The Water Crisis

Darfur.  Haiti.  Ethiopia.  Peru.  Sudan.  Cambodia.

Everywhere you look, there are people who lack the fundamental element of civilization:  Clean water.

I see water as the issue of our century.  Whether it's our own depleting riparian resources, the Israelis and the Palestinians haggling over the dwindling gifts of the Jordan River, or the droughts of Africa, this is a problem that won't go away without innovation.

When it comes to the Colorado River and the Jordan River, we have some serious engineering problems, not to speak at all of the political and the humanitarian sides of the dilemma.  But when it comes to Darfur and many of Wine to Water's target countries, the innovations already exist:  Ceramic filters.  Wells.  Latrines.  Bringing the most basic plumbing and filtration systems to these countries can change everything.  There is a deep relationship between health and wealth.  When people are well, they can work.

Here's another video about Doc Hendley and Wine to Water, showing the recognition this organization has received on the international level:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNWvhCqTrcU