. Taking into account that an adult needs a minimum of 20 liters of water a day for consumption, hygiene and food preparation, 10.000 expression (= 100,000 liter water or €10,000) would create enough drinking water for 13 persons for one year.