Category Archives: Environment

Business, Energy, Environment, Technology

Ciel & Terre Delivers First California Public Floating Solar System for Lake County Special Districts – Kelseyville County Waterworks, Dist. #3

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International Innovator in “Floatovoltaic” Technology Enables 252kW Clean Energy Project by Floating 720 Solar Panels on Kelseyville Wastewater Treatment Pond.

Kelseyville, CA, USA — Ciel & Terre USA (http://www.ciel-et-terre.net), innovators in floating solar power systems, today announced completion of a new 252 kW floating photovoltaic power system for the Lake County Special Districts on behalf of Kelseyville County Waterworks Dist. #3 in partnership with local contractor North Coast Solar. Financed by a municipal lease, the Ciel & Terre® Hydrelio solar power system is being floated on a man-made wastewater treatment pond in Kelseyville and is expected to produce up to 1,650 kWh in its first year.

This is the first public floating solar power system installed in California. The installation itself consists of 720 floating solar panels mounted together and delivering electrical power safely to shore using solar optimizers provided by SolarEdge to maximize inverter output. The municipal lease for the installation gives the county positive cash flow starting the first year, so no cash investment was required to pay for the system. Once the Kelseyville solar installation proves successful, the Lake County Special District is considering installing additional floating solar power systems around the county.

“We are excited to be able to take advantage of clean energy using Ciel & Terre’s floating solar systems,” said Jan Coppinger, Special Districts Administrator for Lake County. “We didn’t have available land or rooftop space suitable for this project, but our wastewater treatment pond had enough surface area to accommodate a sizable solar system. Floating is a great way to control algae growth in the pond at the same time we generate virtually free energy. All costs to provide utilities continue to increase, which forces Special Districts to seek out and implement any means possible to reduce future costs. This floating solar system will result in significant savings in future years.”

Floating solar is an ideal solution for any utility district since it generates clean energy at the same time it provides other water conservation benefits. Floating a solar array on man-made bodies of water improves energy production by keeping the solar system cooler. At the same time it reduces evaporation, controls algae growth, and reduces water movement to minimize bank erosion. It also makes optimal use of pond surfaces, providing clean solar energy without committing expensive real estate or requiring rooftop installations.

“Municipal water districts, wineries, farms, and others want to adopt solar but they don’t want to commit land that could be used for other purposes,” said Eva Pauly-Bowles, Representative Director for Ciel & Terre USA, Inc. “Installing floating solar systems gives them ready access to green energy while helping them manage their water resources. We expect we will see more demand for floating solar systems, especially in light of California’s commitment to produce only carbon-free electricity by 2045.”

The Kelseyville project is only one of four floating solar power installations being completed this summer using the patented Ciel & Terre® Hydrelio system in Q3 2018 delivering 5.3 MW.

About Ciel & Terre
Established in 2006 as a renewable Independent Power Producer (IPP), Ciel & Terre has been fully devoted to floating solar PV since 2011. The French company pioneered Hydrelio®, the first specific and industrialized system to make solar panels float on water, with criteria such as cost-effectiveness, safety, longevity, resistance to winds and waves, simplicity, drinking water compliance, and optimized electrical yield.

Ciel & Terre has floating solar installations in Japan, Korea, China, UK, France, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, Taiwan as well as the United States. The company has its United States headquarters in Petaluma, California.

For more information, visit http://www.ciel-et-terre.net.

Media Contact:
Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
415.842.7398
tomw@woolfmedia.com

Environment, Media

Carpbusters Launches “Carpe Mortem” Free Newsletter

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Carpbusters Inc., a non-profit conservation agency has launched a free newsletter dedicated to invasive species.

Ronda, NC, USA — Carpbusters Inc., a non-profit agency has started a free newsletter for educators, sportsmen and conservationist highlighting issues related to Invasive Species. Carpbusters free newsletter signup form.

