2012 Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge winners announced
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Business
Safe water and sanitation solutions in the developing world awarded first and second prize.
Reed Elsevier, a world leading provider of professional information solutions, today announced the winners of the Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge which awards innovative solutions to improve sustainable access to safe water and sanitation. The $50,000 first and $25,000 second prize winners were awarded during the annualWorld Water Weekin Stockholm which convenes water researchers, policymakers, journalists, companies and nonprofits addressing the key water challenges of the 21st century.
The winner of the $50,000 first prize is the "Iron-amended Biosand Water Filter in Nepal" developed by Tommy Ngai, Director, Research Learning at the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). Ngai's project modifies conventional Biosand Filters with iron particles to remove all three classes of water contaminants, including viruses, and bring safe drinking water to two impoverished rural villages in Nepal. Over a period of two years 150 filters will be installed, and CAWST will update its educational material and hold workshops to promote the technology. The project will target over 1,000 people in the two villages and has the potential to be scaled to help millions over the next 10 years.
The $25,000 second prize was awarded to "Sustainable Sanitation in Urban Slums of Africa" developed by Lindsay Stradley ofSanergy. The project will expand a pilot project in Nairobi to ensure that hygienic sanitation becomes accessible and affordable through a network of small-scale, high-quality sanitation centres close to homes. In Kenya 8.5m people live in slums with 80 per cent of the communities lacking access to adequate sanitation. Sanergy toilets are franchised to local entrepreneurs and stimulate the local economy by turning waste into products—organic fertilizer sold to farms, and electricity sold to the national grid. The prize money will be used to expand the current pilot project in Nairobi.
Read more:http://j.mp/QCKDpw