Protect Our Glaciers
“Glaciers are the ambassadors
of climate change.
The ice is melting at an unprecedented pace impacting water availability and livelihood.
If we don’t act now, Swiss glaciers might completely disappear by 2100, and
water supply from the mountains would shorten by up to 50% during summer.”
Dr. Matthias Huss
Professor for Glaciology
ETH Zürich
If we don’t do our part,
they will stop doing theirs.
Photographs by Maja Juzwiak
to raise funds for the organization
Protect Our Winters (POW) Switzerland,
supported by Hotel Pollux Zermatt and Impact Hub Zürich.
22 photographs with limited copies each.
50% of the sale will be donated to POW.
Are you up for being part of the change?
You don’t want to buy a photograph but still, contribute to the cause?
Not a problem.
You can also choose to donate a preferred amount directly to POW.
The Goal?
To inform and raise awareness of individuals about how vital glaciers are for
our entire ecosystem and why we should start caring more about them.
From the mountains to the city - we are all affected by the melting of the glaciers.
Let’s take action now.
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In the summer of 2021, while hiking through the lost valley in Zermatt, Switzerland, the rivers created by the melting glacier caught my attention.
During the same week, I did another hike in the region and was confronted with other rivers created by different glaciers- all watering down to the valley.
The thought that glaciers are losing their presence throughout the years pressed into my mind during my entire stay.
The idea of creating art to raise awareness about the facts and find solutions to tackle the issue arose. Selling illustrative images would be a first step in supporting an organization engaged in the subject.
What was then initiated only as an idea came to fruition in the summer of 2022.
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Maja Juzwiak is a Swiss / Brazilian creative mind with an interdisciplinary and international background experimenting with life and striving for positive impact by showing different perspectives through photography.
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Protect Our Winters (POW) has been active in Switzerland since 2017 and, within a few years, has become the most crucial climate protection organisation in the Swiss outdoor community.
They rely on positive and emotional communication to channel their passion for nature and the mountains into concrete climate protection measures.
They are involved in the following four sectors: Advocacy, Nutrition, Mobility and Education.
Their goal is to strengthen the outdoor community's commitment to climate protection through positive communication and awareness-raising, as well as political advocacy.
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Hotel Pollux is a family-run hotel centrally located on the main street of Zermatt. The owner stems from the family of the first Matterhorn mountain climber, Peter Taugwalder, an event that happened back in 1865.
Be part of the change.
We created two events after the images were finalized to exhibit the results and engage people in the conversations - one in the mountains and one in the city to connect both locations symbolically:
“So close, but yet so far”
The first event, showcasing the first set of images, took place in Zermatt at the centrally located Hotel Pollux, where the artist stayed while documenting the glaciers in the region.
It was an intimate get-together with local wine and finger food
provided by the Hotel at the bar.
The name refers to the glaciers—even though Zermatt is close to them, they are retreating more and more, and the distance of reach is increasing yearly.
“So far, but yet so close”
Also, here, the title refers to the glaciers - even though they are physically located far away, the impact of the melting is greater than we imagine.
Three months later, the second event took place in the city of Zürich. It attracted 50 people from various backgrounds, all interested in preserving nature. We had a thorough presentation of the project, the release of the second series of images and keynote speeches of four experts, bringing different perspectives and initiatives towards the same subject:
Luch Heering - Alliance Manager at POW Switzerland
Eliane Albrecht - Program Manager Climate Action
& Circular Economy at Impact Hub Zürich
Felix Keller - a glaciologist who has been developing
a unique solution for the matter at hand
James Niederberger - Snowboarded, carpenter,
engineer, and POW Alliance member.
The event ended with wine from the Valais and food sponsored by Äss-Bar.
To see some impressions of the event, check out the link below.
Do you want to read more about the problem
around the melting of the glaciers?
Click here for additional reading material.
Curious to know more details about the project itself?
