designing water's future

contents

4 AddressingtheWorld's FreshWAterissues byLiseVejseKlint

6 KnoWledgeobliges byJensDitlevLauritzen

8 WhAtWouldYoudo? (thinKYoucAndesignYour WAYoutoFthis?) byMargaretCatley-Carlson

12 hopeMAdeVisible byBrianCollins

16 theFinAlists:

18 Winner:VeggiepAtch byJoSczczepanska

24 eVerYdropcounts byUlrikSvenningsen

28 rescuebottle byCerenBagatar

32 rethinKYourgreen byManuelGarcia,EileenHsu, PouyaJahanshahi,MasatoNakada, MichellePark&MaeceSeirafi-Najar

36 sAVetheriVerJAdro byIgorCarli

40 VheMbeFilter byMartinBolton

44 honorAbleMentions

46 thAnKYou

4designingWAter'sFutureindex:|AigAAspendesignchAllenge

‘In any kind of an endeavor like this, what you're looking for is to give triumph a chance, and what that really means, in this case, is for creativity to defeat habit, to come up with solutions that aren't anticipated, and I hope that a number of them reach the kind of expectations we all have for them.’

Ric GRefé

‘We are at a point of no awareness in many, many cases, particularly in the part of the world that has water. No awareness, perhaps no care ... we're not sure what we're looking at in that sense. If that needs to be cultivated then how does communication help with that?’

PoRteR andeRson

‘What's so exciting is to see students ad-dressing this in new ways that we in the communications world and the journalism world, in the design world, in the water engineering world never would have thought about.’

J. caRl GanteR

index:|AigAAspendesignchAllengedesigningWAter'sFuture5

‘One of the challenges in the water area is the failure to understand the problem and the forms of the problem and the forms of solutions. And the key role of communications is precisely to tackle that.’

dR. PeteR H. Gleick

‘We've got to find ways to reframe what we see, because the way we see things actually is contradictory to the way we now need to behave.’

BRian collins

‘We need the designers to reach out and say AH! This is what the underlying issue is, this is how you reach out and touch the heartstrings and the behaviour of people.’

MaRGaRet catley-caRlson


‘fiRst, we wanted to Make students Realize tHat tHey can use tHeiR PRofession as desiGneRs to Make a Real diffeRence in tHe woRld By addRessinG seRious cHallenGes.’


InMay2008,INDEX:andAIGA,theorgani-zationofprofessionaldesignersintheUS,posedachallengetostudentsaroundtheworld,askingthemtoaddresstheworld’sfreshwatercrisis.

Thereweretwomainobjectivesforposingthischallenge:first,wewantedtomakestudentsrealizethattheycanusetheirpro-fessionasdesignerstomakearealdiffer-enceintheworldbyaddressingseriouschallenges,Secondly,wewantedtotakethestudentfinaliststhroughaprocessthatwouldhelpthemunderstandhowtocreateabusinessplanandapproachpotentialinvestors.Twoworkshopswereheld:thefirstinAspen,ColoradoinMarch2009,wherethestudentsrefinedtheirprojectsanddevelopedbusinessplans;andthese-condinCopenhagen,DenmarkinAugust2009wheretheymetwithsocialinvestors,venturecapitalists,andbusinessleaderstoseekimplementationoftheirprojects.

ThesubjectofthewatercrisisoriginatedfromadiscussionheldduringtheJanuary2007WorldEconomicForum,whereCoLLINS:DesignandCircleofBluepresentedwater-relatedissuesinfirst,second,andthirdworlds,effectivelydemonstratingthatthefreshwatercrisisistrulyaglobalissue.

Infact,wateristheaxisissuethatintersectstheworld’schallenges,includinghealth,pov-erty,andsecurity,aswellasclimate,energy,immigration,andtheenvironment.Evenfinancialandcommoditiesmarketsareaf-fected.Buttheoverallissueiscomplexandrequiresa360-degree,multidimensionaldesignapproachthatincludespowerful,fact-based,relevantnarratives,accessibleinfor-mationandcoordinatedchannelsforaction.

Globally,theUnitedNationsestimatesthattwo-thirdsoftheworld’spopulationwillliveinareasofwaterstresswithinthenext20years,andthatfivemillionpeople–mostlychildren–dieeachyearduetocontaminateddrinkingwater.

Inthedevelopingworld,solutionstothiscri-sismaymeandrillingwellsforchildreninaGhanaianvillageorapplyingnewortradi-tionalfilteringtechnologiesforfamiliesinBangladesh.Inthedevelopedworld,drought,climatechanges,pollution,agriculturalmis-use,andweakinfrastructuresbeleaguereventhemostadvancedcivilizations.

over700studentsfrom28countriesan-sweredthechallenge,andwewouldliketothankallofthemfortheirgreatworkandinnovativeideas.Enjoy!

AddressingtheWorld’s

FreshWAterissues:

bYliseVeJseKlintdirectoroFprogrAMsAndeVentsindex:designtoiMproVeliFe


‘tHe ideas aRe tHeRe, tHe Passion is tHeRe, tHe dedication is tHeRe, tHe innovation is tHeRe and now we Must Make suRe tHat Business is also tHeRe to HelP caRRy tHese PRoJects to fRuition.’


WhentheStudentChallengearrivedinCopenhagen,itwastopresentthefinalselectionofprojectsbasedonthethemeofdesigningwater’sfuture.Toachievethisthestudentshadtocombinethelearningfromtheireducationwithinnovation,dedicationandapassiontoparticipateinsolvingoneoftheworld’smajorchallengesofthisera.

Thiscollaborativeefforttomakechangestotoday’sworldisexactlywhattheLauritzenFoundationisallabout.

Whenthefoundationwassetupin1945onthebackofastillthrivingshippingbusiness,innovationandthestriveforexcellence,combinedwiththefundamentalhumanisticapproachwere,andarestill,thecorner-stonesinourwayofthinking.SosupportingtheStudentChallengewasaneasyandnaturaldecisionforus.

MorethantwoyearshavepassedsinceINDEX:declaredthechallengeofimprovingthequantityandqualityofcleanwaterinaglobalcontext.Sincethenasmanyas700studentsfrom28differentcountrieshavespentcountlesstimetryingtocomeupwithsolutionstothisproblem.

Nodoubttherearemanysolutions,everyonecontributingtheirpart,andthatisalsowhyalltheseprojectsmightbeconsideredwinnersastheymayallhavetheirparttoplay.

TheprojectsselectedtocometoCopenhagenoriginatedfromaroundtheglobenamelyAustralia,USA,Turkey,Croatia,SouthAfricaandDenmark,andafterthetwodayshereinCopenhagenonecannototherthanbeex-tremelyimpressedbythestudentspassionanddedicationforeachandeveryproject.

Ittookalotofhardworkbythestudentstogetthisfarandstilltherearefurtherbattlesahead.Changinganideaintoaviablecom-mercialproductismanytimesthebiggestchallenge,butheresupport,guidanceandcommitmentfromtheglobalbusinesscommunityisvital,solet’snotforgetthat!

Inboththedeveloping,anddevelopedworldamovementisrising.Inthepastmainlypoliticians,researchersandspecialisthavespearheadedthedebate,butthesedaysamuchbroaderscopeofinterestedpartiesarevoicingopinionsaswellasdedicatingtimeandfundstocomeupwithsolutions,includingINDEX:challengessuchasthis.

ThemessagecomingfromtheStudentChallengeisthattheideasarethere,thepassionisthere,thededicationisthere,theinnovationisthereandnowwemustmakesurethatbusinessisalsotheretohelpcarrytheseprojectstofruition.

Weoweittoallwhoinhabitourworldtoday,andallwhowillinthefuture.

KnoWledgeobliges:

bYJensditleVlAuritzen,chAirMAnoFtheboArdJl-Fondet


‘tHe PRoBleM is RiGHt now. we aRe alReady takinG too MucH wateR out of 70 MaJoR RiveR systeMs. tHeiR deltas – and all tHe fisH, Plants, PRotection, and econoMic activities involved in deltas – aRe at seRious Risk.’


WhatwouldYoUdoifyouwokeuponemorningandtherewassimplynotenoughwater?Immediately,therewouldbenowaterforbrushingyourteeth,takingashower,ormakingyourmorningcoffee(53gallons,or150liters,goesintoasinglelatte)–orforwashingthebreakfastdishes.Youprobablywouldn’tbeabletoflushthetoilet,which,bytheway,takesabout35%ofthecleaned,piped,maintained,alphawaterthatgoesintoNorthAmericanhouseholds.

Iftherereallywerenotenoughwater,andtheshortagelastedforanylengthoftime,someprettyimportantthingswoulddisap-pear.Food,forexample.Everycalorieyoueatneeds1liter–or4+cupsofwatertopro-duceit.Ifyoulookatitonabiggerscale,ittakesacubicmeter(imagineabigcubealittlemorethan3feetoneachside,aboutatonofwater)toproducealittlemorethan2pounds,akilo,ofwheat.Ricetakesabouttwicethatamount,andchickenupto5timesasmuch.Beef?Almostdoubletheamountforchicken,dependingonhowthecowisraised.

