We’ve probably all heard stories about people, mostly women, walking miles to gather water for their daily needs—often putting themselves in danger of attack by wild animals like crocodiles or even unscrupulous humans. It happens every day all over the world. But have you ever stopped to consider that after all that time and work spent just to collect and retrieve the water, that it is often contaminated with pollutants and fecal matter that is very likely to make those people sick? Clean water is a necessity for life and yet 1 in 10 people around the world lack access to safe water, despite great improvements made over the past 25 years. Even in the richest, most developed country in the world, people, like our friends in Flint, MI and on Native Tribal lands, lack access to clean, safe water to drink. Access to clean water is vital for health and economic development. Unfortunately, the world’s governments are not doing enough to help alleviate the problem. In fact, some believe that it is the private sector’s responsibility to deliver solutions to these water access problems.
Through the mentorship, training, access to funding opportunities, and networking opportunities that Cleantech Open provides like Cleantech Week, private sector solutions to the water crisis are becoming a reality. Companies that have graduated from Cleantech Open’s startup accelerator program are doing great work to deliver clean water to those who need. Check out the inspiring video on PV Pure’s website about how they are using solar energy to clean water for rural villagers at less cost than the available alternatives. Similarly, Puralytics has created two products that can help purify water for regular drinking usage or in disaster relief situations, like during the Nepal earthquake of 2015.
And it’s not just rural or poor communities that need help with cleaning and recovering useful water. Our municipalities and industrial corporations can benefit from such capabilities. Cleantech Open graduates such as Viroment and PowerTech Water offer municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial companies in need of purified water solutions that make their use of water more efficient leading to less waste and pollution. Check out PowerTech Water’s website for a video explaining their exciting new technology.
None of the projects would be where they are today—creating jobs and delivering solutions for our ever increasing clean water demands – without the help of Cleantech Open’s startup accelerator program that delivers mentorship, training, networking, and access to funding opportunities. In order for Cleantech Open to continue to assist companies develop from concept to product, we need your help. Cleantech Open is always looking for new mentors and financial support. Please consider making a difference in the development of clean economy companies by adding Cleantech Open to your tax-deductable donation list.