Before Guy Laliberté went to space on Space Adventures’ eighth private spaceflight mission, he’d already changed the world. For 25 years, more than 100 million people had packed theaters on every continent except Antarctica to witness Cirque du Soleil, the entertainment experience he founded in 1984. But as Guy sat in his space suit, training to become Canada’s first space tourist, he realized he was in a unique situation to change more than just the world of entertainment.
Slightly more than 500 people have departed Earth, flying with government agencies like NASA on missions to the space station, the moon and beyond. But before Guy, only six private, self-funded citizens had ventured into the space, putting him in a unique spotlight to use the world’s attention for good.
Guy decided to transform his trip from an intergalactic vacation to a Poetic Social Mission with one specific goal: to raise humanity’s awareness of water-related issues. Guy is the founder of ONE DROP, a non-profit organization that strives to ensure that water is accessible to all, today and forever.
On October 9, 2009 from the International Space Station, Guy launched the first ever artistic and social event to originate from space. In a global broadcast, he began reading the poem “Moving Stars and Earth for Water,” and was joined by celebrities in Montreal, Moscow, Santa Monica, New York City, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Marrakesh, Sydney, Tokyo, Tampa, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Paris and London during a 120-minute simulcast event that also featured musical performances by major international artists. The world came together with the hope of raising awareness through artistic illustration of the humanitarian struggles and solutions associated with water.
Since its inception, ONE DROP has transformed the lives of more than 300,000 human beings. By 2017, they hope to have provided access to safe water to 1 million people worldwide.
On Friday, March 21, 2014 in celebration of World Water Day, ONE DROP is holding a spectacular Las Vegas performance featuring world-renowned guest performers alongside artists from Cirque du Soleil. The event, One Night for One Drop, is a completely original, one-night-only production supporting the organization’s water-access global initiatives. For Guy, it’s simply another chance to change the world.
More at http://onenight.onedrop.org/en/.