It’shardlysurprising,onceyourealizethis,toimaginethatfoodandagricultureareaprettyimportantuseofwater.Theyare.Somethinglike75%ofallwaterwehumanstakeoutofourlakes,rivers,groundwater,andsoilgoestogrowingthings.

It’snotjustforourfood–waterisalsoneed-edforthefiberinourclothing,thefoodfortheanimalsweeat,andforfuel.Thenthereisthematterofthathydro-poweredlightswitch...

Iftherereallywereinsufficientwater,evengettingdressedinthemorningwouldgeteventuallytougher:about1,800gallonsofwater–6,800liters–areneededtogrowenoughcottontoproducejustonepairofregularbluejeans.Iffoodcostsalotintermsofwater,you’veprobablyfiguredoutthatmanufacturedstuffcostsevenmore:anestimated150+cubicmeters–150tons,or39,090gallons–isusedtomakeacar,andeachtiretakes518gallons.Formorefactslikethese,youcanlookituponTreeHugger.

WhAtWouldYoudo?(thinKYoucAn

designYourWAYoutoFthis?):

bYMArgAretcAtleY-cArlsonchAir:WorldeconoMicForuMglobAlAgendAcouncilonWAtersecuritY/globAlWAterpArtnership/unsecretArYgenerAlAdVisorYboArdonWAter


NowimaginelivinginacountrywherewaterreallyISalreadyinshortsupply.Ifyouwereagirlinaruralarea,you’dprobablyspendpartofyourweekwalkingforwater–itwouldcertainlycutintoyourschoolweek.Youryoungerbrothersandsisterswouldbeatrealriskofwaterbornediseases–1outof5childrenundertheageof5diesfromthese.

Turnthetables.Imaginelivinginacountrywhere,insteadofoccasionalregularrain,asmuchas90%fellwithinaperiodoftwoweeks.Youmightbewherestormsandfloods,someofthemrelatedtothefactthatwarmertemperaturescausecloudstoholdmorewater,producedelugeafterdeluge,ty-phoonaftertyphoon.Howwouldyoucope?

What’stheissue?Whythisdoomandgloomandcautionarystuff?Doesn’titrainanymore?Yesitdoes,andwe’vegotaboutthesameamountofwaterasthedinosaurshadwhentheyroamed.Butthecombinationofpopulationgrowth,prosperity(weallwantmoreofeverything),andpollution(weruinwater)meansthatweareusingmorewaterthanisreplacedbyrainfallinfartoomanypartsoftheworld.Andtemperaturechangesarechangingrainfallandwaterflowpatterns.

okay.That’stherangeofissues,inanut-shell.Candesignhelp?Especiallyreally

gooddesign?Itcan–andagroupoftalentedyoungdesignersinthiscompetition,spon-soredbyINDEX:andAIGA,submittedamultitudeofsmartsolutionstovitalaspectsofthewatermanagementproblem.CircleofBlueandCoLLINS:ofNewYorkdidback-stopping.Agroupofusprovidedjudgeandjuryservice.

Let’srunthroughafew.

WhAtYoucAn’tMeAsureYoudon’tMAnAge.

Citiesoftenloseupto45%oftheirwaterinmunicipalpipes.Peoplearen’tevenawareofhowmuchwatertheyuse–orlose.Exist-ingmetersareexpensive(and,itmustbeadded,oftenresisted–watershouldbefree,right?)

Answer -agreatnewmeterthatclampsrightontopipesandinexpensivelypro-videsinformationaboutwaterflow.WithEveryDropCountsUlrikSvenningsenoftheUmeaInstituteofDesign,Sweden,hascomeupwithagreatidea(weneedthisyesterdayalready!),andtherearemoreinthebook(andbytheway,watershouldbefreeonlyifyoudon’tmindthatthesystemwon’tbemaintainedorrunforverylongorverywell).

iFYou’renotAWAre,Youdon’tcAre.

Peoplewon’tchangetheirbehaviorunlesstheyknowtheycanmakeadifference.

Answer - putinformationoneverydrink-ingglassabouthowmuchwaterittakes.Whileyou’reatit,putalinearoundeverybottle1/3ofthewayuptoshowhowmuchpetroleumittakestobottle,manufacture,transport,reclaim,andrecycleit.SeehowIgorCarlioftheArtsAcademyUniversityofSplit,Croatia,proposedtodothisinSavetheRiverJadro.

YoucAndieoFthirstWhendroWninginWAter.

oneofthemajorproblemsduringafloodisgettingsafedrinkingwatertopeople.

Answer -whenlifesavingdevicesarethrowntopeople,putinadrinkingwatercomponent.Usenewreverseosmosistechniquesinflood(orany)refugeecampsituationtocreatedrinkingwaterfrombrackishwater.CheckoutRescueBottle,anideafromCerenBagataroftheUmeaInstituteofDesign,Sweden.AndlookatthegreatideaofsWellfromAlainaProkopchukoftheUniversityofManitoba,Canada.

‘WhAt’stheissue?WhYthisdooMAndglooMAndcAutionArYstuFF?

doesn’titrAinAnYMore?Yesitdoes,AndWe’VegotAboutthesAMeAMount

oFWAterAsthedinosAurshAdWhentheYroAMed.butthecoMbinAtionoF

populAtiongroWth,prosperitY(WeAllWAntMoreoFeVerYthing),And

pollution(WeruinWAter)MeAnsthAtWeAreusingMoreWAterthAnis

replAcedbYrAinFAllinFArtooMAnYpArtsoFtheWorld.’


Asolar-powered,mobile,inflatablefiltrationunitthatfiltersgrayfloodwaterintofreshpotablewaterwhiledoublingasaliferaftinfloodconditions.

YouneedWAterForliFe,butdirtYWAterKills.

Thesinglelargestcauseofdeathinmajorareasoftheworldiswater-relateddiseases–notjustcholeraanddiarrhea,butalsomalaria,trachoma(eyesightlossresultingfromlackoffacewashing),andonandon.

Answer - Point-of-usewaterpurification.Simplesystemscanbedesignedthatuseavarietyofbarriers,forexample,sand,seashells,membranes–someverylowcost–tocleanwatertodrinkingstandard.Thehistoryofthesedevicesshowstheywork,butpersistenceandpatienceandlongin-volvementareneededtointroducetheiruse.TakealookattheVhembeFilterde-signedbyMartinBoltonoftheUniversityofJohannesburg,SouthAfrica.

iFYouWAntpoliticAlWilltocreAtechAnge,bettercreAtepoliticAlWill.

Politicalleaderscannotontheirownsolvethedifficultpoliticalproblemsofwater

management–stoppingpollution,findingmorewaterforagriculture,financingrepairstocitypipes,etc.Theyneedtobelievetheyaresupportedinthesetoughdecisions.

Answers -floodthestreetswithT-shirtmes-sages,putupstatuesandbillboardsshowingwateruse,createzippyblogsandvideosthatwillgetpassedaround,Twitter,startapost-cardcampaign,writeletters,setuptwinningarrangements–anddozensmore.

MAxiMizeWAteruse:Morecropperdrop,MoreJobsperdrop.

Wecan’tgiveupeating(althoughadoptingtheveggiehabitatleastacoupleofdaysperweekwouldhelpalot),sowemustgetmoreoutofthewaterweuse.Zero-tillagriculturehelpsconservemoisture,anddripirrigationisagoodpartoftheanswer,BUTmassivechangeinthesedirectionsisnotsupportedbycurrentincentives–taxesandsubsidies–inagriculture.

Answers -ourprizewinnercameupwithaningenioussystemforvegetablegardensthatcombinestheprotectionofzerotillwiththewatersavingandchannellingofsomedripsystems–andofcourse,usesrecycledmaterials.BravofortheVeggiePatchbyJoSzczepanskaofMonashUniversity,Australia.

it’sAbeAutiFulWorld...

andlet’skeepitthatway,butdoitinwaysthatsavewaterinsteadofwastingit.Asmuchas60%oftheLosAngeleswatersupplygoestolawnsandlandscapes?Wow.

Answers -manyofthecontestantsandprizewinnerscameupwithentirecam-paignstoredesignurbangardens,boule-vards,andcitieswithclimate-appropriateplants–andjob-creatingservicestomakethetransitionandtakecareofthem.‘Byebyelawns,hellohappiness!’LookattheimaginationinvolvedinRethinkYourGreen,fromManuelGarcia,EileenHsu,PouyaJahanshahi,MasatoNakada,MichellePark,andMaeceSeirafi-NajarofCaliforniaInstituteoftheArts(CalArts),Valencia,California,UnitedStates.

Theproblemisrightnow.Wearealreadytakingtoomuchwateroutof70majorriversystems.Theirdeltas–andallthefish,plants,protection,andeconomicactivitiesinvolvedindeltas–areatseriousrisk.

Wemustdesigndifferentfutures.Therearegoodthingswecando.Thesedesignershaverevealedpartofthepathwaytowardadifferentwaterfuture.


