Forward Warrior is a large scale painting that uses a variety of chemical products and requires responsible practices to ensure our environmental impact is limited. For more information about the protocols for artists, you may review our Green Policy. It is important for us to practice good stewardship that reflects our messaging.
Water Conservation – Preventing Contamination – Reuse / Recycling
Messaging
Many of our artists incorporate eco-themes or natural imagery. As artists & activists, Forward Warrior understands that irreversible climate change will impact the poor and marginalized first, hardest, and fastest. Vulnerable communities are susceptible to food insecurity, flooding, drought, shortage conflicts, and displacement. These issues, inseparable from other social and economic justice initiatives, are prominent concerns for our participants.
Water Conservation
Forward Warrior has implemented water conservation and prevention of decontamination as part of its Green Policy. We encourage everyone to educate themselves about sewer separation and treatment plants. Keeping equipment clean is part of ensuring our livelihood, and reduces waste by increasing the usability of tools, but there are simple ways to limit water consumption while maintaining proper care.
Personal hygiene, especially hand washing, is of particular important due to recent public health concerns. Our artists’ safety and health remain our top priorities, and we will not compromise on ensuring their welfare. However, low-flo pumps and products like gel hand sanitizer can simultaneously control energy consumption and elevate resource awareness. It’s easy to promote antiseptic conditions without waste. Let’s be both clean and smart!
Prevention of Decontamination
Paint disposal, brush cleaning, and hand-washing are controlled under our Green Policy for separating dirty waste water from storm drains. Our 2020 policy will implement expanded Cleaning Stations and waste water transportation utilizing processes developed under consultation with neighbors holding professional environmental credentials.
The general process for brush cleaning is: spread & dry excess paint, submerge with dirty water in a contained receptacle, and transport to a sewer connection for a final rinse of the combed, dilute surface.
Re-use & Recycling
We use a ton of paint. To reduce plastic containers and avoid waste, the Filling Station has a sizable variety of re-purposed containers.
If you’re keen to pitch in, here’s a list of 2nd use paint totes: wide mouth beverage bottles (e.g. Gatorade), peanut butter jars, ketchup & mustard bottles (squeeze containers are awesome! pop out the little ring for better flow), yogurt cups, mayonnaise jars, to-go quarts/pints, or other snap or screw lid containers.
In practice, we must reflect our values and conduct our project with the same care and compassion.
