Jay Parkhill December 17th, 2008

A friend of mine turned me on to a company called One.  They sell bottled water and donate all the profits to a foundation that build playground-water pumps in southern Africa.

What on Earth, one might ask, is a playground-water pump?  It is an extremely clever device that harnesses a nearly

inexhaustible supply of energy to pump clean water from deep wells by turning the pump “engine” into a playground-style merry-go-round for kids.

This is very clever.  If my kids are any measure, this pump will have enough energy to run for hours on end, and at the same time the kids’ natural energy can be channeled to good effect bringing clean water to people who need it.

When my kids get hyperactive I threaten to install a giant hamster wheel in the house and putting them on it for an hour or so, but I’ve never followed through.  PlayPumps has done just that- in a much smarter way.  Kudos to them.

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Tags: Drinking water, energy, social benefit

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