With the occasion of The Ocean Race stopover in The Hague, Water Footprint Implementation & 11th Hour Racing Team organized a creative presentation of culture and science at the Museon-Omniversum. Ap Verheggen (SunGlacier) presented the “embrace your enemy” concept. Earlier in March this year, at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in New York, WFI launched the draft methodology for Water Footprint Compensation.

The 11th Hour Racing Boat. From L to R Charlie Enright (skipper), Ap Verheggen, Jack Bouttell (crew)

Ap Verheggen with SunGlacier in CNN article

link to CNN article, press here

Huge billboards across the Emirates highways and inside Dubai airport

Ap Verheggen & SunGlacier Team win prestigious “Overhoop” Price

In 2022, Ap Verheggen & Team SunGlacier won the “Overhoop” prize for their innovative and pioneering work in the field of sustainable energy and climate change. Verheggen is best known for his “SunGlacier” project, which uses solar energy to harvest water in the desert. With this project he wants to draw attention to the possibilities of sustainable energy and climate change.

From L-R: Tom Middendorp, René van Ommeren, Peter van Geloven, Hugo de Vries, Ap Verheggen, Petra Reulings, Hessel Waalewijn, Taco Zwaanswijk, Marcel Bril

Music project Ap Verheggen & Janieck: “HERO”

The video single “HERO” is a creative collaboration of the recording artist Janieck with the environmental inventor and sculptor artist Ap Verheggen. This music video aims to inspire younger generations to think in creative solutions for a world that is being transformed by climate change. The message: “Yes, there can be a positive future for everyone on this planet; it’s a matter of taking action yourself.”

to see videoclip, press here

It is certain that everybody on this planet is or will be impacted in some way by climate change. Our message through art, music and environmental invention is that it is more important than ever for the younger generations to take the lead in designing solutions to challenges (like drought and rising temperatures) to their own future. Our younger generations have demonstrated capacities to generate forward-looking, functional ideas, and are able to think without some of the “old-world” constraints that limit their elders.

Dutch singer and songwriter Janieck is known for his emotive singing style, having earned multiple gold and platinum records and airplay for his hits in Europe. Most notable are his single releases with Lost Frequencies (Reality), YouNotUs (Narcotic) and Alle Farben (Little Hollywood), while his solo releases “Does it Matter” and “Feel the Love” have earned Janieck critical acclaim as a songwriter, and an ever-growing fanbase as a performing artist.

SunGlacier produces solar powered – water from air – in a hot and dry desert.

We succeeded to generate the water for this beautiful rain shower in the middle of the desert. The water is harvested “live” by a new and efficient technology that will benefit so many people on the planet. A physical experience that shows the future of “uniting water, energy and food”. Main goal of the SunGlacier rain shower on the expo is showing people/companies/NGO’s/governments that it is possible to harvest water, off the grid, with the maximum use of sunshine, air and gravity – all free elements, everywhere available. The SunGlacier technology is easy scalable, that we proved in the pavilion. I hope that many people will be inspired by the physical experience of a rain fall in the middle of a desert.

From L to R: H.H. King Willem-Alexander, H.H. Queen Maxima (Netherlands), H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Dubai)

Ap Verheggen: “Climate Change = Culture Change”

Droppler 20

Very real opportunities now exist for water from the SunGlacier technology to be used for drinking in off-grid locations (with the addition of minerals), and for agriculture in scaled-up applications including greenhouse production. This is good news for the future of alternative water resources. My story is about much more than an artist who pursued an idea; it’s about generating inspiration to support each other in a positive approach to the future. Climate Change = Culture Change! With the Covid-19 pandemic, stories of water scarcity are less visible in the media. Meanwhile, the urgent demand for water in a growing range of areas is turning into a cry for help. The youth has the future. New technologies can lead to new applications. I involve students and young professionals in inventing new ideas and learn how we can benefit from new technologies to battle future challenges. Therefore Ap closely works together with:

Nationaal Waterstraineeship (Dutch students and young professionals in the water sector)
Wetskills (a worldwide organisation for water related students)
European Junior Water Programme (young professionals in the water sector)

SunGlacier builds a rain shower @ WorldExpo Dubai

At the Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, designers and artists are shining the spotlight on technological innovation. Not only do they add aesthetic value through the power of their imagination; they also help promote a wider acceptance of new technology, resulting in a more beautiful and better world. A spectacular interior. For 150 years now, world fairs have made an important contribution to the history of architecture. A number of structures erected for a world fair are still standing today, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Atomium. This will not be the case for the Netherlands Pavilion in Dubai, which will be completely dismantled after the Expo is over, leaving a minimal footprint. But its impact will be no less for that. V8 Architects deliberately opted for a neutral exterior and simple construction materials. More info and press release.

stART to Care

stART to care is a new project to link artists with the heroes of the medical public service sectors that are putting their own well-being second in order to care of all of us during the Covid-19 crisis. This is for the hospital intensive care (ICU) staff and ambulance paramedics, the community volunteers, the sanitation workers, and all who continue giving their very best so that our own lives can carry on. Through stART to care, artists working in all mediums can send a “thank you” with a creative gesture (painting, sculpture, music etc.) to encourage their heroes and demonstrate a solidarity in hopes of making their day a bit brighter. (Music by Janieck)

Globe in Winter Season

Inspired by Google Earth, I made a sculpture with a fictional landscape, in epoxy, painted with blackboard varnish. Using chalk I can change the colors/seasons as I want. Film: Hessel Waalewijn

The greenhouse of the future

We grew grains in bread – 100% OFF-GRID. All water we extracted from outside and inside air. The – water from air – technology, including the climate control and growing lights were powered by solar energy. The bread supplied nutricians for the grains. This project shows that in the future we don’t need water anymore from conventional sources to grow our food.

SunGlacier on the Bloomberg Channel

Bloomberg broadcasted a TV and multimedia item about the cool(E)motion and SunGlacier project.

Technology versus Nature.

The SunGlacier project started as an art-meets-science project and now holds real world applications that can change how water resources are perceived. We are assembling a mobile – water from air – device that extracts 20 to 25 liters of fresh water per day. (in semi-desert conditions) This machine with the size of a table top refrigerator is designed to run on solar energy, but also can be plugged in the electrical grid.

This new water well supplies water for human consumption but also opens the door to off-grid farming. For the exhibition “De kunst van Brood” we build world’s first complete off-grid greenhouse. An artist’s view to the circular economy: we grow grains in bread – and circulate all water.