American Institute of Floral Designers -- 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show

American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD)
Philadelphia, PA
"The World's Drinking Water"

Three sections on this page: Committee Gleanings, Exhibitor Intent, Audio Tour Text

Commitee Gleanings (long):

American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD)

The World’s Drinking Water

The displayers (7) are all members of the northeast chapter which covers northeast, Canada, and England. To become a member they take a written test and a 4 hour practical test. If they score high enough they are inducted into AIFD.

They submitted three options for a topic for the Show: 7 oceans, water conservation and the seven areas with the greatest water problems. "Problems" was the one approved. In the display each designer has taken one of the top countries with water problems. Their display is meant to be educational and bring attention to issues of which the viewer may be unaware.

The Seven Countries
CHINA
Red River Syndrome

China has 7% of the world’s fresh water and sustains 20% of the world’s population.
December 2011 – A chemical plant that was producing red dye for firework wrappers released its waste and turned the Jian River, Luoyang, in Northern China, red.

September 2012 – An industrial dye pollution turned Yangtse River near Chongqing and several other ports along the river red.

July 2014 – A discharge from a dye factory was suspected in turning the river crimson and odorous in Wenzhou.

April 2016 – industrial wastes from iron and steel plants turned Zhonging River in northern China red and undrinkable.

INDIA
The white elephant Airavata

India has the greatest number of people living rurally without access to clean water.

The Indian government acknowledged that more than a quarter of the country’s population was affected by drought.

Worst in the world for the greatest number of rural people without safe water

Droughts have become almost a way of life in the Bundelkhand region of North-Central India.

67% of the population lives in rural areas

7% of the rural population without access to clean water.

63.4M people in rural areas without access to clean water

MEXICO
“Bottled Water Country”

Mexico has become a bottled water country.

Bottled water is used everywhere for drinking, cooking, and even bathing babies.

Mexicans used about 127 gallons of bottled water per person a year, more than four times the bottled-water consumption in the United States and more than any country.

Mexicans buy bottled water in five-gallon jugs and use it in everyday life.

Unfortunately the safety of the drinking water in Mexico, despite the increasing number of water filtration systems being implemented, is still
tainted.

PAKISTAN
Cascading Domes & Slender Minarets

Pakistan will run out of water by 2025. Severe water scarcity is already having a negative impact on the country’s economy.

Over 80 percent of water supplied is considered unsafe.

Approximately 95 percent of Pakistan’s water is used for agriculture.

In 1947 Pakistan was affluent in water.

Pakistan is dependent for water from a single source: the Indus River basin.

Indian building of hydroelectric power project at Sawalkot can only cause further water stress to Pakistan.
An estimated 250,000 children in Pakistan under the age of 5 years die every year due to water borne disease

PAPUA
NEW GUINEA
Most Vulnerable Beauty

Papua New Guinea is among the worst performing country in the world for rural access to clean water.

Rank in the top 20% of nations worldwide most vulnerable to climate change and least ready to adapt.
Access to water is a daily struggle for 67% of the rural population.
Fourth in the world for percentage of rural population without safe water

Home to 7.2 million people already experiences cyclones, coastal erosion, droughts
67% of the rural population without access to clean water

US
Pipe Deterioration

In Flint, Michigan cost-cutting measures led to tainted drinking water.

The city of Toledo had to issue a no-drink, no boil-water advisory after a toxic algal bloom in Lake Erie polluted the city’s drinking water supply.

As many as 63 million people, nearly a fifth of the United States, were exposed to potentially unsafe water more than once during the past decade.

Pipe deterioration have taken a toll on local water systems.

There is a nearly one-in-four chance your tap water is either unsafe to drink or has not been properly monitored for contaminants in accordance with federal law

AFRICA
The ‘Warka’ Project

The name of the project ‘Warka’ comes from the Warka Tree, which is a giant, wild fig tree native to Ethiopia. Like the tree, the Warka Tower serves as important cornerstone for the local community, becoming part of the local culture and ecosystem by providing its fruits, shade and offering a gathering place.

In Africa, the population is projected to rise from 1.2 billion in 2015 to nearly 2.5 billion by 2050.

Africa is the fifth largest economy. But it also tops the list of countries with the greatest percentage of the rural population without access to clean water.

Exhibitor Intent:

This look at some countries without access to clean drinking water brings awareness to how precious clean drinking water is and how scarce access is for most people in the world. Countries are represented by intricate designs inspired by beautiful flowers..

AUDIO TOUR Stop 15 – AIFD
Narrator: Sam Lemheney

By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population may be facing water shortages.

This artful display calls attention to the plight and the people affected.

Fifty designers, all members of The American Institute of Floral Design travelled to the Show from around the world to create this display.

The designs focus on 7 different countries.

A life size elephant is made from weld wire and represents India.

Ethiopia features a tower made of 1,000 pin cushion proteas and represents the towers in Ethiopia that collect water from humidity in the air and produce about 25 gallons of water exclusively from the air.

A 12 ft. tall structure made of water bottles illustrates the plight of Mexico which consumes the most bottled water anywhere in the world.

One of the most interesting interpretations is of Pakistan, with some of the worst drinking water conditions on the planet. The designer, Claire wong kang, is Korean and has been recognized by the Korean government. She created thousands of rosettes from leaves and covered a 10 ft sculpture.

This special exhibition showcases how art influences floral design through painting and color combinations, architecture and how lines are used. And, life imitates art every day.