What if water coming from the faucet, shower, or hose was not guaranteed? Imagine you had to walk three miles to a well and three miles back to get the water you need to cook, clean, and drink. Most of us have been fortunate enough to have clean water accessible to us. However, many people around the world are not so lucky.

Taking care of the Earth is one of the core values that make Aveda different. In honor of Earth Day, Aveda has set aside an entire month to love, celebrate, and raise funds to protect the Earth and its people. We are especially focusing on Earth’s water.

The Aveda network has raised $60 million for Earth Month since its inception. Because of this, 1.2 million lives have been impacted in more than 90 countries! Aveda has helped with projects that tackle challenges like toxic pollution and lack of safe drinking water. They also protect 920 watersheds like lakes, wetlands, and rivers and address climate change issues in over 1,300 communities.

Since we began our own Earth Month efforts, the Inspire Greatness network has contributed $710,646. These numbers show that Aveda can have a big impact on helping the environment. Sometimes it can feel like there’s nothing you can do to make an impact, but when we all come together change is possible.

Global Water Crisis

At Aveda, we recognize that while water is essential to life, many people in the world do not have access to clean water. In fact, 663 million people live without clean water. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide or twice the population of the United States without access to life’s most basic human need.

The majority of those people live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep kids out of school and take up time that parents could be working and earning money but the water often carries diseases that make these families sick.

When a community gets access to clean water, it can change just about everything. It can improve health, increase access to food, grow local economies, and help kids spend more time in school. The water crisis is huge, but it is solvable. We work with local experts and community members to find the best sustainable solution in each place where we work, whether it’s a well, a piped system, a BioSand Filter, or a system for harvesting rainwater. Our partners also coordinate sanitation, hygiene training, and establish a local Water Committee to help keep clean water flowing for years to come.

Aveda Inspire Greatness Initiatives


Catwalk for water event

Charity: Water

Purchasing the limited edition Shampure Hand and Body Wash benefits clean water projects around the world through charity: water. Charity: water is a non-profit organization that provides drinking water to people in developing countries.

100% of sales of the hand and body wash go towards charity efforts. You can feel great that 100% of the purchase price goes directly to the organization. One bottle equals one person given clean water.

Catwalk for Water

Each Inspire Greatness Aveda campus will be having a Catwalk for Water fashion show event. This is a yearly tradition and has been a fun event for students, staff, and alumni in the past.

This year, our Denver campus’s event was on March 31st, Phoenix’s fashion show will be the 26th, Provo’s the 27th, and Tucson’s May 4th.

Appointments for Clean Water

1 bottle equals clean water for 1 person

In 2013, we helped the Aveda network set a Guinness World Record for fund-raising through haircutting during the 24 hour Global Cut-a-thon. We will participate with our global network again this year, donating 100% of our net service revenue the day of the Cut-a-thon. Provo’s Appointments for Clean Water day is April 11th, Tucson’s is April 17th, Phoenix’s is April 24th, and Denver’s is April 29th.

“What I love most about this event is that it is mostly business as usual! With a strong focus in Reservations, Education, and Experience Center on booking and maximized productivity, this day is sure to be a success,” said Sherrie Adduci, who is helping put on Earth month events at the Tucson campus.

Get Involved

If you’re passionate about taking care of the Earth and helping others, becoming a student at Aveda Institute could be the right path for you. Please get in touch with us to learn more about the opportunities an Aveda education could bring you.