‘desiGneRs woRk at HuMan scale. foR a desiGneR, tHe oBliGation to Make life BetteR witH woRkaBle, tanGiBle solutions is iMMediate, PeRsonal, and diRect.’


i.dAndelionseeds

SittingonmydeskinNewYorkareproto-typesoftwodevicesthatmakecontaminatedwatersafetodrink.Forfloodvictimsorpeo-pleinarefugeecamp,theyarehopemadevisible.Badwater–waterthatcontainsin-dustrialpollutantsorparasitesorbacterialikeE.coli–isresponsibleforhalfofallhospitalizationsworldwideandfivemilliondeathsayear.oneofthedevicesisbusiness-likebrushedmetalwithblackplasticinserts,somethinglikeacommutercoffeecup.Theotherlookslikeatoyrocketship,standingoncheerfulgreenplasticfins.Bothcanbemadecheaply,bythemillions,anddeliveredfast;afloodwon’twaitforyoutobuildawater-treatmentfacility.Neitheroneneedsanowner’smanualtouse.Inbothsolutions,badwatergoesin,goodwatercomesout.

Simple.Nottomentionneeded,personal,fastandcheap-as-possible.Whenyouhavedesignattributeslikethat,‘scalable’takescareofitself.

Whatmakestheprototypesonmydeskun-usualisthattheywereproducedbystudents.Theonlyspecwasthattheirsolutionhadtoaddresstheworld’swatercrisisinamean-ingfulway.Itwasuptothestudentstofindtheirownproblemtosolve.Twoteams,fromSwedenandSouthAfrica,chosede-contamination.otherfinalistsinourdesignchallengechoseotherproblems.GettingcitizensofLosAngelestogiveuptheirti-tanicallywater-wastinghabitofrich,thick,greenlawnswasone.Ittakessomenervetogetawholecitytochangebehavior.Butstudents,well…they’reupforit.

Willthisprojectsucceed?Icertainlyhopeso.NobelprizewinnerLinusPaulingusedtosaythatthebestwaytohaveagoodideawastohavelotsofideas.Industrial-scaleinnovationlimitsyouroptions.Thebiggerthebet,themoreconservativeanyorgani-zationisgoingtobe.ontheotherhand,thousandsofundirected,small-scale,fastideasarealmostcertaintogeneratehundredsofpracticalsolutionsthatweren’tthere

hopeMAdeVisible:

bYbriAncollinschAirMAnAndchieFcreAtiVeoFFicercollins:


before.oneoftheseideas,Ibet,Ihope,willbethedandelionseedsofnewfuturesforpeople.

ii.intotheWilderness

Innovationdoesn’tpopoutattheendofacorporatePowerPointpresentation.Inno-vationispersonal.Ithappensattheextrememarginsofenterprise,wherenooneknowswhattheexactproblemsarebecausethemapsareblank.Sendadesigneroutthereandshe’llcomebackwithsomethingnobody’severseen,aprototypethatfulfillsaneedyoudidn’tevenknowexisted.

Youneverreallyknowwhat’soutthere.That’swhat’swrongwithhiring‘problemsolvers’–adefinitionfordesignersascripplingasitisoutdated.Thegreatproblems,theonesreallyworthsolving,aren’talreadyontheagenda.Innovationispersonal:ifweareopen,curious,andempathetic,thegreatproblemswillfindus.

Thewaterproblempickedmein2007,al-thoughIdidn’tknowitatthetime.JohnBielenberghadinvitedmetogodowntoGreensboro,Alabama,withhisremarkableprogramProjectM.ProjectMislikeaself-

guidedoutwardBoundcourseforsociallyconsciousdesigners.EveryyearProjectMparachutesateamofyoungdesignersintoapoororchallengedareaandleavesthemontheirowntodiscoveraproblemthattheycansolveinamonthorso.Nobodytellsthemwhattodo,orevenwhattheproblemis.Theylivewithlocalfamilies,lookaround,talktopeople,andfindsomethingtheycanputtheirhandtothatwilldosomegood.Theybecomeproblem‘seekers'.

InHaleCountywediscoveredthatonefamilyinfourhadnoaccesstosafewater.SomeofthemweregoingtothelocalTexacostationwithbucketsbecausetheirwaterathomewasfulloffoulwastefromthecounty’sbiggestemployer,acatfishfarm.Athousandfamiliescouldn’tgetcitywaterbecausetheycouldn’taffordthe$425hook-upforawatermeter.Get-tingthesepeoplemeterswaswhatthedesignersdecidedtodo.Theycreatedcommunicationsandawebsitetobringnationalattention–andmoneyformeters–toHaleCounty.Gotobuyameter.organdyoucanseehowtheproject’sdoing.They’veconnectedover100familiessofar.That’snotabadmonth’sworkforabrandnewdesignteam.

AftermyexperienceinAlabama,Istartedseeingwatercriseseverywhere.HalfofChina’scitieshavewatershortagesand700millionpeopledrinkcontaminatedwatereveryday.TheWorldBankcalculatesthat30millionpeoplewillhavetorelocateby2020,30million‘waterrefugees.’InMexico’sTehuacánValley,wherehumansfirstdomes-ticatedcorn,thereisnolongerenoughwatertogrowcorn.InruralAfrica,onewomaninfivespendstwohoursadayfetchingwateronfootfromwellsmilesaway.ThereareHaleCountieseverywhere.

iii.inspiredindAVos

FormerNASAastronautJerryLinengerandIsharedsomeofthesewaterstoriesattheWorldEconomicForuminDavos.FourmonthsinorbitaboardMir,lookingdownatEarth’sshrinkingriversystemshadmadeJerryawaterhawk,too.Waterwasn’tattheverytopoftheagendainDavos,butitquicklyemergedastheaxisthatconnectsmanyoftheotherproblemsthatwere.Byitself,thelackofsafewaterunleashesallfourhorsemenoftheapocalypse:death,famine,pestilence,andwar.Infact,theU.N.predictedoutrightconflictoverwaterinthenextfiveyears.

‘WithinAsinglegenerAtionoFdesigners,

thecostoFcreAtinginnoVAtiVesolutionsFor

sMAllgroupsoFpeoplehAsbecoMeAlMost

triViAl.noWeVerYdesignercAnbeAFActorY

WheretheFutureisMAde.’


SoJerryandIinvitedagroupofglobalthoughtleaderstoexplorethisissueinaquicklyorganizedworksessionatDavos.Theyalreadyknewtheglobalto-dolistwasprettyfull.Weneededtocomeupwithourownresourcestoputmoreeffortagainstthesewatercrises.DesignstudentsareoneofEarth’sabundantresources,sowesetouttoengagethem.Workinginpartner-shipwithINDEX:DesigntoImproveLife,theAIGAandtheorganizationCircleofBlue,wedecidedtoinvite10,000ofthemfromaroundtheworldtoparticipateinTheAspenDesignChallenge:DesigningWater’sFuture.

Thesestudentswouldbeourdandelionseeds.Asitturnedout,morethan700studentsfrom28countriesprovided225watersolutionsthatweren’ttherebefore.ThebestofthemwillbeshapedforventurecapitalandpresentedattheUnitedNationsClimateChangeConferenceinCopenhagen.Nowthattheseprototypesexist,it’stimetoworkwithourgiftedPowerPointfriendstodowhattheycantounleashthemightywheelsofenterprisethatreplicateanddistributeinnovationsatscale.Becauseweneedtogetsolutionsliketheseoutandintotheworld.Andfast.

iV.AnArchitectureoFpArticipAtion

Designersworkathumanscale.Foradesign-er,theobligationtomakelifebetterwithworkable,tangiblesolutionsisimmediate,personal,anddirect.Andwhileinstitutionsareverygoodatmakinglotsmoreofsome-thingthatalreadyexists,theyarenotasgoodatinventingthenew.

Institutionalactionandbigmoneyarebluntinstrumentsthatcandoasmuchdamageasgoodbyvirtueofscalealone.Heroicwatermanagementprojects–likedams–rarelybenefitthepeoplethey’remeanttohelp,becausethelocalcommunitiesgetmovedsomewhereelseandthebigreturnsusuallygosomewhereelse,too.Beforeitimploded,Enronwasgoingtosolvetheworld’swaterproblemsbycreatingtradingdesks.Theywereseekingtomonetizehydration.

EffortslikeProjectMandtheINDEX:|AIGAAspenChallengearecreatinganarchitectureofparticipationoutsideofthesekindsofsilos.overthelastnineyears,ProjectMalumnihaveemergedasoneofanincreasingnumberofinfluentialnetworksofdesignersthatwanttomakeatangibledifferenceinpeople’s

lives.Asadiscipline,designisnowtrans-cendingthetraditional‘service’rolesoftheinstitutionsthatemployus.Asdesigners,howshouldwebestuseournew-foundpowersandinfluence?

Thefirstofsomethingusedtobehideouslyexpensive;therehadtobeamassmarkettoearnbackdevelopmentcosts.Thisisstilltruefornewdrugsandairliners,butnotformostoftheotherthingspeopleuseintheirdailylives.Inshort,rapidprototypingsys-temshavetransformedthedesigner’srole.WecanmoveoutoftheConceptbusinessandintothereal-worldSolutionsbusinessfasterthanwehadeverimagined.

Withinasinglegenerationofdesigners,thecostofcreatinginnovativesolutionsforsmallgroupsofpeoplehasbecomealmosttrivial.Noweverydesignercanbeafactorywherethefutureismade.

Whatwecansee,wecansolve.

Andwe’llallseealotmorefarbeyondourofficewalls.

