A crash course in changing the world.
I look forward to what others find. A couple hours research, the another hour writing, leave me with this blog :) I gotta say I like the merry-go-round electricity creation for water pumps! Small ways to add electrical power are described in my fictional (but it isn't THAT fictional) story: http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/design-a-new-way-to-power
The Water crisis is real. Evoke URLS offered are
http://www.facingthefuture.org/ServiceLearning/FastFactsQuickAction...
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/19/new-water-technology-tech-water08-...
http://www.water1st.org/crisis/crisis.html
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid68572668001?bctid=6...
The graphic novel nicely shows how collaboration can provide different needed elements in a crisis: the straws, the laser projector together to provide quick fix opportunities. I hope this research that may be of help or offer you evidence or contests that you may want to explore.
I found no awe imspiring solution, so will enjoy others efforts. My favorite solution is an "on the ground" evaluation, a "Stop, look, and listen" Question and answer time followed by putting heads togetherto find local solutions for the local problems.
My research suggested local filters and gravity filtering as possible pretty quick fixes that can be developed into longer term solutions that offer manufacture and sale of filtering and home water systems. Even bamboo or wood piping combined with effective filtering are going to help. So much depends on whatthe water sources are, where they are located and what might be reasonable. Another possible
addition is the water barrels on wheels examples described earlier on many blogs.
A filter design that seemed promising was: "The design is a manure fired, clay structure, incorporating a silver coating on both the filter unit and the storage reservoir, providing a secondary filtration stage before drinking to provide a higher quality of filtration and a protection against recontamination. These materials are easily obtainable, exploiting common village skills in their creation, thus the filter can be easily integrated into a vast majority of locations, costing $4US per filter,..."
My search adds
Diminishing water resources threaten peace
http://www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id=1558
Ashoka's Changemakers in the search for the most innovative approaches to providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation
http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/competition/waterandsanitation
Also related is http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/newscenter/news-detail.php?id=880
The focus of this year’s competition is water efficiency for H20
http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/11/imagine-h2o-prize-competition-t...
Another Contest
http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/ideaList?lsi=1&c...
Ideas here range from promoting hygiene, rainwater harvesting, using distillation as the primary process utilizing the vastly available solar energy, rationing, newly developed gravity-driven devices which will remove all particulates before passing the water through a membrane that removes bacterial and viral contamination , a reusable bottle that filters tap water, A turbine system designed to induce the
desalination process, where salt water is converted to fresh, drinkable water, DrinkWell has developed a functioning and field-tested prototype that utilizes a stable and soluble iron supplement as the fortificant in drinking water. DrinkWell’s plan is to expand the fortified water to include additional nutrients such as vitamins A and B, and folic acid, silver impregnated water filter is specifically designed to succeed where previous designs had failed in their social integration and marketing attempts.
The design is a manure fired, clay structure, incorporating a silver coating on both the filter unit and the storage reservoir, providing a secondary filtration stage before drinking to provide a higher quality of filtration and a protection against recontamination. These materials are easily obtainable, exploiting common village skills in their creation, thus the filter can be easily integrated into a vast majority of locations, costing $4US per filter,water would be made available to citizens through the setup of water stations where people can get water at cheaper rates when thirsty. Also, mobile water dispensers would be provided. these mobile water dispensers would reach those who cannot access the water stations e.g. the handicapped, aged ones, less priveledged homes, schools, hospitals,offices.
This water project "WATER FOR LIFE" in collaboration with DELL COPORATIONS will endeavor to make this idea a reality in Nigeria., household water filter intended to address poor drinking water quality, a major concern for communities in the area. RWI continues to develop RWI-Maji Salama’s operations and explore additional water and sanitation products, while using lessons learned from this start-up operation in Kenya to reach new communities in need throughout the developing world.
( http://www.runningwaterinternational.org/ )
Water issues need to be treated in a systemic way. We must stop managing water sectorally by its separate uses, and instead develop a comprehensive framework for water resources management.
http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/83/serag.html
Here we find targeted efforts (The three winners presented) to
1. stop open defecation pollution/illness problems through grassroots comminity building
2, demand for quality water and sanitation services exists and that by capitalizing on communities’ willingness to pay, accountability can be enforced through a contractual relationship between service providers and the local government
3. Slum Networking exploits the correlation between slums and the natural riverine paths of the city to improve the environment and provide quality, gravity based, house-to-house water, sanitation, storm drainage, roads and landscaping at costs lower than the conventional ‘slum’ solutions such as public standposts and community latrines
Case Studies
This approach answers "How do you make a dent in the global water crisis? Start by developing simple, yet powerful solutions—locally. (THAT gets a huge YES from me!) Then, consider how to apply them globally." It has a simple example, with some value.
http://www.dcontinuum.com/content/socialinnovation_casestudies/72/
Water Bottles (from TED) TED's Videoes are always worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzdBCxZhKpQ
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