Louisville Community Rainworks

Community groups throughout Louisville, Colorado are creating hidden messages around inclusion and sustainability that will help connect us to one another and the earth.

We’re using the Rainworks method to stencil messages composed by community groups on concrete in public spaces around Louisville using a nontoxic super hydrophobic spray that is invisible when dry and doesn’t affect the concrete’s texture. When it rains or snows, the surrounding concrete darkens, and our message from the rain magically appears.

Responses to the Rain

What else should the rain ask? Love, The Rain – “how can you be compassionate to all things today?” by echoes of hoofbeats

What else should the rain ask? Love, The Rain – “how do you make a sad person happier?” by Bird A Word

What the scientists say

When I started working at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the year 2000, I was surprised to learn that my understanding that there was a debate about climate change was a false narrative. In fact, there was a scientific consensus and the remaining debate was about details. It was a bit frightening to realize how quickly we needed to react to make a difference. I had no idea that twenty years later the public perception in the US would be in the same state, even though the evidence has started to affect our everyday lives. Because of the variability of weather, and our malleable memories, it is difficult for us to identify long-term trends. When you add to this all the money that oil companies and their investors stand to lose, it is easy to understand why this is a political issue that gives people a good excuse to believe that there isn't a problem.

The most dramatic thing I've witnessed is the rise in carbon dioxide. When I started in 1999, carbon dioxide was at 370 parts per million in the atmosphere. Now it's closer to 420 parts per million