‘innoVAtiondoesn’tpopoutAttheendoFAcorporAte

poWerpointpresentAtion.innoVAtionispersonAl.ithAppens

AttheextreMeMArginsoFenterprise,WherenooneKnoWs

WhAttheexActprobleMsArebecAusetheMApsAreblAnK.

sendAdesigneroutthereAndshe’llcoMebAcKWith

soMethingnobodY’seVerseen,AprototYpethAtFulFills

AneedYoudidn’teVenKnoWexisted.’


tHe finalists

Winner:VeggiepAtch

Jo szczePanska:MonasH univeRsityaustRalia

sAVetheriVerJAdro

iGoR caRli :tHe aRts acadeMy univeRsity of sPlitcRoatia

VheMbeFilter

MaRtin Bolton:univeRsity of JoHannesBuRGsoutH afRica


rethinKYourgreen

Manuel GaRciaeileen HsuPouya JaHansHaHiMasato nakadaMicHelle PaRk Maece seiRafi-naJaR :califoRnia institute of tHe aRts (calaRts)califoRnia, united states

eVerYdropcounts

ulRik svenninGsen :uMea institute of desiGnsweden

rescuebottle

ceRen BaGataR:uMea institute of desiGnsweden


‘... you can’t tuRn on tHe tv witHout seeinG wateR waRninGs oR stoP at tRaffic liGHts witHout seeinG tHe daM levels in BiG neon liGHt. tHe Reality Has veRy MucH set in HeRe; we Just don’t Have enouGH wateR to waste.’


VeggiepAtch:

design:JoszczepAnsKA,MonAshuniVersitY,AustrAliA

proJectAdVisor:selbYcoxon

lArgercities,greAterurbAnpopulAtions

Atthebeginningofthe21stcentury,hu-manityisinvolvedinanunparalleledexperiment:weareturningourselvesintoanurbanspecies.Wearebuildingmegacitiesandmetropolisesthelikesofwhichhaveneverbeenseenbefore;andtheseplacesarebecomingourmainhabitat.Urbangrowthischangingthefaceoftheearthandtheconditionofhumanity.

Ascitiesdevelop,manypeoplefromruralareaschoosetomigrateintocities,creatingincreasedpovertywithinmetropolitanareas;povertyisnowgrowingfasterinurbanthaninruralareas.Currently,onebillionpeopleliveinurbanslums,whicharetypicallyover-crowded,polluted,anddangerous,andlackbasicservicessuchascleanwaterandsanitation.

Itisknownthatcitiesnowadaysareusingtoomanynaturalresourcesandproduce

toomuchwaste.Itisestimatedthatcitiesareresponsiblefor75%ofglobalenergyconsumptionand80%ofgreenhousegasemissions.Urbanecologicalfootprintsaredestroyingthehabitatofmanyspecies,butthisimpactstretchesfarbeyondphys-icalboundaries.

disconnectionbetWeenpeopleAndtheirFood

Inthepast,therehasbeenadirectlinkbe-tweenpeopleandtheirfood;familiesgrewtheirownfoodathomeorincommunityplotsorgardens,andinmanycases,whattheygrewintheirgardenssupplementedtheirdiet,givingthemandtheircommunityeasyaccesstoaffordable,fresh,healthyfood.

Fruitsandvegetablesareanimportantcom-ponentofahealthydietand,ifconsumeddailyinsufficientamounts,couldhelppreventmajordiseasessuchasCVDsandcertaincancers.AccordingtotheWorldHealthRe-portin2002,lowfruitandvegetableintake


isestimatedtocauseabout31%ofischemicheartdiseaseand11%ofstrokesworldwide.overall,itisestimatedthatupto2.7millionlivescouldbesavedeachyeariffruitandvegetableconsumptionwassufficientlyin-creased.However,inthecurrenteconomicclimate,freshproducemaybecomeinac-cessiblefinancially,asfoodpricesareexpectedtoincrease.

Howevertodaytherearequiteafewdisrup-tionsinthefoodsupplychains.oftenfoodisfactoryfarmedinremotelocations,pickedpriortoripening,frozenandtransportedmanykilometrestoasupermarkettobesold.

Localknowledgeonfoodcultivation,andevencookingwithrawingredients,issome-thingthathasbeenlostinmanycities.Formanychildrenwhohavegrownuponpre-packaged,heat-and-servemeals,theimpor-tanceoffreshfoodhasnotbeennurtured.Recently,thoughtherecognitionoftheem-bodiedenergysurroundingfoodtranspor-tationandpackaging,aswellasanincreasedpreferencefororganic,non-geneticallymodifiedfood,digforvictory,orgrowingfoodathomehasmadeareturn.

nAtureincities/urbAnAgriculture

Therapiddevelopmentofhousingandbusinessdistrictswithincitiesoverthe

pastcenturyhasoftencomeattheexpenseofnature.Withlessspacebeingdedicatedtonatureincities,residentsmustoftenbecomeresourcefulincreatinggardens.

Currently,800millionpeopleareinvolvedinurbanagricultureworldwideandcontributetofeedingurbanresidents.Amongitsmanybenefits,urbanagriculturehelpstoreduceacity’secologicalfootprintevenasthecitycontinuestoexpand.Italsoincreaseslocalbiodiversityandencouragesthedevelopmentofnewecosystems,and,microclimates.Cou-pledwithanimprovementinurbanenvi-ronmentistheoverallimprovementoftheurbanpopulation;amorelivablecityisahealthiercity.

Notonlydoesurbanagricultureimproveaccesstofreshproduceandprovidesapoten-tialincomestreamforpeopleindevelopingcountries,butstudiesindevelopedcountrieshavefoundthathavingaccesstogreeneryinacityconsiderablyreducesstress;thisphe-nomenaisoftentaggedastoasvitaminG.

WAsteFuluseoFWAterinAgriculture

Throughouttheworld,irrigationisafun-damentaluseofwater,allowingpeopletoproducefoodandsustaincommunities.Inmostcountries,irrigatedagricultureaccountsformostfreshwateruse(asmuchas70-80%);

itcertainlyaccountsforfarmorethandrink-ingwateranddomesticconsumption.By2020,wateruseisexpectedtoincreaseby40%,and17%morewaterwillberequiredforfoodproductioninordertomeettheneedsofthegrowingpopulation.

highFoodWAstegenerAtionAndcoMposting

Becauseoftheirhighpopulationdensity,citiesgeneratealotofwaste,whichisoftenfoodandplantmatterthatcouldeasilybecompostedratherthansenttoalandfill.onaverage,foodwasteismorethan50%water,whichisreleasedduringdecompo-sition.Also,organicmaterialfrequentlydecomposeswithoutairinlandfills,andproducesmethane,agasthathasbeenshowntocontributetoclimatechange.InAustraliaforexample,24milliontonsofwastearegeneratedannually,40%ofwhichiscompostable.Australiaisalsoaprimeexampleofwastefulconsumerism;currentlyitis2ndintheworldforwastegeneration.ItisestimatedthatAustraliansthrowout$5.3billionworthoffood,anditcoststhecountry$4billiontotakedisposeofthatwaste.Inmanycountries,recyclingprogramsarebeingimplementedinanef-forttoreducewastegoingtolandfills;notmanyaretargetingcompostablewasteatthisstage.

i WANT CHEAP, NUTRiTiOUS FOOD FOR MY FAMiLY

i WANT AN EASiER WAY TO gARDEN


VerMicoMposting1 Tieoffbaseusingstraps.2 Makeabeddingusingnewspaperorcoir.3 Putinyourworms+abitofsoil.4 Feedyourworms.(startsmall)5 Coveryourcompost.

plAnting1 Readyourseeddisk.2 Tieoffpocketatappropriatedepth.3 Putinyoursoilanddisk.4 Coverdiskwith2-3cmofsoil5 Adjustirrigationtosuitplant+water.

VeggiepAtch(perspectiVeVieW)1 Dripirrigation.2 Plantingandcompostingpockets

1

2

5

3

4

3

1

2

5

4

2

1

You’ll Use

Less EnergyLess Packaging

Less WaterNo Chemicals

Recycled MaterialsWorms

You’ll get

Fresh, cheap, tasty foodNo chemical contaminationGentle, healthy exerciseA closed food waste cycleJob satisfactionEnvironmental peace of mind

You’ll Use




You’ll get


You’ll Use




You’ll get


You’ll Use




You’ll get


You’ll Use




You’ll get



VeggiepAtchproVidesediblelAndscApesForurbAnspAces

Usingrecycledmaterials,irrigationtech-nology,andpermacultureprinciplesallowsclimate-concernedcitydwellerstoexperi-encethepleasureofcultivatingfoodinspace-restrictedurbanareaswhileelimi-natingfoodmiles,packaging,processing,andwastewaterusedinfloodirrigationatthebeginningofthefoodproductioncycle.Issuessuchasgreenhousegasemissions,theneedforlandfills,andfoodwastetrans-portationareaddressedbyVeggiePatch,whichallowsforaplug-and-playapproachtofoodcultivationandcomposting.Beingadaptabletoitssurroundingsandcapableofwateringitself,VeggiePatchaidsurbanresidentsinreducingtheireco-footprints.

irrigAtion

Usingdripirrigationthatcanbeadjustedandfittedclosetoaplant'srootstructure,VeggiePatchiswater-efficientandecono-mical,usingfreshwaterorfilteredgreywatertoirrigateplants.Theslowrateofwaterflowallowsallofthewatertobeabsorbedbythesoil,and,inawell-tunedsystem,littlewateriswastedviaexcessivewateruseandevaporation.Thisirrigationmethodiscompressionmoldedintothetopsheet,makingitfunctionalatanylengthandeasilyrecyclable.

onceplantsareestablished,wateringfor5to15minutes,twiceperweekshouldbeenoughtomaintainthem.Adjustabledripemittersgenerallyhavearangeof0-30litersperhour.Inameter-longVeggiePatchwith15cultivationpockets,wateringatarateof5litersperhectarefor10minuteswilluseatotalof12.5litersofwater,whichismorethansufficientformostvegetables.Thistypeofirrigationusesmuchless

waterthanthefloodirrigationthatismostcommonlypracticedinAustralianlarge-scaleagriculture.Thisisequivalenttoaleak-ingtapthatdripsoncepersecond,whichwillwaste30litersoffreshwaterdaily.oldertoiletsuseupto18litersofwaterforeachflush,withtheaveragesingleflushtoiletusing12litersofwater.

