Solving the Global Water Crisis, One LifeStraw at a Time
October 15, 2024
Episode 2 of the With Intent podcast is out now.
As we face a global water crisis in which 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, the need for LifeStraw, a groundbreaking water filtration device, is more evident than ever.
Profit and Purpose: The Story of Lifestraw
Hosts Thamer Abanami and Albert Shum welcome LifeStraw CEO Alison Hill to discover the story of LifeStraw, borne out of innovative technology and a unique business model that balances profit with purpose.
They discuss LifeStraw’s:
- Origins with Vestergaard and partnership with the Carter Center
- Evolution from public health tool to consumer product
- Innovative hollow fiber membrane technology
- Focus on user-centered design principles for public health products
- Commitment to both consumer business and social impact
- Achievements, including nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease without a vaccine and reaching 10 million children
LIFESTRAW BY THE NUMBERS
In addition to offering LifeStraw technology to the commercial market, the company helps to address clean water needs globally, from high-needs areas of the US to the urgent situation in Gaza.
WATER CRISIS: GAZA
“You can walk up to a lake, open the cap, and draw water straight through the straw with minimal resistance,” host Thamer Abanami explains in this episode of With Intent.
Even before October 7, Palestinians struggled to access safe drinking water.
Palestinians have long struggled to access safe drinking water. Now, 97 percent of the water in Gaza is unfit for consumption, worsened by the shutdown of crucial sanitation and desalination facilities.
LifeStraw partnered with humanitarian photojournalist Maranie Rae Staab to ensure 7,500 filters were transported to areas in need.
This season of With Intent explores some of the most groundbreaking design solutions in recent history, inspired by ID’s award-winning list of 100 Great Designs of Modern Times (originally featured in Fortune magazine).
LifeStraw is #53 on that list.
Listen to Episode 2 of With Intent now. Make sure you click “Follow” on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to receive notifications on new episodes.