6/20/08

The most incredible thing...



I had coffee as usual at Depeche this morning and learnt a little tidbit that I find absolutely fascinating. Part of our discussions revolved around Humphreys desire to produce good coffee while doing his bit for the planet. This involves Fair Trade coffee, tea and hot chocolate and also organic stuff.

One such product is One Water, which is a not-for-profit company that produces bottled water. All profits received by the company go into funding water pump systems in Africa. Its all fairly typical EXCEPT that this company funds the development of systems called PlayPumps. This is such a brilliant idea...

Water is pumped from storage tanks via attached playgrounds, which are located near schools. The movement of water is controlled solely by the act of children playing.

I absolutely love this concept. Not only does it mean the act of pumping water becomes less a chore and more play, but it also provides a connection between a western world that doesn't understand the developing world. It is extremely difficult to imagine what children in these areas have to live like, its just too different for us to perceive. However, any person, anywhere, appreciates the need for children to be children and playtime is invariably what symbolises this.
In buying this water, at least I, feel a greater connection to what I'm contributing to. I understand it.

What a fantastic idea!







Heres to you One! Nom Nom!

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