VerMicoMposting

VeggiePatchhasthecapabilitytocontinuous-lyvermicompostfoodwastewithineachofitspockets,closingtheloopinthefoodcycle.Foodandgardenwasteinlandfillsproducemethanegas.Methaneisa23timesmorepotentgreenhousegasthanCo2.Sendinggreenwastetolandfillisalsoawasteofgoodnutrientsthatcouldgoonthegardenorplantstohelpthemgrow.Foodthatissenttolandfillsalsoreleasesalotofwaterthat,whencombinedwithrainwater,canpolluteneighboringgroundwater,lakes,andrivers.

MAteriAls

Usingpost-consumerwastesuchastyrecrumbfabricforitsconstruction,VeggiePatchprovidesanewapplicationforrecycledma-terials.Thematerialsthatwereselectednotonlysupporttheproductsfunctionalityandeconomicviability,butalsofinaldisassem-blyandrecycling.FSC-certifiedplywoodhasbeenspecifiedfortheVeggiePatchbase,mak-ingitstrongandrelativelylightweight.Spec-ifyingFSCtimbermeansthatVeggiePatchsupportsthegrowthofresponsibleforestmanagementworldwide.

Tyrecrumbfabricwillmakethecultiva-tionsheetpredominantlyofwaste;theuseofrecycledrubbermakesitwater-proofandweatherresistant,flexible,durable,insulated,non-stick,andantibacterial.Italsoallowstheirrigationtobesewnon,

sothatitcanbefullyrecycledattheendofitslifecycle.

sustAinAbilitY

Undercurrentplans,VeggiePatchaimstobeproducedlocallyatitspointofsale.ThiswillallowVeggiePatchestoadapttotheirenvironmentandmakeuseoftheresourcesthatarewidelyavailableformanufacture.Itwillalsobeabletosustainthelocalcom-munity,supportethicalmanufacturersintheregion,andengagethepublic.

FeAsibilitY

VeggiePatchhasmultipleapplications,suchasusebyclimate-consciousresidentsindevelopedcountriesandboostingfoodproductionandtheeconomiesofpoorerones.

Thisproductaddressestheissueofclimatechangeonagrassrootslevel,yethasthepotentialtobeimplementedonalargerscale.VeggiePatchisaholisticproductthataddressesenvironmentalissues,whilesup-portingitscommunity,andothersustain-ableproductsandmaterials.Astheworldbecomesmoreurban,wewillneedtoadaptourlifestylestobemoreself-sufficient,andtousethenutrientsthatareaccumulatinginthewastethatwegenerate.Wewillhavetotakeadvantageofthespacethatisavailabletousandincorporatemoregreenery.Urbanagriculture,whichwasfoundedonsubsist-encepurposes,hasmanyadditionalsocial,economic,andecologicalbenefits.Urbanagriculturemakesanimportantcontri-butiontocitiesofthefuture;VeggiePatchisapartofthatcontribution.


cAsestudYdigForVictorY,britAin

DuringWorldWarII,governmentsaroundtheworldintroducedsimilarcampaignstotheBritish‘Digforvictory’campaignthatcalledforeverymanandwomaninBritaintokeepanallotmentofwater.‘Digforvictory’wasawidelysuccessfulcampaign,exceedingallexpectations.Between1939and1945,foodimportswerehalvedandtheacreageofBritishlandusedforfoodproductionin-creasedby80%.Itwasestimatedthatover1.4millionpeoplehadallotmentsby1945.Thisnotonlyconnectedpeoplewiththeirfood,butmadethemmoreself-sufficient.

cAsestudYMuMbAi,indiA

Accordingtoa2004estimate,thepop-ulationofmetropolitanMumbaiwasapproximately17million;everyyear,thecityreceivesover250,000rural-to-urbanmigrants.Mumbaicouldbetheworld’smostpopulouscityby2020,withanestimated28.5millionpeople.

‘With this sizeable number of people, resources are getting increasingly scarce. Buildings are getting taller, with no care for where water and space, children’s playgrounds and parking areas will come from.’–Gopalkrishnan,P.

cAsestudYVictoriA,AustrAliA

onaverage,Australiagetsanaverageof472mmofrainayear,whichiswhy70%ofthecontinentisclassifiedasdesert.Presently,65%ofthefreshwaterusedinAustraliaisusedinagriculture;ofthis,91%isusedtoirrigatecrops.ThemostcommonformofirrigationinAustraliaisfloodirri-gation,whichistheleastefficientformofirrigatingcropsbecausetheprocessentailsoversaturatingcropswithwaterthatismostlylosttoevaporation.


‘in 99% of swedisH aPaRtMent BuildinGs tHe wateR is MeasuRed and deBited foR tHe wHole BuildinG - not foR tHe individual HouseHold. tHis Means tHat PeoPle Have no individual incentive to save wateR.’


chAngingbehAViorinsWeden

SwedenhasplentyofcleanfreshwatersotheSwedesusealotofit,myideawastocompeltoachangeofbehaviorwherewaterisstillabundant,becauseifitcanworkhereitcanworkanywhere.

ImagineallEuropeancitiescuttingtheirwaterconsumptiondownby20percentwithinafewyears.TheEveryDropCountsmeterisaimingforjustthat.Basedoncostallocationtechnologythathasproventosavebetween20and30percentofheatingconsumptionwhereapplied,combinedwithaknownmethodfordetectingwaterleak-agesthisnewconceptforwatermeteringhasahostofadvantagesovertraditionalwatermeters.

∙ Clampsontothepipe (doesnotinterferewiththesystem)∙ Automaticrelayofdata∙ Inexpensivecomponents (lowcostperunit)

∙ Easycosteffectiveinstalling∙ Detacheddisplayshowshowmuch wateryouusewhereyouuseit,and tellsthetapwatertemperature.EveryDropCountsisaproposalonhowtosolveaknownandacknowledgedproblemthatuntilnowhasbeentooexpensivetosolve.

IwaslookingintowaterconsumptioninSwedishhouseholdsandfoundoutthatin99%ofSwedishapartmentbuildingsthewaterismeasuredanddebitedforthewholebuilding-notfortheindividualhousehold.

ThismeansthatmorethanhalfSweden’spopulationwholiveinapartmentbuildingshavenoindividualincentivetosavewater.Ifyouareconsciousaboutyourwatercon-sumptionthereisnowayoftellinghowmuchwateryouactuallyuseandifyoumakeanefforttosavewateryouenduppayingthesameasyourneighbourwhospendshoursintheshower.

eVerYdropcounts:

design:ulriKsVenningsen,uMeAinstituteoFdesignsWeden

proJectAdVisor:peterAVondoglio


Asimpledisplaycanbeassignedtotheindividualmeterslocally,sothewaterconsumptioncanbequantifiedwhereandwhenithappensforinstanceintheshower.

Formoredetailedinformationauserac-countgivesaccesstostatisticsaboutthehousehold’swaterconsumption,makingiteasytoseewherewatercouldbesaved.

coMponents1 Microphone2 Roomthermometer3 Transmitter4 controller5 Battery6 Pipethermometer

Waterflowchangesthesoundandtempera-tureofthepipe,thiscanbemeasuredwithinexpensivecomponentsfromtheoutsideofthepipe.Thismakesbothequipmentandinstallationaffordableenoughtobeimple-mentedinordinaryhouseholds.

Withthissystemallusersknowhowmuchtheyuse,andpayonlyforwhattheyget.

1

2

3

4

5

6


‘i Had always Been woRRied aBout GloBal waRMinG, wateR consuMPtion and deseRtification PRoBleMs, But i Had neveR tHouGHt aBout wateR cRisis in an eMeRGency situation sucH as a flood condition.’


Theincreaseinworldpopulation,industri-alizationandurbanizationbringoutseriousenvironmentalproblems.Besidethescarcityoffreshwater,theworldisfacingaclimatechangeproblemandeveryyearitstruggleswithseriousfloodsandhurricanes.

