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The SunSpring produces 5000 gallons per day of potable water, powered by the sun. Units now at work in Haiti. FastCompany http://bit.ly/byk8Eu
Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies takes wastewater and produces fertilizer, while also capturing phosphorus and nitrogen. CNET http://bit.ly/dyhGfX
New technologies in Germany are using solar power to remove pathogens and chemical pollutants from waste water. Economist Magazine http://bit.ly/bmRh8Y
Unilever teams with NGOs to teach people the importance of washing their hands - so far over 130 million people. Economist Magazine http://bit.ly/aKbCyR
Tata Consultancy Services in India has invented a cheap, effective water filter employing rice husks. Economist Magazine http://bit.ly/9pcaVx
Tap water is subject to tighter government control than bottled water, and comes without the environmentally harmful bottle. Fortune Magazine http://bit.ly/d4Pb5r
Dean Kamen's latest quest: a box which burns cow manure to purify water. Forbes http://bit.ly/cPgxO0
Why is drinking bottled water shipped from halfway around the world considered cool? Isn't it absurdly wasteful? Mother Jones http://bit.ly/arjT5P
Many people’s reaction when I speak to them about social media is akin to “Why do I care about who’s having toast for breakfast?” A great counter would be, “You shouldn’t – but you should care about who doesn’t have enough clean water to drink” Happening RIGHT NOW are grass roots groups using social media to advance awareness of and solicit funding for providing clean water for health and sanitation where none exists today. Almost 1 billion people do not have direct access to the 1% of the earth’s water that is suitable for drinking. Proposed: More attention be given and support provided to the current and future social media efforts to help solve this crisis. Charity:Water and folksinger Jewel’s Project Clean Water are two of the current charities using Twitter and other social media tools to help millions of others.
A South Africa water quality testing system, "Aquatest", decentralizes water testing by distributing tools for testing and gathering data by SMS. http://bit.ly/bhgWi1
The Aquaport allows easy transport of water through rolling. Similar to the Hippo Roller http://bit.ly/7PKKGN, but segmented. http://bit.ly/9369IR
The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin (SWDT) combines easy transport of water with solar purification. A Metropolis Magazine winning idea 2008. http://bit.ly/4tpQvv
The "Slingshot", Dean Kamen's latest invention, purifies just about any source of water - but it is still too expensive. http://ow.ly/p53F
New desalination technique uses evaporation and concentration gradients to produce potable water at 1/4 the energy of traditional desalination. http://ow.ly/zndp
A device fashioned from a two-liter bottle provides hand-washing for developing countries. A NYTimes "best of 2008" selection. http://bit.ly/5EYH7w
Special bottle electrically charges spray to give pure tap water the cleaning effect of detergent. Forbes "breakout" idea 2009. http://bit.ly/53sKiZ
A new CamelBak water bottle incorporates a UV light source to kill 99.99% of pathogens in 80 seconds. Popular Science "Best of 2009" selection. http://bit.ly/91ldsr
Thiol-SAMMS is a white powder that if added to water, effectively binds to mercury for removal. 2009 Popular Science Green Tech Winner. http://bit.ly/4yLwv3
Water shortages in most contexts are exacerbated by very distorted pricing. Forbes: http://ow.ly/OshT
The Enviro Loo uses heat and air instead of water or chemicals to treat waste, and so does not threaten drinking water nor use electricity. http://www.eloo.co.za .
A billion people drink highly polluted water. Treating water by putting it in 2 liter cola bottles and setting it in the sun on a black surface for 5 hours kills 99% of pathogens. One of the world's truly great ideas. See http://www.sodis.ch/