1. Home
  2. Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 2569)

Solar Water Smart Card

WorldWater Corporation recently shipped the first production models of its proprietary “AquaCard” (Smart Card) and “Aqua Meter” systems to the island province of Cebu in the Philippines to initiate utility water service in communities, according to CEO Quentin Kelly. The new debit card systems operate with WorldWater’s solar water pumping stations in the community. Residents insert the card into an AquaMeter which then delivers the requested number of liters of clean drinking water from the solar pump nearby. The microchip on the card reads when the card needs to be recharged by the customer at the community bank. The user can purchase up to 1000 liters per charge at a cost-per-liter significantly less than water from other sources, he explained. The bank then turns over the money to the community government, which uses the funds to pay back the loan used to purchase the equipment and installation from WorldWater. “The process enables small communities to borrow funds from banks for clean water utility service for the first time,” said Dr. Anand Rangarajan, vice president of WorldWater. “These cards mean the development of a new economy for rural areas. Ronda, in central Cebu, is the first community to make use of […]

Read More

Denmark's

A groundbreaking organic delivery business in Denmark shows that ethics and economics can co-exist. The service, which was set up in 1997, has 30,000 customers, a turnover of 12m and accounts for 7% of all Danish organic food sales – this is equivalent to a box scheme in the UK achieving annual sales of 70 million.Thomas Harttung set up the Aarstiderne project, which he calls the “Organic Full Monty” because of the complete transparency of the operation to consumers, suppliers and even commercial rivals. Speaking at the Soil Association’s National Conference in January, he explained that accounts will be open for all customers to inspect, showing how much is paid to suppliers and the company’s mark up. In addition, employment contracts, wages and shareholder agreements will be in the public domain. All pricing is based on the cost of production, a fair profit and some resources towards investment and human development on farms. Thomas is planning to introduce a fair trade initiative, so that customers can be assured that the prices paid to farmers are fair, and that working and social conditions are decent. The innovative work of the business has already been recognised outside of Denmark – in November […]

Read More