Cactus Gum is a Natural Water Filter

Some plants have amazing properties that can aid in water filtration. For example, Norma Alcantar at the University of South Florida in Tampa has discovered that when mucilage (a type of gum used to store water) from the prickly pear cactus is mixed with water that contains high…

Make a Water Filter From Tree Branches

Pine tree branches can be used as an appropriate technology, site-specific approach to filtering bacteria contaminated water. Rohit Karnik, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, says sapwood is a promising, low-cost, and efficient material for water filtration, particularly for rural communities where more…

Purifying Water with Cilantro

Take a look at this post about how Douglas Schauer and communities in Mexico are exploring the use of cilantro to purify drinking water. Results from small-scale experiments carried out in Mexico have supported Schauer’s research and have even suggested that cilantro was more effective at water…

Water Collection Sculptures by Arturo Vittori

Appropriate technology and contemporary art merge in the work of Arturo Vittori. The opening of a recent article in Wired reads as follows: Around the world, 768 million people don’t have access to safe water, and every day 1,400 children under the age of five die from water-based…