Thefloodconditionisadifferentkindofproblemareawherethereisplentyofwatersources,butalliscontaminatedandhaz-ardousforhumanconsumption.Dependingonitslocation,floodwatermightmixwithchemicals,toxins,septicandanimalcar-casses.Italsomixeswithandcontaminatessurfacewater,groundwateranddrinkingwatersupplies.Thereforeflood-hitpeopleindevelopingcountriesareunderriskofseriousdiarrhealdiseasesandtheyneedimmediatesafewaterassistance.

RescueBottleisdesignedtobeusedbyflood-hitpeopletoobtainafastemergencyrescuedrinkunderfloodconditions.Itisawaterpurifieranddioralytesupplierthatisusedtoreplacebodyfluidslostinemer-gencysituationsunderfloodconditions.Itfilterscontaminatedwaterthroughareverseosmosismembraneusingtheosmoticpres-sureofadrawsolution,whichismadeof

concentrateddioralytemixedwithbasicnutrients.Thefinalmixeddrinkisbasicallyamixtureoffilteredpurewateranddioralytemixedwithessentialnutrientsthatisneededbyflood-hitkidsandadultsinordertorecovertheirlostofbodyfluidsandtreatdiarrhoea.

Therescuebottleconsistsofareverseos-mosismembrane,aconcentratedsolutionrefill,a500mlcapacityemptyliquidcon-tainerandamouthpiece.Thereverseos-mosismembranefiltersbrackishwaterintopurewaterusingthedrivingforceofhighlyconcentrateddioralytesolution.Theconcentratedsolutionrefillisfilledinwithahighlyconcentratedsolutionofdioralytemixedwithbasicnutrientsthatisenoughtoget15timesof500mlofmixeddrink.Theemptycontainerisfilledinwiththemixtureofpurewateranddioralyteandusedwithamouthpiecethatenablesmulti-userusageinreliefcampsandothercommunityareas.Rescuebottlescanbeusedinfloodreliefcamps,orgivenawaytocommunitieswithmultiplemouthpieceswithacostofbetween$20–50.Theycanalsobestationedinthefloodwaterinareaswherecompletedisastermanagementservicescannotreach.

rescuebottle:

design:cerenbAgAtAr,uMeåinstituteoFdesign,sWeden

proJectAdVisor:peterAVondoglio

Inflooddisastersthereisanurgentneedofcleanwatersupplythatshouldbeob-tainedeasily.RescueBottlefilterswaterwiththehelpofahighlyconcentratedpre-madesolutionwhichdrawswatermoleculesthroughahyperfiltrationmembranefromcontaminatedwaterintothebottle.Duringthisprocessitdoesn’trequireuniquelyanysourceofenergyorphysicalforce.Attheendofthefilteringprocess,itprovidesarescuedrinkthatisamixtureofpurewater,electrolytesandnutrition.Thisrescuedrinkwillmitigatediarrhoeaandotherwaterborne-diseasesinflood-hitareas.

Eachuserwillhavehisownmouthpiece.

Rescuebottlecanbedippedinanykindofwater.

After40minutes,thedrumwillbefilledinwithrescuedrink.

onebottlewillprovide16batchesofrescuedrink.

coMponents1 Emptydrum–tobefilledwith water,electrolytesandnutrients.2 Hyperfiltrationmembrane –filterscontaminatedwater.3 Concentratedsolution–enoughto supplement16batchesofrescuedrink.

1

2

3



Floodconditionscreatedifferentkindsofcrises,becausethereisplentyofwatersources,butallofthemarehazardoustohumanbeings.

RescueBottleswillbedistributedtoflood-hitareasinearlystagesofflooddisasters,untilfoodandwateraidsarriveinthearea.

Theycanalsobestationedinfloodwater.RescueBottleswillbepre-positionedinfloodproneareas.Localpeopleintheseareaswillbeinstructedonhowtousetherescuebottles.


‘califoRnia is facinG an unPRecedented wateR cRisis. tHe coMBination of dRouGHt, couRt oRdeRed wateR RestRictions, GloBal waRMinG, and an incReasinG PoPulation Has Placed a MaJoR stRain on tHe existinG infRastRuctuRe.’


‘California is facing an unprecedented water crisis. The combination of drought, court ordered water restrictions, global warming, and an increasing population has placed a major strain on the existing infrastructure. We need to prepare now for the future.’–SenatorDianeFeinstein

LosAngelesisadryMediterranean-typeclimate.Localwatersourcesalonearenotsufficienttoprovidefortheenormouspopu-lationoftheregion.Muchofthewaterwedependuponcomestoourcityfromgreatdistancesandisdrawnfromrapidlydwind-lingsources.InlightofprojectedpopulationgrowthitiscrucialthatAngelenoslearntocurbwastefulwaterconsumptionhabitsbeforeitistoolate.

Thelargestsourceofurbanwaterconsump-tioninLosAngelesisoutdooruse.Bysomeestimatesasmuchas60percentofourtotalwaterusagegoestowardslandscapingandothersimilarpurposes.ThisfigurecouldbedramaticallyreducedifLosAngeleshomeownerscouldbeconvincedtoreplacetheirwater-hungry‘traditionallawns’with

drought-resistantCalifornianativegardensorothersustainablealternatives.

ourresearchrevealsthathomeownersinLosAngeleshaveavarietyofstronglyheldreasonsformaintainingatraditionallawn.Somebelievethattheyaremakinganen-vironmentallyfriendly‘green’decisionbykeepingtheirlawn.Someareconcernedwithsavinggreen,andbelievethatreplacingtheirlawnwouldbetooexpensive,otherssimplyareaccustomedtothelushgreennessofamanicuredlawn.ourcampaignasksAngelenostorethinktheirnotionof‘green’byshowingthehiddencostsofatraditionallawn(environmental,financialandaes-thetic)andthebenefitsofCalifornianativegardensandothersustainablealternatives.Moreoverourcampaignwillempowerthepublictotakeactionbyprovidingin-depthinformationandstepbystepinstructionsabouthowtomaketheswitchtomoresus-tainableandwater-wiseyards.IncontrasttothesometimeshectoringmannerofotherPSAsourcampaign’svoicewillbepositiveandupbeat.

rethinKYourgreen:

design:MAnuelgArciA,eileenhsu,pouYAJAhAnshAhi,MAsAtonAKAdA,MichellepArK&MAeceseirAFi-nAJAr,cAliForniAinstituteoFtheArts(cAlArts),VAlenciA,cAliForniA,unitedstAtes

proJectAdVisors:pAulAdAniels,JAnegAlbrAith,stephAniepincetl,JosephprichArd&louisesAndhAus


MiD 20TH CENTURYtelevisionbuildsanimageoftheidealAmericanfamily.

18TH CENTURYlawnsareimportedfrombritainasaluxuryforthewell-off.

21ST CENTURYtheAmericanlawnhasbecomeastapleofAmericanlife.embeddedintoourimageoftheAmericandream.

19TH CENTURYAmericansmoveoutWesttoalushnewlandscapeofbrownandgold.

EARLY 20TH CENTURYhollywooddramatizesthebeautyoftheAmericansouthwest.

theprobleM

LosAngeles’rapidlydepletingwaterresourcesarebeingwastedongrasslawnsinappropriatefortheregion’smediterraneanclimate.

thechAllenge

ToconvinceLosAngeleshomeownerstoreplacetheirwater-thirstytraditionallawnswithsustainablealternatives.

thesolution

TheRethinkYourGreencampaignasksAngelenostorethinktheirnotionof‘green’bybuildingawareness,invitingchange,empoweringactionthroughbuildingcommunties,andthencelebratingneweco-friendlybehavior.

TheRethinkYourGreencampaignwillmakelawnownersawareofthehiddencostsoflawnswhileintroducingthemtoamazingsustainablealternatives.

Asystemofhighlyvisual,conciseandseductivemediacomponentswillexistinpublichubsanddigitalspaces.ourfour-phasecampaignutilizesposters&bill-boards,printmedia,aswellaswebandmobiledeviceapplications.

onceourcoreaudiencehasbeenexposedtotheproblemwewillconductneighbor-hooddemonstrations,workshopsandconteststocelebratethepositivechangetheyhavemade.

40% 60%

INDOOR

OUTDOOR

46%

HAS DROPPED TO

Capacity

LAKE MEAD


‘By PuttinG PoweR-ful MessaGes on Glasses, PeoPle will By dRinkinG tHe wateR, find tHeMselves in tHe situation wHeRe tHey Have a diRect Relation to tHe wateR and a diRect connection to tHe PRoBleMs associated witH it.’