Harvest in all forms and working with schools, youth leaders, educators and sportsmen to find practical solutions to our invasive species problems. They have a 20-year history of making a difference. Many a pond, farmyard, park and local stream have benefited from their efforts. Not to mention the students and educators who have used their website as launching point to start a project or add content to a curriculum. As they often say one less is one less. Meaning that removing one invasive species really does make a significant difference and over time it can radically change the makeup of your local flora and fauna. It really does benefit our ecosystem to remove invasive organisms and they prove it on a daily basis.

As part of their outreach they have launched a free newsletter that will entertain and educate readers about the many impacts of invasive species. The “Carpe Mortem” newsletter will feature practical ways you can help stop Invasive species like carp, feral hogs, lionfish, starlings, kudzu and so many others. “Carpe Mortem” newsletter has fun news bits and stories from the classroom, the field and around the globe. It’s a must have resource for Teachers and Sportsmen alike.

Average sportsmen/students/conservationist are our greatest weapon in the fight against invasive species. Everyone can do world changing conservation work by removing an invasive every chance they get.

Carpbusters Inc. MISSION & VISION is simple: They advocate that all conservationist and sportsmen humanly harvest invasive species. Education put into action is their way of tackling this environmentally hazardous problem. For more information, visit http://www.carpbusters.org.

Media Contact:
Robert Rice, CEO
Carpbusters Inc.
336-371-0999
info@carpbusters.org
http://www.carpbusters.org

Business, Energy, Environment, Marketing

City of Paso Robles Reaches 1,000 Solar Home Installs

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Last month, Paso Robles resident Dan Robinson applied for a solar energy permit. Little did he know that his application would be the 1,000th alternative energy permit filed in the city of Paso Robles.

Atascadero, CA, USA — Last month, Paso Robles resident Dan Robinson decided he wanted to save money and do the right thing when he called Solarponics and applied for a solar energy permit to install solar on his home. Little did he know that his application would be the 1,000th alternative energy permit filed in the city of Paso Robles. With Mr. Robinson’s solar install, Paso became the first city to reach 1,000 installs in San Luis Obispo county.

“These seven panels on my roof can do the same for me as a multi-billion dollar power plant… with no pollution,” says Mr. Robinson. “Solar makes so much sense on so many levels. It’s the right way to go.”

Solar energy first became popular in the late 1970’s when President Carter installed solar water heating panels on the White House. At the time, electric rates hovered around a low of 5¢/kWh. Solar electric and solar water heating systems were still quite a bit more expensive than ulitily-purchased energy.

Since the mid, California has seen a nearly 300% increase in the price of energy, currently averaging 19¢/kWh, while solar energy prices have dropped significantly, making solar electric far more affordable than grid-tied energy today.

Nationally, solar installs in the U.S. have grown from 1.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to an estimated 34GW today. Paso Robles has gone from under 20kW of solar installs in 2008 to over 6 megawatts (MW) of residential solar today. This equates to more than $50 million in collective energy savings for Paso Robles homeowners over the next 20 years.

“Even with the recently imposed solar panel tariffs, solar energy continues to be a significant money-saver. The more energy rates increase, the more solar makes sense. And rates are always increasing.” says Kristian Emrich, Solarponics vice-president.

To celebrate the 1,000th residential solar energy install in Paso Robles, Solarponics is donating solar powered systems for electric golf carts to north county schools, and converting those electric golf carts to solar-power.

“Five years ago, we could not have imagined reaching this milestone…1,000 solar roofs in Paso… 10,000 county-wide. And now, here we are. Our vision is to see renewable energy systems on every single structure in the county. So, there’s a lot of work to do still,” says Mr. Emrich.

About Solarponics
Solarponics is the Central Coast’s go-to renewable energy installer, helping businesses and homeowners save money and achieve energy independence. Solarponics has installed over 5,000 energy systems throughout the county since 1975. The longest continuously owned and operated solar company in California, Solarponics is still privately owned and locally operated. For more information, visit http://www.solarponics.com, or like them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/solarponics).

Media Contact:
Frank Scotti
Solarponics, Inc.
805-466-5595
frank@solarponics.com

More Than Just Solar

Environment, Media, Non-Profit

5 Gyres Partnering with Forward Reality on Groundbreaking VR Project

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“The Pacific Garbage Patch, A Seagull’s Perspective” will educate millions on the impact of plastic pollution.

