It is a unique partnership fueled by a common passion for clean water. Aveda and Audubon care deeply about the importance of clean water for the world we live in.

Aveda’s passion stems from its belief that “there is no responsible alternative to doing business other than through the pursuit of environmental sustainability.” Audubon’s passion stems from its mission “to protect birds and their habitat for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biodiversity.” Clean water is fundamental to both organizations. Our partnership is devoted to ensuring that clean water is a right for all and that resources are directed at guaranteeing this right to all living creatures.

More than most states, Minnesota and Iowa have water resources of national, and international, significance. Yet there are troubling signs regarding these freshwater resources. In Minnesota, 40% of the state water tested is considered “impaired.” Rivers and streams carry high levels of sediments, phosphorous and nitrogen. These drain to the Gulf of Mexico where they contribute to creating a 5,000 square mile “dead zone” of oxygen-starved waters. The trends and threats to our life-giving waters are real and troubling. Audubon is working to address these threats.

How does Audubon protect clean water in Minnesota and Iowa?

Audubon Minnesota protects and enhances clean water using three strategies: Conservation, Advocacy, and Outreach. In each endeavor, working to engage people is a hallmark of Audubon’s approach.

• Conservation: Our conservation work for clean water includes managing and restoring floodplain and bluffland habitats along the Mississippi River and working with landowners to develop conservation plans for their properties to improve habitat conditions and water quality.

• Advocacy: Promoting activities that will improve water quality often go beyond individual practices and are driven by decisions made at the state legislature, within agencies, or in Congress. Audubon organizes grassroots citizen action to press for appropriate outcomes. Wetland protection and restoration is one such issue as wetlands are nature’s filter for polluted waters.

• Outreach: Audubon’s clean water outreach efforts are designed to move people from awareness to personal action. Our audiences include school children living near the Mississippi River, farmers growing crops near streams, landowners in bottomland forests, personal contacts with the people attending special conservation events, and messaging to the public on how anyone can make a difference for clean water.