Matt Damon launches new Water.org initiative at Sundance
The Sundance Film Festival gets underway Thursday in Park City, Utah, with a slew of buzzy movie premieres and celebrities in attendance. And one of those films stars is using the festival as a chance to get the word out about an issue that's important to him.
On Thursday, Matt Damon and his Water.org co-founder, Gary White, along with Stella Artois, will introduce their first global social impact campaign. Dubbed "Buy a Lady a Drink," the initiative aims to drive awareness to the global water crisis and help provide solutions.
Water.org recently teamed with Stella Artois to invite consumers to purchase limited-edition Chalices at Amazon.com to help raise funds for the cause; one Chalice will help Water.org provide five years of clean water to one person in the developing world. The chalices were inspired by traditional handcrafted items from three developing countries where Water.org operates -- ranging from textiles in India, baskets in Ethiopia and pottery from Honduras.
Damon and Water.org aim to help people in developing countries who do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitation. According to the organization, every day, women around the world spend a combined 200 million hours collecting clean water for their families.
"Awareness is as important as fundraising," said Damon. "We want people to understand the issue in all its complexity."
Damon has been vocal about the cause over the years. Last fall, he even dedicated his Ice Bucket Challenge video to raising awareness about the issue -- by dousing himself in toilet water. "For those of you like my wife who think this is really disgusting, keep in mind that the water in our toilets in the West is actually cleaner than the water that most people in the developing world have access to," he said in the clip.
When the 44-year-old actor isn't getting the word out about his non-profit, he's busy making movies, recently appearing in the sci-fi flick, "Interstellar."
You'll soon catch him in Ridley Scott's "The Martian," due out this fall, and in the next "Bourne" installment.