Carlsbad, CA, USA — 5 Gyres is partnering with Forward Reality, as an advisor on a Virtual Reality (VR) project to educate people about the serious issue of plastic pollution in our oceans.

The “Pacific Garbage Patch – A Seagull’s Perspective” is a VR experience, that focuses on the Pacific Garbage Patch and the effects of plastics on marine and bird life. It is a compelling interactive experience that brings this critical issue to people’s attention.

Users will view the Pacific Garbage Patch, its origins and affected regions, from the perspective of a Seagull, with voice over narration that explains the content and issues. By viewing multiple locations (the gyre, Midway Island, plastic factories, fish market) players can understand the origin of this plastic garbage, the impact it has on the world around us and the steps they can take to help solve the problem.

Sherri Cuono, CEO of Forward Reality stated “We’re pleased to have the participation of the 5 Gyres Institute on this important project, their expertise on this issue is invaluable”. She added, “Forward Reality will be launching this experience in museums worldwide as well as making it available to the public on multiple VR platforms.”

“Solving the problem of plastic pollution demands innovation,” said Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, 5 Gyres Executive Director. “We’re honored to share our experience through this exciting new platform to drive awareness and action on this critical issue.”

The “Pacific Garbage Patch – A Seagull’s Perspective” will be released later this year.

ABOUT 5 GYRES
The nonprofit 5 Gyres Institute has been fighting plastic ocean pollution since 2009. Beginning in 2010, 5 Gyres began a series of scientific firsts by researching plastic in all five subtropical gyres, as well as the Great Lakes and Antarctica. In 2014, the organization convened eight scientists around the world to publish the first global estimate of plastic pollution in our ocean: 5.25 trillion particles weighing in at 270,000 tons of “plastic smog” worldwide. 5 Gyres’ paper on plastic microbead pollution in the Great Lakes inspired a two-year collaborative campaign that culminated in a federal ban on microbeads, which President Obama signed into law in 2015. In August, 5 Gyres embarked on its 17th expedition-this time to research microplastics and nanoplastics in the Arctic Circle. More information is at http://www.5gyres.org.

ABOUT FORWARD REALITY
Forward Reality is creating amazing interactive VR experiences that educate, entertain and inspire. Our focus is on VR with a Purpose. Founded by industry pioneers, we are an independent studio dedicated to using VR technology to change the world for the better. Through our combined decades of research and achievements in video game production and 360 video, Forward Reality is creating the next generation of media-rich VR entertainment. More information about Forward Reality can be found at http://www.forwardreality.com.

Contact:
Ginger Goss Mukherjee – ginger@5gyres.org
William Volk – business@forwardreality.com

Business, Energy, Environment, Technology

Infinity SAV USA Nominated for the Katerva Award

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Infinity SAV USA has been nominated by Katerva Award for sustainable innovations in Clean Energy.

Seattle, WA, USA — Infinity SAV USA (http://www.infinitysav.us) has been nominated for the Katerva Award for sustainable innovations in Clean Energy. Katerva Award (http://www.katerva.net) is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Sustainability. Gary Tripp, President of Infinity SAV USA says their, “generator will stop Climate Change by eliminating CO2 from electricity and transportation and will cut the cost of power by 90%.” Katerva selects the companies with innovations that will change the market and the environment for the better and Infinity certainly does.

Infinity SAV USA technology claims it technology will replace fossil fuels for electricity and transportation. The company’s working generator prototype is powered by permanent magnets and produces 3 kW of excess energy. The generator has been demonstrated to hundreds of people including engineers and academics.

The Infinity generator technology will benefit everyone – the poor villager with no electricity, who has to walk miles for water and the clogged cites breathing polluted air. Infinity’s generator powered solely by permanent magnets will replace fossil fuels for electricity and transportation.

Infinity SAV USA Incorporated is developing an electric generator to power homes and small businesses for as little as $0.02 per kWh. The goal is to stop climate change, save the environment, and save money.