AiM

Thegoalofthisprojectistoraisecitizens’awarenessabouttheproblemoffreshwater.Wewanttheglassofwatertobecomethein-formationcarriertotheconsumer,bywhichweemphasizevariousissuesrelatedtowaterandcomparethemtopossibleproblemsinthenearfuture.Theprojectcanbeexpandedtotheglobalcommunity,andisveryflex-iblebecauseitcanbeadaptedforotherproblemsthatarerelatedtofreshwater.

opportunitY

DespitethefactthatCroatiahasoneoftherichestsuppliesoffreshwateronearth,lowawarenessandirresponsibleusageofthisrichsupplycancreateverybigchangesinthefuture.TheCroatianpopulationdoesnotusefreshwaterrationally;householdsusetripletheamountofwaterthanisnecessary(washingdishes,flushingtoilets,leakingtaps,etc).Freshwaterisusedtocleanstreets,cars,etc.;variouskindsofhazardouswaste(engineoil,usedbatteries,cartires,etc.)arethrownoutintotheenvironment,andthishazardouswasteirreversiblycon-taminatesthewatersupply.Croatiadoesnothaveasystematicorganizationtocollect

hazardouswaste;theweak,agingplumbingsystemloseshugeamountsoffreshwater.IntheSplit-Dalmatiancounty,landfillsitesarelocatedintheKarstarea,whichisveryporousandallowswatertoleakfromthedumpintothesubterraneanfreshwater.Theinterestofinvestors,notenvironmentalfactors,aretakenintoaccountwhendecid-inguponthelocationoflandfillsites.Thisbringsupanotherproblemconcerningfresh-water:concessionsoverfreshwatersources.

Freshwaterdoesnotbelongtotheentirepop-ulation;rather,itbelongstotheindividual.Followingtechnologicalprocessing,thiswaterlackscertainimportantsubstances,ispackagedsothatisattractivetocustomers,andeventhepackaginghasaharmfuleffectonourenvironment.Inthefuture,wecanexpectanincreaseinthepriceofwaterandwewillpaydearlyforwaterthatweareusingforfreetoday.

solution

ourmaingoalistoincreaseawarenessoftheproblemsthatwearefacingregardingfreshwater,andwewanttomakethispos-sibleinsmallstepsthatwillbeeasyandaccessibleforeveryone.Thefirststepis

sAVetheriVerJAdro:

design:igorcArli,ArtsAcAdeMYuniVersitYoFsplit,croAtiA

proJectAdVisor:toMislAVlerotiĆ


prevention:drinkingglasseswillbethecar-riers,withdifferentmessagesaboutprob-lemslinkedtofreshwaterprintedonthem.Wehavechosenglassesasthemostwide-spreadmediumthatconnectsthepublictothedrinkingwater.Atfirst,theywouldbeusedincoffeeshopsandrestaurantsintheSplit-DalmatianCounty,andlater,dependingonthesuccessrate,onaglobalscale.Byputtingpowerfulmessagesontheglasses,peoplewillbuythedrinkingwater,andwillfindthemselvesinthesituationwheretheyhaveadirectrelationtothewateraswellastotheproblemsassociatedwiththatwater.Bydrinkingthewater,peoplewillfindoutexactlyhowmuchtheydependonwaterforlife;confrontedwiththeprobleminthisway,theconsumerbecomesinterestedinfurtherinformation,whichhecanfindthroughthewebsitesthatareprintedontheglass.Eventhoughweliveinthetechnologyage,manypeoplestilldonotusetheInternet,soinadditiontothewebsiteaddresses(dependingonmaterialpossibilities)wewouldchooseothermedia(e.g.,newspapers,televisioncommercials,leaflets,billboardposters,etc)toinform

peopleabouttheproblemswithfreshwater.Informingthepublicandmakingthemawareofthefreshwaterproblemwillcon-tributetoagradualchangeinhabitsofac-cessingwaterandinturn,willstrengthentheunderstandingthatourfuturedependsonthefutureoffreshwater.

coMpetitiVeoriginAlitY

Theprojectisimplementedthroughglass-es,whicharethemostcommonmediumbetweenpeopleandwater.Itispreciselytheseglassesthatmaketheprojectsosim-plebecausethemessagesonthemareeasi-lyapplicableandrequireminimumfinancialinvestment.Also,thesemessagescanbeadaptedtodifferentissuesandcanbewrit-teninanylanguage.Besidesthemessagesontheglasses,therearewebsiteaddressesforanyonewhowantstobecomemoreawareofthesituation.Wewanttheglassestoen-couragecommunicationbetweenpeoplesothatthetopicbecomesincludedinallaspectsofourlives.Theflexibilityofthisprojectliesinthefactthatglassescanbeimplementedinallcoffeeshopsandres-

taurants,aswellasothervenues.Theycanalsobedistributedeasily,whichiswhythisprojectcanbeimplementedonaglobalscale.Messagesprintedontheglassescanbetransferredtoothermediums,suchascoasters,napkins,etc.Theuniquenessofthisprojectisthattheglobalproblemwillbedealtwithonalocalscaleand,inthenearfuture,willfosteraglobalsolutionforaglobalproblem.

FeAsibilitY

Thisprojectcansucceedbecauseitdoesnotrequireagreatdealoffinancialinvest-mentorstaff.Glassespresentanexcellentandspecificmediumofcarryingmessagesabouttheprotectionoffreshwater,andtheycanreachthetargetaudience,whichispeopleofallages,regardlessoftheirfi-nancialstatus.Glassesaredistributedeasi-ly,andsotheprogramcanbeappliedonagloballevel.Itisalsoflexible:theglassescanbesoldatanystoreorvenue,andthemessagescanbeadaptedforothermedia,suchascoasters,napkins,etc.

theideA

Usingglassesoftapwaterasthewidespreadmediumtorepresenttherelationshipbe-tweenmanandthewaterheconsumes.

bluegold

Croatiahascloseto45billioncubicmetersofrenewablefreshwater,whichconvertsto9500cubicmeterspercapita.Accordingtothesenumbers,CroatiaisrankedthirdinEuropewithregardstorenewablefreshwatersupply.

theprobleM

Wastingfreshwateroccursfromwashingcars,cleaningroads,leakingwaterfromfaultytapsinhouseholds,inaddition,freshwaterbecomespollutedbythrowingoilinwater,batteries,andthrowingdebris,andotherhazardousmaterialintonature.


‘tHese PeoPle Have Real PRoBleMs at Hand wHicH May Be solved witH inGenuity, HaRd woRk, and aPPlication of knowledGe. My vHeMBe filteR desiGn May PRove to suPPly cleaneR wateR to tHese HouseHolds, in tuRn BetteRinG tHeiR livinG standaRds.’


thechAllenge

Thisprojectaimedtodevelopanimprovedlow-costceramicwaterfilterforusewithinruralhouseholdsoftheVhemberegionofSouthAfricathroughthefieldtestingofanexistingfilterdesignsoastoprovidepot-ablewaterratherthancontaminatedwatertohouseholds.

FrAMethecontext

Social -ItisthedemocraticrightofallSouthAfricancitizensthattheyareprovidedwithefficient,cost-effectiveandsustainablewaterresources.ManySouthAfricanurbanandsemi-urbanhouseholdshavebeensup-pliedwithsafewater.However,althoughsafewatersupplieshavebeenintroducedintoruralareasinvariousforms,suchascommunaltapsandboreholepumps,acon-stantproblemiscreatedbecausewhenthewaterisconsumedwithinthehouseholds,itshealth-relatedmicrobialqualityhasde-terioratedtothepointwhereitis‘unsafe'todrink.Thiscontaminationoccursintheplasticvesselsusedtotransportandstorethewaterinthehouseholdcookingareauntilused.Thisimprovedlow-costceramicwaterfilterprovidesaviablesolution.

Cultural -SouthAfricaconsistsofmanydifferentpeoplegroups,withpeoplefromthesegroupssurvivingindrasticallydiffer-entcircumstances.Thisisdividedbetweenurban,semi-urban,andruralareas.Theruralareasconsistofhousesdistributedrela-tivelysparselyoverthelandscapes.Thesehousesareconstructedoutofbricks,stones,mudorconcrete(manyvaryingconstructionmethodsareutilized).Somehouseholdshaveelectricalconnections,withtheremaininghouseholdshavingtoworkoffbatterypowerorfire.

Themajorityofthehouseholdscookonparaffinorcoalstoves,oronopenfires.Thewaterwhichtheruralpeopleconsumeiscol-lectedatcommunitywaterpointsscatteredrelativelyevenlythroughouttheruralareas.Itistransportedandstoredinruralhouse-holdsin20/25lcontainerspriortoconsump-tion.Afairamountoftheruralpeoplearesubsistencefarmers,growingtheirowncropswithintheirpropertyboundariesoratcom-munityfarmlands.

Economic - SouthAfricaconsistsofaDualEconomy.Thisisacombinationof1stworldanddevelopingworldaspects.Middletohighincomecitizensaremainlyurbanized,

VheMbeFilter:

design:MArtinbolton,uniVersitYoFJohAnnesburg,southAFricA


withlowincomecitizensmainlyresidinginsemi-urbanandruralareas.

Political -Thecurrentgovernment’spol-icyisfocusedonservicedeliverytothemarginalizedpopulation.Housing,waterandelectricityprovisionistheirpriority.InadditiontheSouthAfricanconstitutionstatesthateveryonehastherighttohaveaccesstosufficientfoodandwater.Thisim-provedlow-costceramicwaterfiltermaybesuitableasagovernmentinterventionintotheruralhouseholds.

Environmental, Sustainability - Byconsideringaspectsofsustainabilityinthedesigningofthefiltercomponents,thefiltercanbeconsideredasbeneficialtoincludewithintheruralenvironment.Furthermore,evenafteruse,thefiltercom-ponentscanbeusedtosatisfydifferentuseswithintheruralhouseholds.Highqualityproductionandqualitycontrolmeasureswillensureapredictableproductquality,manufacturedfromahighgrade,longlastingmaterialabletomeetthede-mandsoftheruralareas(hardwearing,UVresistantplasticsforexample).Ethicalproductionprocessesandmaterialchoiceswillbeaconsideredtominimisethenega-tiveaspectsofmassproductionanddistri-butionontheenvironment.

