Press Releases

“Water’s Edge”: Public Exhibition of Large-scale Photographs About Global Fresh Water Supplies: Photography Auction June 24 – July 8 + Public Opening Reception & Exhibition 9 July-16 August + V.I.P. Reception & Silent Auction 9 July + No.9 Fresh Water Symposium 10 July 2015

THe following video presents NASA – The Limited Supply of Fresh Water on Earth:

Freshwater seems abundant, but when accounting for all the water on Earth, it’s in limited supply. Just three percent of the water on our planet is freshwater. A majority of this water, about two percent of the world total, is contained in glaciers and ice sheets or stored below ground. The remaining one percent is found in lakes, rivers and wetland areas or transported through the atmosphere in the form of water vapor, clouds and precipitation. Rain and snowfall replenish freshwater sources, making it vital to know when, where and how much water is falling at any given time. Using NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement satellite, researchers can track precipitation worldwide and monitor levels from space. 15 Aug 2014

Photo of Union Station by Christopher Dew

Photo of Union Station by Christopher Dew

No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment

Presents

Water’s Edge, a Pan Am-commissioned Public Exhibition (FREE): 9 July – 16 August 2015 at Union Station & Pearson Airport

Water’s Edge Photography Auction 24 June – 8 July 2015 at MEC – 400 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Water’s Edge Public Opening Reception, V.I.P Reception & Silent Auction: Thursday, 9 July 2015 at Union Station, 65 Front Street West, Toronto

7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (EDT):

Public reception (FREE) begins at 7:00 with opening remarks at 8:00 followed by a tour of the art works in the Great Hall, West Wing and SkyWalk with artists in attendance.

V.I.P. reception & silent auction commence at 9:00PM. The reception will be held from 9:00-11:00PM and will take place on the newly rebuilt plaza in front of Union Station.

No.9 Fresh Water Symposium: July 10, 10:30 am -5:30 pm
Evergreen Brickworks – 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto

Water’s Edge Photography Auction 24 June – 8 July 2015
Salgado, Burtynsky, Balog photos on auction and display at MEC to benefit the Canadian Freshwater Alliance

Mountain Equipment Co-operative (MEC) is the title sponsor of Water’s Edge, a Pan Am-commissioned public exhibition curated by No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment, a charitable organization that leverages contemporary art and design to drive environmental awareness. Photographers from Pan America countries were commissioned to explore society’s tenuous relationship with our natural water supplies. The large-scale public exhibition will be on display at Union Station beginning July 9th and continuing through to August 16th.

As part of MEC’s Homewaters fundraising campaign for Canadian freshwater preservation, 13 photos generously donated by Water’s Edge photographers will be available for auction with opening bids ranging between $1,000 and $20,000. The auction photos will be on display at MEC’s 400 King Street West store beginning tomorrow with funds raised to be donated to the Canadian Freshwater Alliance.

MEC is helping raise funds for the Canadian Freshwater Alliance through additional activities including the creation of limited edition t-shirts designed by Etsy artists and a social media hashtag fundraising campaign that will see all profits from t-shirt sales and $5 for every use of #myhomewaters on Instagram donated to the Canadian Freshwater Alliance.

Who:                Andrew Davies, Executive Director, No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment

What:              Water’s Edge photogrtaphy auction

Where:            MEC – 400 King Street West, Toronto

When:              Wednesday June 24, 2015, 1 pm

Why:                To raise awareness and funds for the Canadian Freshwater Alliance

This video presents Canada AM: A cleaning drinking water crisis?

PRESS RELEASE

MEC and renowned photographers Sebastião Salgado and Edward Burtynsky bring freshwater issues into focus

Vancouver, B.C. (June 23, 2015) – Freshwater touches us all. Since 2010, MEC has invested over $2 million to sustain freshwater in Canada and is committed to doing even more. MEC’s Homewaters 2015 campaign is designed to increase awareness of freshwater issues in Canada and around the world, while benefitting the Canadian Freshwater Alliance. Homewaters gives Canadians four ways to engage:

Experience Water’s Edge

MEC is proud to be the platinum sponsor of Water’s Edge, a major public exhibition of large-scale photographs highlighting the impact of human development on the world’s freshwater commissioned as a cultural exhibit for the Pan Am and ParaPan Am Games.

Featuring six of the world’s most renowned photographic artists from Pan Am countries, including Sebastião Salgado (Brazil), Cristina Mittermeier (Mexico), James Balog (USA) and Edward Burtynsky (Canada), Water’s Edge is produced by No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment, a charitable organization that leverages contemporary art and design to drive environmental awareness.

It includes the public No.9 Fresh Water Symposium July 10, 2015 at Evergreen Brickworks in Toronto, featuring talks by the photographers James Balog, Cristina Mittermeier, Jorge Uzon and Edward Burtynsky.

“Freshwater is essential to the active outdoor lifestyles MEC exists to enable and inspire. But the world’s freshwater supply is under threat, including here in Canada–Water’s Edge highlights this,” said MEC CEO David Labistour. “Together with these renowned artists and our members, MEC offers Canadians real ways they can take action.”

Water’s Edge opens with a public and media reception on July 9, 2015 and the exhibit runs until August 16 at Union Station and Pearson Airport in Toronto.

Own Art That Matters

The Water’s Edge artists have generously donated thirteen signed, full-size photographic works for auction, with all profits benefitting The Canadian Freshwater Alliance.

SPECIAL PREVIEW: View all thirteen works of art for auction June 24 – July 8, MEC Toronto, 400 King Street West.

Wear MEC x Etsy

In MEC’s first designer collaboration, 1,000 limited edition t-shirts with commissioned designs by two Canadian Etsy artists are available for sale in select MEC stores, with all profits donated to the Canadian Freshwater Alliance.

Instagram to Raise $20K

Every time someone tags a freshwater photo #myhomewaters on Instagram, MEC will donate $5 to The Canadian Freshwater Alliance, up to $20,000. Supporting healthy freshwater now and for future generations could not be easier.

About MEC

Canada’s leading outdoor retailer, MEC is passionate about inspiring and enabling everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles. From city streets and yoga studios to forest trails and pristine lakes, MEC matches people with the expertise, enthusiasm and gear they need for active lives. MEC has over 4 million members across Canada. Become part of MEC with a $5 lifetime membership and visit us at our 17 stores, at www.mec.ca and our Shop MEC iPhone® app


The following video (duration is 1 hr:1 min:18 sec) presents David Schindler, Canada’s Freshwater in the 21st Century, 2014 :

Freshwater is widely recognized as the most pressing environmental issue of the coming century, as roughly 2 billion humans suffer from scarcity of water for drinking or sanitation. Despite its abundance of freshwater, Canada is experiencing great pressure on both its quality and quantity. Despite impending problems, the Canadian government is deemphasizing freshwater research, both in its funding for university research and its support for federal departments with a freshwater mandate. This lecture describe some of the current threats to Canadian water, and outlines what we must do to solve them.
June 18, 2014 — Water Institute Lecture Series and Faculty of Science Public Lecture Series
Dr. David W. Schindler, Killam Memorial Professor of Ecology, University of Alberta, retired.