ali birston's blog

One of the biggest things that we as North Americans tend to take for granted is access to clean water. It seems so fundamental to our everyday lives, yet there are over 2.6 billion people that have little or no access to clean drinking water, most of whom live in underdeveloped parts of the world. Although we take it for granted, it is clear that water scarcity and quality is a big global issue, an issue thirsting for change, innovation, and new solutions.

One such sustainable innovation that I recently came across represents the perfect example, literally, of “sustainable marketing.” Believe it or not, it is a unique billboard that includes advanced water capturing and filtration systems to convert humidity in the air into clean drinking water for hundreds of families in Lima, Peru. This project was the result of a collaboration between the Lima University of Engineering and Technology and agency Mayo DraftDCB and has the capacity to produce up to 96 liters of potable water that gets stored in reserve tanks for locals to come collect.

As a marketing student, this is certainly one of the coolest sustainable technology developments I’ve seen in a while. To take something like a traditional billboard which typically has no other purpose than to serve the needs of marketers, and to transform it into something that is solving a serious sustainability issue and serving the needs of hundreds of families is incredible to say the least.

Currently the billboard is not only generating water but also serving as an advertisement for the university creating a win-win solution. This concept certainly has great potential to be replicated in many other developing cities, and could be an excellent avenue for sustainable companies looking to market their products in the future. The costs may certainly be higher, but the exposure and impact would be the true long-term benefit of this new innovation.

Reference articles: Mayo DraftFCB created the generator, which gives residents of Lima in Peru clean drinking water, Engineers develop world’s first water producing billboard for Peru