URBAN+ X O FOUNTAIN PARTNERSHIP

O fountain installed at Alma Park, Victoria. Art by Georgie Faircloth.

Not sure what the O fountain is? It’s the brainchild of Social Entrepreneur, Gretha Oost, who designed the fountain to inspire people to drink tap water by packaging it in art. The O fountain is a tool to achieve the mission of her organisation, the O initiative, which aims to make people fall in love with tap water and reduce the excessive use of single-use plastic bottles. 

The fountain is not only a functional bottle filler, it is also a public art sculpture that can be painted by an artist of your choice. This unique combination is what makes this fountain more than just a product, and one which can aid in both placemaking and positive community engagement when the public are actively involved in the art selection or vision process.

O fountain installed at Newgate Development, Victoria. Art by Jessica Jane Illustration.

About the Partnership

When asked about the new partnership and what motivated Gretha to approach Urban+, she responded saying “It feels right to enter a partnership with a company whose values are aligned with the O fountain and who will continue to foster a commitment to sustainability and the environment.”

The fact that Urban+ are committed to driving the circular economy and were actively campaigning for the reduction in single-use plastic bottles for many years prior to the partnership has made it a natural fit.

As Urban+’s Managing Director, Simon Higgins, said “we [Urban] have admired the O fountain and the overall mission of the O initiative for many years and are passionate about creating more awareness around the need to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles.”

“With the addition of the O fountain to our range, we are able to not only provide our customers with another fantastic bottle refill option, but also provide a unique opportunity for real community engagement.”

Live O fountain activation at TEDx 2019, Sydney. Art by Jeff McCann.

Together, Urban+ and the O initiative will work to grow awareness of the O fountain and look forward to continuing their ongoing partnerships with forward-thinking organisations that have already installed an O fountain such as Stockland, Central Equity Developers, Sunshine Coast Council and more.

For more information about the O fountain and how it could help you enhance your next project, visit the Urban+ website or contact their team directly via the links below.