The company has uploaded several video demonstrations to YouTube and those videos have received 500,000 views, and many many requests to purchase generators. The company plans to use this technology as the starting point to develop a 20 kW generator that will completely power a house or small business.

The company’s founder and inventor, Andrii Slobodian, explains that the generator has permanent magnets in the stator and coils of copper wire in the rotor. When a magnet approaches a coil of copper wire, it induces a like polarity in the coil. North induces North and North repels North and that causes the rotor to spin and creates power.

Skeptics say it is impossible because it violates the Law of Conservation of Energy. Infinity responds by pointing to their working prototype. Magnets are caused by quantum mechanical spin of unpaired electrons. The company believes their generator conforms with Law of Conservation of Energy on the quantum level. Electron spin may be the source of the quantum effect causing this new source of energy. (Electrons don’t spin, it is just shorthand for “maintaining their magnetic dipole moment.”)

The company is using the crowdfunding site Fundable.com to raise money to complete the engineering in the US for a bigger version of the generator.

The many benefits of this new energy source include cheap, clean, renewable, 24/7 electricity with no CO2. These generators could be used to power a house, charge the battery of electric cars, or provide power in remote locations. Decreasing the cost of electricity and stopping pollution will benefit everyone, especially the poorest among us.

Website: http://www.infinitysav.us
Crowdfunding Campaign: http://www.fundable.com/infinity-sav-usa

If you have any questions, please contact Gary Tripp at 206-383-2245 or gary@infinitysav.us. Tripp is available for an interview.

Media Contact:
Gary Tripp
Infinity SAV USA
206-383-2245
gary@infinitysav.us
http://www.infinitysav.us

Construction, Energy, Environment, Non-Profit, Real Estate

The Rose receives 2016 Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award from the Urban Land Institute

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Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2016-Nov-04 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — PLACE is pleased to announce that The Rose and three sister developments at Portland and Franklin Avenues (South Quarter) in Minneapolis were selected by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing as the winner of the 2016 Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award. This annual award honors developments that ensure housing affordability for people with a range of incomes. Representing the completion of South Quarter, The Rose offers 43 market rate apartments and 47 income-restricted affordable apartments in profoundly sustainable buildings that have neither furnaces nor conventional air conditioning equipment.

In 2010, affordable housing developer Aeon, in partnership with Hope Community, selected PLACE by competition to add specialized development consultant capacity as Sustainability Champion for the last phase of South Quarter. Aeon wanted the final buildings to be the best performing buildings of their kind in the country, on an affordable housing budget. A 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to public benefit, PLACE provided disruptive environmental design analysis, assisted in assembling and facilitating a world-class collaborative design and construction team, deepened community engagement, and refined financial modeling in furtherance of creating high-performance, healthy buildings for Aeon’s residents.

Minneapolis has the harshest climate of any large city in America. The biggest challenge for PLACE was to ensure that the team could deliver a building envelope capable of keeping residents cool in a scorching summer with high humidity and a frigid winter with temperatures plunging to minus thirty degrees Fahrenheit. Buildings in the U.S. are built each day to standards that cause them to consume 70% of America’s primary energy, with 52% of that energy going to heating and cooling. The Rose is 75% more energy efficient than local standards require, which also deepens affordability for residents; it represents PLACE’s most cutting edge restorative development work to date.

“This project is on the leading edge of workforce housing development and preservation,” said J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman of Terwilliger Pappas Multifamily Partners in Atlanta. “It has it all—mixed-income housing, environmental sustainability, long-term affordability, and long-term financing.”

“The efforts of Aeon and Hope Community, with their many public and private sector partners, prove that previously disinvested communities can point the way forward for mixed-income, environmentally sustainable redevelopment in our cities,” said Stockton Williams, executive director of the ULI Terwilliger Center.

PRESS CONTACT
place
Chris Velasco
Executive Director
PLACE
100 Portland Avenue South
Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 309-3889
www.welcometoplace.org

Electronics, Environment, Healthcare, Internet & Online, Software, Technology

Startup mentored by Promwad created one of the best IoT products in Europe

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Vilnius/Lithuania, 2016-Oct-18 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — ZIVE smart radiation monitor has reached the final of Elektra Awards 2016, a big influential contest for the electronics market players. This device designed by R-NOX startup with the assistance of Promwad Electronics Design House was named one of six best innovative products of Europe exploiting the Internet of Things potentialities.

