April 16, 2020

(Ankeny, Iowa – April 16, 2020) – The Soil and Water Conservation Society is partnering with Water Rocks!, a uniquely Iowan, award-winning, statewide water education program based at Iowa State University, to encourage artists of every age and skill level to get outside and get creative in celebrating Earth Week. The Earth Week Chalk Challenge is a fun contest meant to encourage people to create their masterpieces with messages about the earth, biodiversity and our shared environment. Earth Week Art from Nature encourages participants to gather items from nature to create unique artworks. Earth Week revolves around Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Create, Snap, Share

To participate in the Earth Week Chalk Challenge, simply get outside and create anytime between April 17 and April 24. Snap a picture of your artwork and post it to the Earth Week Chalk Challenge online threads. Enter as often as you like and stick around to enjoy the other entries—you may find inspiration for your next object d’art.

Earth Week Chalk Challenge rules: (information and rules also available at www.waterrocks.org)

  1. Like or follow @WaterRocksISU on Facebook or Twitter
  2. Create a sidewalk chalk masterpiece featuring one of the following themes:
    • Biodiversity: The connectedness of plants, animals, and all living things in ecosystems
    • Environmental Central: Practical and concrete ways everyone can help planet Earth (…think beyond “reduce, reuse, recycle”!)
    • Earth Day Every Day: Why it’s important to keep water clean and protect nature
  3. Photograph your creation
  4. Post your photo as a comment on one of our Earth Week Chalk Challenge posts on Facebook or Twitter by 5 p.m. Friday, April 24!

Don’t have any sidewalk chalk on hand? Get outside and create your own “found art” in the companion challenge, Earth Week Art from Nature.

Earth Week Art from Nature rules: (information and rules also available at www.waterrocks.org)

  1. Go outside and explore your surroundings
  2. Gather natural objects such as feathers, rocks, sticks, leaves, pinecones and seeds
  3. Arrange found objects artistically
  4. Photograph your creation
  5. Post to Facebook or Instagram, tagging #artworksstudio and #waterrocksisu by 5 p.m. Friday, April 24!

Fun and novel prizes from Water Rocks! and Artworks Studio will be awarded to creations garnering the most likes and shares in both challenges, including a special “People’s Choice” prize pack and bragging rights for the most shared and most liked entry in each contest.

“Sidewalk chalk masterpieces have been popping up all over the place with families getting outside and getting creative while schools and daycares are closed,” said Ann Staudt, Water Rocks! director. “With Earth Week just around the corner, we thought the Earth Week Chalk Challenge and Earth Week Art from Nature would be great ways to encourage outdoor exploration, and get people thinking about the environment and their personal impacts on and feelings toward the earth. We hope this catches on and we may be able to make it an annual affair.”

Follow the links below to find out more about these Earth Week Chalk Challenge partners:

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About the Soil and Water Conservation Society

For seventy-five years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has been the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society. The Soil and Water Conservation Society is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa with chapters across the United States and Canada.

About Water Rocks!:

Water Rocks! is Iowa’s unique, award-winning statewide youth water education program. Through a combination of STEM and the arts, especially music, Water Rocks! educates, challenges, and inspires young people toward a greater appreciation of our state’s water, soil and other natural resources. Partners of Water Rocks! include: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (United States Environmental Protection Agency, Section 319 of the Clean Water Act), Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and personal gifts of support. Learn more at www.waterrocks.org.

For More Information:

Clare Lindahl, CEO
Soil and Water Conservation Society
clare.lindahl@swcs.org

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