Here are the articles that I wrote for TriplePundit.com during and after the 2009 Net Impact Conference at Cornell University.
We need more efforts like this here in the US. This one was done for India.
Anyone want to put together an ad campaign?
“Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and of our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land.”
-Luna Leopold, hydrologist and professor, UC Berkeley
Global warming is getting all the attention right now and for good reason. Water is an equally important issue, but much less on the radar for the masses, especially in terms of conservation. Think about it the next time you turn on the tap.
The following is from Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke’s book Blue Gold, The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water:
According to the United Nations, 31 countries in the world are currently facing water stress and scarcity. Over one billion people have no access to clean drinking water and almost three billion have no access to sanitation services. By the year 2025, the world will contain 2.6 billion more people than it holds today, but as many as two-thirds of those people will be living in conditions of serious water shortage, and one-third will be living with absolute water scarcity. Demand for water will exceed availability by 56 percent.
Many of us who have lived most of our lives in the industrialized countries of the North may find it difficult to imagine running out of water. We have lived with steady supplies most of our lives and have used it lavishly. But at current rates of use, we will run short. At a time when we are on a rising curve in water use because of increasing industrialization, intensified farming, and population growth, water resources are being depleted at an accelerated rate. Aquifer overdrafts, massive urbanization, and unchecked pollution are withdrawing supplies from the world’s water account, just when we need to be saving more…There is simply no way to overstate the fresh water crisis on the planet today. The alarm is sounding. Will we hear it in time?
WaterHealth International – a FOR-PROFIT company – based in Lake Forest, CA, has a bold and noble vision:
To be the leading company providing innovative and affordable potable water solutions to meet the needs of all people worldwide, including the poorest of the poor.
WaterHealth video
WaterHealth has some innovative proprietary technology that uses UV light to purify water, but the most innovative part is the low maintenance, simplicity and low cost of the units. The systems need very little power and coupled with solar power they become entirely self-sufficient.
For about $2/day, consumers in developing countries can have access to fresh water, helped by the micro crediting techniques pioneered by Nobel Peace Laureate, Muhammad Yunus.
Describing their product…
Our product offerings for underserved and difficult-to-reach communities are based on the concept of decentralized and modular turn-key systems. Our systems are designed for rapid deployment, and are engineered to be easily and sustainably maintained.
Decentralized water solutions are really working for people in developing communities because this enables scaleable solutions for a variety of project sizes. WaterHealth has a true bottom-up approach because they have learned that you have to see this from all perspectives, most noteable the end user. Currently, WaterHealth’s systems supply almost 1 million people in over 500 communities with clean water in India, the Philippines, and Ghana.
WaterHealth’s approach is what’s referred to as a world-centric business model, which means that they are involved in the entire water supply and purification process from end-to-end, including design, product manufacturing, financing, servicing, and hiring locals to operate the company’s systems. This means jobs in the community, empowerment, and even entrepreneurship opportunities for the locals. And when the loan is paid off, the community can start raising money from the water units.
I want to stress, and WaterHealth is not shy to say, that this is a different approach for two reasons:
Most non-profits have trouble in the long-run because of capital costs and maintenance.
This should be inspiration to us all. To see an amazing vision like this attempting to conquer one of the humanity’s greatest problems, reveals a simple plan to approach an extremely complex problem. How can WE learn from this innovative approach to solve some of our potentially simpler – in terms of non-life threatening – problems?
Today, the plumber came and turned off our water. There was a leak in the pipes and the plumber couldn’t fix it for three days. “Three days!!!”, I exclaimed.
It is amazing how helpless you are suddenly when there is no ready supply of water.
I quickly filled a few buckets and some other receptacles and then that was that – the water was off. I washed my hands with just a few cups of water. The process went like this: get the hands wet, apply soap, scrub, then add more water until there were no suds left. Brushing teeth was extremely economical. I was able to brush my teeth AND rinse with just one cup of water.
I realized that most of our water usage habits are based on laziness.
I am not as bad these days as I used to be back before Al Gore was a Nobel Peace Prize winner. I used to leave the tap running in many situations, including when I was brushing my teeth. Even though I have much better habits nowadays, having NO water made me think just how far I could push this conservation thing. I became a super-efficient “water hero” who only used exactly what he needed. Actually, in the third world, most everyone consumes water like this, and much less I’m sure.
It was annoying having to use the neighbor’s shower, but having to shape my consumption habits was really no more time-consuming than my regular routines – once I adjusted, that is. We really don’t appreciate how lucky we are to have limitless clean water flowing out of our taps on command and we certainly have no idea about the true value of water until there is none!
So CONSERVE it!!!
-Luna Leopold, hydrologist and professor, UC Berkeley
Global warming is getting all the attention right now and for good reason. Water is an equally important issue, but much less on the radar for the masses, especially in terms of conservation. Think about it the next time you turn on the tap.