ZIVE is a portable radiation monitor of the next generation that can connect to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth. It’s the first device of professional level designed for common people. It has a user-friendly interface, a Geiger-Muller counter, and a low market price comparing with other high-precision radiation monitors.

promwad-mobile_zive

ZIVE radiation monitor measures gamma rays, ionizing radiation, and X-rays. Differentiating features of the device:

  • Calibrated by accredited European laboratories (CE).
  • High accuracy at a lower price in comparison with other similar devices.
  • “Smart monitor” mode that provides users with specific health and well-being advice: how to interpret the measurements and reduce the risks.
  • Working with maps to create eco-routes: save radiation spots, find cleaner routes.

The collected ZIVE data is used for the real-time global map of radiation contamination.

Roman Pakholkov, Promwad’s CEO and R-NOX’s mentor, says that the data collected by ZIVE users is stored in the eco-platform, which is becoming the most detailed in the world. This platform allows accelerating the innovations development for the environmental management and can be integrated into other devices and applications via the open API.

To date, R-NOX has developed partnerships with the largest tour operator in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation; Greenpeace; companies and organizations in Japan, Finland, Singapore, and other countries.

Promwad continues its work in supporting new electronics design projects in the IoT field. The company believes in the high potential of this popular trend and are ready to share their experience in the development and manufacture of electronic products for the global consumer electronics market.

The best companies of Elektra Awards 2016 will be announced on Thursday, 1st December, at the awards ceremony taking place in The Ballroom, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Contact-Details:

promwad-logo

 

Promwad
Olga Potonya
olga.potonya@promwad.com
+370 (5) 214 12 44 ex.227

Environment

Environmentalist Lori Grace of Tiburon funds Biorock Technology project to contribute to help SF Bay underwater life

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Tiburon, CA, 2016-Sep-03 — /EPR Network/ — Lori Grace, founder of the Bay area organization, Save Our Bay, Save Our Ocean, a division of Sunrise Center, is now funding Tom Goreau of the Global Coral Reef Alliance to work with the Romberg Environmental Research Center in Tiburon in a Biorock project that, if successful, will assist the SF Bay Area in supporting salt marsh, oyster and eel grass growth . It will also help reduce sea level rise at the same time.

Bio-Rock Pemuteran Bali Indonesia / Photo by EunJae Im | www.eiLabs.net
Bio-Rock Pemuteran Bali Indonesia / Photo by EunJae Im | www.eiLabs.net

There is great excitement at the County, NERR, and Richardson Bay Audubon about the possibilities offered by bringing this technology to the SF Bay Area. The results will definitely be fully assessed in the experimental tanks of the Romberg Center by June 2017.

After showing the success of Tom Goreau’s Biorock technology in a tank, plans are to introduce this technology with the County’s approval to the Richardson Bay Audubon sanctuary, Bothin Marsh, the Corte Madera Salt Marsh, and Stinson Beach among other locations.

Media contacts: Edward Ellsworth, 6 Playa Verde, Tiburon, CA 94920

http://saveourbaysaveourocean.org/

https://www.youtube.com/c/sunrisecenterchannel

http://www.globalcoral.org/

Construction, Environment, Non-Profit, Real Estate

The Metropolitan Council approves a $2M grant to fund a landmark, transit-oriented development in the heart of St. Louis Park, Minnesota

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St. Louis Park, MN, December 11, 2015 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — On December 9, 2015 and after overwhelming enthusiasm and support from a rigorous application and vetting process, the Metropolitan Council approved funding for PLACE’s St. Louis Park Community. The Council approved 2 million dollars in funding from its Livable Communities Account for a Transit-Oriented Development (LCA-TOD) grant after the proposed project demonstrated a breakthrough approach to meeting housing and economic development needs in the Twin Cities. The funds will be used to help secure site acquisition at the former McGarvey Coffee property, pioneer alternative energy sources, and integrate stormwater improvement with infrastructure like green roofs and an urban forest.

