Inspired after watching the coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 hurricane that devastated parts of Southeast Asia, Michael Pritchard - a businessman who runs a water treatment plant in Ipswich, U.K. - invented a highly effective water purifying bottle. The “Life Saver,” which can purify 4,000 - 6,000 liters with one filter, could potentially revolutionize the way fresh water is distributed to disaster areas and has already become a hot seller amongst military chiefs eager to provide better drinking water to their soldiers.

David Mwangi’s Roadside Plant and Tree Nursery

Rainwater catchment pond

[To support his roadside plant nursery in the dry season in Nairobi, Kenya, David Mwangi] had the idea to dig a ditch down the side of the road and channel that into two 2-meter deep water catchments. The water is used to support the plants during the dry season and he never runs out of water, even during a drought. He has also stocked the pulls with fish (Tilapia), that he and his workers eat. A third byproduct is that the rain water being diverted doesn’t further erode that part of the road.

A lot of weird and wonderful things you can do with used plastic bags.

A university in Venezuela is using a novel method to take books into remote communities and encourage people to read. As James Ingham reports, the scheme is proving a great success.

Build your own rain barrel to conserve water and save money

Click here to see unit in action [YouTube]

This Instructable is a step by step description of the process of adding a sink to the top of a toilet allowing the use of the clean water before it goes into the bowl.

Motivation
Water is a precious resource and our everyday lives are immersed in consuming it. The average toilet uses excessive amounts of water. This hack allows you to minimize some of that water consumption.

Whether you own a biodiesel vehicle or just covert fryer grease into fuel for a furnace or other appliance, you know that grease is harder to come by than one might expect. Often times, restaurants are the best source for large amounts of inexpensive waste veggie oil (wvo). A problem can arise when trying to find a restaurant willing to donate their used oil to your cause. By understanding a few basic principles about wvo collection, you can greatly increase your chances of persuading a restaurant to hand over the slimy stuff you so desperately desire.