Marcia Gay Harden
There were so many possible designs for this motif "Leaves of Change!" At one point I had a delicate hand on a chain literally "turning over a new leaf". The literal designs which I was working upon were fun, Peace symbols made of leaves, 2009 designed in leaves, and a fish upon which the scales were leaves. But no one wants to wear an obvious message...you might as well carry a poster! I kept coming back to this, my final design. It is two young willow branches, each growing in a half circle, and then intertwining as they meet. It is symbolic of many things to me, but the first element is the simple beauty of the branches and leaves themselves. It is also symbolic of the two political sides of this country meeting, and intertwining, and perhaps through that united effort, we will begin successfully the process of repairing our great nation.
About my charity: Waterkeeper Alliance
I chose the charity because I have worked with them for a long time, and living in the Catskills on a lake and water reservoir, know that the work they are doing for our nation's water supplies is vital. I agree with Robert Kennedy Jr. - clean water is every human's right. As it becomes more scarce, and the natural elements of this great earth are depleted, we need to do everything we can to stand up for environmental causes.
Today, with water resources declining in quantity and quality in virtually every part of the world, Waterkeeper Alliance is leading one of the world’s fastest growing water advocacy movements, providing a centralized source of scientific, legal, media, and technical expertise to nearly 200 Waterkeeper organizations on six continents. The Alliance’s unique model brings grassroots Waterkeeper groups together to share the knowledge, experience and skills they need to protect and restore the vitality of their local waterways and find solutions to the global water crisis.
