Water is something so simple and so basic that many of us take it for granted. When the sun is beating down and we’re dying for a glass of cold water, all we have to do is walk over to the refrigerator and press a button.

The Critical Need for Clean Water

In 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 663 million people did not have access to safe drinking water. Efforts to increase access to safe drinking water include increasing access to household water filters and water purifiers. Estimates by Reportlinker predict the global market for water purifiers will reach $103.12 billion by 2028.

The demand for water purifiers is driven by, “Increasing water pollution due to continuous industrial expansion and unmonitored waste discharge into water sources.” This threat is especially serious among developing and third-world countries, where manufacturing costs are low and dumping regulations are lax.

A study published in ScienceDaily detailed the results of a large-scale program to deliver water filters and portable biomass-burning cookstoves to Rwandan homes: rates of reported diarrhea and acute respiratory infection in children under 5 years old decreased by 29% and 25%, respectively.

Evan Thomas, Director of CU Boulder’s Mortenson Center for Global Engineering, concluded that “These results should have important policy implications in Rwanda and beyond. We see strong evidence that the intervention provides significant benefits that might continue to accrue if the program continues to be supported.”

Using Nanotechnology to Create Eco-Friendly Water Filters

Plastic Oceans International estimates that over 300 million tons of plastic are being produced every year, with 50% of products created for single-use purposes; over 8 million tons of plastic end up thrown into the ocean every year.

One water bottle manufacturer, Water-to-Go, uses nanotechnology filters — created using technology originally developed for NASA — to filter out 99.9% of microbiological contaminants. In addition to increasing access to safe clean water across 55 countries, including Mexico, China, and India, Water-to-Go is helping reduce the demand for single-use plastic water bottles.

At Roger the Plumber, we believe every household — every individual — has a responsibility to make decisions that don’t harm the environment, and that includes choosing eco-friendly water filters. To learn more about eco-friendly water filtration options for your home, give us a call!