A nonprofit called PLACE (Projects Linking Art, Community, and Environment) heads up the community endeavor in concert with the City of St. Louis Park, fellow eco-minded and socially conscious companies like Allianz Life, Stantec, Shaw-Lundquist, Lindquist & Vennum, MSR, LIFT, and Rachel Contracting that have invested in the project, other private partners, and public collaborators like Hennepin County. The community will elevate affordable living, design, and artistic culture in the city and will be located near the expected Green Line extension (Southwest Light Rail) Wooddale Station. The development’s potential positive impact is staggering, with healthy homes for 300 households across the income spectrum supported by a mobility hub, urban agriculture, live and work spaces, a hotel, and a renewable energy generation system that consumes food waste created by its inhabitants and surrounding neighbors.

Chris Velasco, PLACE’s Executive Director, observed, “I think this project will be of national significance for communities that want to effectively leverage their scarce resources.”

Ryan Kelley, City of St. Louis Park Planner, says, “The City of St. Louis Park is extremely proud to be the co-recipient with PLACE of the Met Council’s largest transit oriented development grant for a new sustainable community of regional significance.”

“PLACE is an excellent project, for the city and the region. Turning vacant, unused property into a community space with alternative energy features, that is connected to other uses, like transit, is just the kind of investment the Council wants to make toward a livable communities and a prosperous region” – Erin Heelan, TOD Grants Coordinator, Metropolitan Council Livable Communities.

Executive Director Velasco thanks the Metropolitan Council for its confidence and support on behalf of the entire team and the residents of St. Louis Park.

MEDIA CONTACT

Peter Sieve (612) 326-0409 pete@welcometoplace.org
Elizabeth Bowling (612) 326-0399 elizabeth@welcometoplace.org

www.welcometoplace.org

Environment, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Non-Profit

Hays PureWater Launches $10,000 Campaign To Save Lives

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WASHINGTON, IA, November 25, 2014 — /REALTIME PRESS RELEASE/ — 783 million people live each day without clean water and 3.4 million die annually from a lack of pure water. To combat these staggering statistics, Washington-based nonprofit, Hays PureWater, launched a crowd-funding campaign. The money raised will fund 30 Khlor Glen technology units to purify water for 150,000 individuals. The organization hopes to raise $10,000 by December 1st.

Hosted on crowd-funding platform IndieGoGo, the project offers nine sponsorship levels. Each level includes novelty “rewards” for donors, ranging from stickers to t-shirts to a trip to Haiti. The rewards are unique, innovative and hands on, giving donors a sense of ownership in the project. For just $2,500, an investor can travel to Haiti (all inclusive) to see the life changing benefits first hand.

The Khlor Glen is a simple unit that turns salt water into chlorine. The chlorine treats infected water, removing deadly impurities and toxins in just one hour. It’s solar powered and easily used in remote areas, where clean water is most needed. “It will also impact malaria zones as it can be used as a bug repellant and protect from disease,” says founder John Hays. “Even just using the chlorine produced by the unit as a sanitizer can cut down on so many infections that the natives in these areas don’t even know exist.”

In the last eight years, Hays PureWater distributed over 4,000 purifying units around the world, changing entire communities by implementing this system. It’s proven to work. Hays builds each system with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers. Nothing is outsourced, ensuring the most effective product for the lowest cost. Now all they need is help from their community to change the lives of those in need once more.

See the crowd-funding campaign here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hays-purewater-providing-clean-water-globally

ABOUT Hays PureWater
In 2006, after traveling around developing nations on missions trips, John Hays began to create a low cost, portable solution for water purification. John, who worked with municipal water works for over 30 years, put his experience to use and developed the Khlor Gen system. Through the years, the design and look has been changed and improved, but the mission has stayed the same. The organization exists to provide people with clean water, reaching out to them through word and deed. Eight years and 4,000 units later, that mission continues full steam ahead. For more information, logon to www.hayspurewater.com.

 

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Contact-Details: TJ Widbin
tj@hayspurewater.com
319-470-7391