Simple works good

Water water everywhere? If only. Much of the world lives hundreds of miles from plentiful, accessible water, which brings its own legion of health and food problems.

Whilst charities such as Water Aid, who TYF have supported for years, do outstanding work in many countries, there's also a place for simple, practical solutions such as the Water Cone, which popped up on my radar thanks to the observant folk at Quiet Riot.

A couple of decades back, I worked as an exploration geologist in a gold mine in the Great Sandy Desert, arguably (as people who live in hot places do) the hottest place on the planet. The guy I replaced had died of dehydration in the desert, running out of shelter, support and water. Learning how to look after ourselves and eke water from a black bin bag of grass left in the sun was training that could separate life from death.

Recognition of the need to find more practical solutions to the world's emerging water crises has prompted a reinvogorated movement that includes the folk behind the Water Cone and EcoSapiens Associate Michael Pawlyn's work on salt water greenhouses and algal biofuel.