Competitive Originality -Therearemanyotherlow-costhouseholdwatertreatmentsystemsavailable,however,thecompetitiveoriginalityoftheVhembefilterliesinthefactthatitwasdevelopedwiththeintendedusersofthefilter.Furthermore,ithasbeendevelopedfromanexistinglow-costwatertreatmentsystemwhichhasprov-entobeeffectivewithinthelocalruralareas.Ifthelivingconditionsinotherruralareasaresimilar,thefiltercouldbebettersuitedthanotherfilteralternativesforuseinotherruralareasinSouthernAfrica,theAfricancontinent,andpossiblyotherdevelopingnationsaroundtheworld.

Feasability - Utilisingmassproduction,abilitytomanufacturehighunitquantities,theunitcostoftheVhembeFilterwascal-culatedandcostsroughly€14.04*tomanu-facture.Thepriceperfilterunitcomesto€20.16*includinga40%mark-upoverthemanufacturingcosts.Thismark-uptakesintoconsiderationoverheadcostsandprofit.Accordingtomanufacturerspecificationsoftheexistingfilterelement,itisabletosupplyanadequateamountofdrinkingwaterforanentirefamilyforadurationof3years,beforereplacementisnecessary(previousresearchhowever,showsthatfilterelementsarestilleffectivefordurationsexceedingthe3yearmark).Therefore,afiltercosting€20.16*

isabletosupplycleandrinkingwaterforroughly€0.02perday*(filterpriceoverthreeyearperiod).Thevaluebenefitofthenewfilterdesignshouldaccountforthead-ditionalcostscomparedtopurchasingandimportinganexistingdesign.Thisadditionalcosthowever,comparedtotheexistingfilterdesignequatesto1/5thofaEuroCent.Al-thoughtheimprovedfilterismorecostlytomanufacture,thedifferenceminiscule,aswellaspursuinglocalproductioneliminatestheneedforshippingorfreightingproductsfromabroad.Theoutcomeisalowcostfilter,suitedtotheusersspecificneeds,atacostlowenoughtojustifymassmanufactureanddistribution.

solutionexplAnAtion

PresentedusingCADrenderings,ahalf-size‘grown’prototypeandafullsizefabricatedworkingmodel.Thefinaldesigncomprisesthreemainplasticcomponents,abentwirehanginghandle,theexistingFiltron/Potpazceramicfilterelement,andtheexistingFiltronplasticspigot.ThethreemainplasticcomponentsareallinjectionmouldedusingafoodgradePolypropyleneplasticandareasfollows:receptacle,stand,andlid.

*calculatedat1EUR=ZAR11.34,(09July2009)

‘...AlthoughsAFeWAtersupplieshAVebeenintroducedinto

rurAlAreAsinVAriousForMs,suchAscoMMunAltApsAnd

boreholepuMps,AconstAntprobleMiscreAtedbecAuseWhen

theWAterisconsuMedWithinthehouseholds,itsheAlth-relAted

MicrobiAlquAlitYhAsdeteriorAtedtothepointWhereitis

‘unsAFe'todrinK.’


bAse1 Internalribs&outersleeve supportsreceptacle.2 Legsflairfromcenter,providing adequatestability.Ø450mm3 Threelegsstandrestsevenly ontheground,alwaysstable.

stAcKAblecoMponentsFiltercomponentsarestackable,suitingthemtostoragewithinruralstores,hardwarestores,aswellaseffectivestockpilingandshipping.

iMproVedFilter:coMponents1 Receptacle2 CeramicFilterElement3 Stand4 HangingHandle5 Lid6 Spigot

1

2

5

4

6

33

1

2


‘innovation is PeRsonal: if we aRe oPen, cuRious, and eMPatHetic, tHe GReat PRoBleMs will find us.’

‘noBel PRize winneR linus PaulinG used to say tHat tHe Best way to Have a Good idea was to Have lots of ideas.’


honorAbleMentions:

theFolloWingproJectsWereselectedAshonorAbleMentionsFortheiroutstAndingdesigncontributions.

bluedAYAwarenesscampaigntargetedatreducingdomesticwaterusageinDubai.

AishaBinZayed,HananHairab&ShamsaAlSuwaidi,DubaiWomen’sCollege,UnitedArabEmirates

bluesideorganizationstrivingtoinspireawarenessandactiontosupportalarge-scalewaterconservationeffort.

PunyarukBaingern,PanchaleePhungsoondara,EmeryUllenberg&MaxxValenti,MilwaukeeInstituteofArt&Design,UnitedStates

gch4WAterlesstoiletsYsteMToiletdesignwithawaterless,mechanicalsystemforpackagingandtransport,facili-tatinganewurbaninfrastructureinwhichhumanwasteislocallytradedforenergyandfertilizer.

VirginiaGardiner,RoyalCollegeofArt,UnitedKingdom

KnoWWAter:AninterActiVeMAppingplAtForMInteractivemultimediamappingplatformconsistingofwebsitehousingwatercasestud-iesandamultimediakioskallowingindivid-ualstocontributeinformationlocally.

TedAlcorn,StanAlcorn,JosephBergen&NicholasDubroff,JohnsHopkinsUniversity,YaleCollege,HarvardUniversityandMIT;UnitedStates

sonicWAterMeterDevicedesignedtomeasurewaterusageandpatternsfromasonicsensorwithouttouchingapipeline,allowingindividualstoactivelytrackandsavewaterathome.

AlfBae,HongikUniversityIDAS,SouthKorea

sWellSolar-powered,mobile,inflatablefiltrationunitthatfiltersgrayfloodwaterintofreshpotablewater,anddoublesasaliferaftinfloodconditions.

AlainaProkopchuk,UniversityofManitoba,Canada

theglobAlWAterFootprintoFhuMAnitYCampaigntoraiseawarenessofthewayweusewaterandoftheinvisiblewaterfootprintofproducts.

AngelaMorelli,CentralSt.MartinsUniversityofLondon,UnitedKingdom

thisisitGlobalmarketingcampaginagainsttheuseof(PET)waterbottles.

KylieHolms,MonashUniversity,Australia

VirtuAlWAterreVeAledLabelingsystemallowingconsumerstovis-uallyidentifyandcomparetheamountofwaterusedtoproduceagriculturalproducts.

KizzyEzirio,SanDiegoStateUniversity,UnitedStates

YourWAterMulti-vehiclesustainablesystemofpro-motingthelocalresourceoftapwater.

CristinaBianchi&PekkaRaety,UniversityofArt&Design,Helsinki,Finland


index: would like to RecoGnise and tHank tHe followinG PeoPle and coMPanies foR tHeiR PaRticiPation in tHe woRksHoP in coPenHaGen and foR MakinG tHis PRoJect PossiBle.


theJurY

PorterAndersonMargaretCatley-CarlsonDr.PeterGleickGerardV.Magbity

theAdVisors

DeborahAdlerBrianCollinsGaryM.CookDr.ChrisH.LuebkemanFredMurrell

sponsor

speciAlthAnKstouniceF

ForengagementinthejuryandforprovidingthevenuefortheCopenhagenworkshop

pArticipAtingorgAnizAtions

INDEX:2009isunderthepAtronAgeoFhrhthecroWnprinceoFdenMArK.

singAporeisINDEX:pArtnercitY.

INDEX:issupportedbYthedAnishMinistrYoFeconoMicAndbusinessAFFAirs,Jl-Fondet,

theMArKetingdenMArKFund,thecApitAlregionoFdenMArK,theconFederAtionoFdAnishindustrY(di),

thedAnishindustrYFoundAtion,georgJensenA/s,roYAlcopenhAgenA/s,FritzhAnsenA/s,

illuMsbolighusA/s,theeuropeAnsociAlFundAndtheeuropeAnregionAldeVelopMentFund.

INDEX:supplYpArtnersArebilsbYA/sAndVinKA/s.

Pantone cool gray 5

Pantone cool gray 11

K 34

K 79

logo black&white


DesigningWater’sFutureINDEX:|AIGAAspenDesignChallenge

Impression:500

PhotographybyMartinBubandtJ.CarlGanterPrintedinDenmarkJanuary2010

PublishedbyINDEX:AwardA/SCopenhagen,Denmark

[email protected]

ItisthevisionofINDEX:tochangeglobalmindsetsbyenhancingtheunderstandingofchallengesandbroadeningtheperceptionofpossiblesolutions-andtheroleofdesignwithinthisarea-amongthegeneralpublic

INDEX:isanon-profitorganizationthathasaglobaloutreachandworkstosecuremoreDesigntoImproveLifeprojectsofhigherqualityallovertheworld.

INDEX:presents,evaluates,awards,discusses,communicates,connectsandadvocatesDesigntoImproveLifeglobally.Theorganization’smaintoolsarelarge-scalepublicevents,educationalandinformativeprogramsandcommunication,amongthese,thebiggestdesignawardintheworld.

designing water's future

Documents