(181) EMF - Ecological Management Foundation
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(222) How we work
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) is dedicated to tackling the world's growing water scarcity problem and to providing the poor in developing countries with clean water and sanitation facilities. EMF identifies, promotes and pioneers small-scale projects that are innovative, practical, solution-oriented, and will have a broad impact in the target country. In particular EMF explores the possibilities of new desalination techniques. Much of EMF's work is in partnership with organisations around the world dedicated to the same cause.
Main activities
EMF' s activities concentrate on three areas: desalination technologies, global water scarcity, and cooperation with international partner organisations.
Desalination technologies
EMF initiates and promotes small-scale, ecologically and economically sound desalination technologies. EMF is convinced that by 2020 desalination installations will increasingly deliver high quality water from brackish and sea water at a cost price comparable with or lower than that conventionally produced from ground and surface water. Read about EMF's desalination activities.
Combatting water scarcity
EMF fights world water scarcity by initiating and fostering appropriate technical, commercial, financial and social innovations in developed and developing countries. EMF currently heads a groundbreaking project in Bangladesh that is set to provide safe drinking water for 24 million inhabitants of areas affected by serious arsenic contamination and salinity problems.
International partnerships
EMF works closely together with many international partner organizations dedicated to improving global access to clean water and sanitation. One example is EMF's collaboration since 2010 with the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in its Water Schools Program. Its mission is to promote sustainable clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene in faith-related schools.This will lead to a reduction in water-related school absenteeism and, in the long run, to a community-wide reduction in water-borne disease.
Documentaries
EMF started making documentaries in 1999 as a supporting activity, to raise public awareness to the issues it addressed. Since then EMF has continued to explore and initiate documentaries in the field of water, poverty and microfinance, in cooperation with professional filmmakers. EMF's documentaries include The Blue Gold, a 6-part series on waterthat was broadcast on Dutch television in 2009.
(230) Our approach
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) initiates, catalyzes and pioneers innovative projects that fall within the scope of its mission.
Delegating implementation
Once a project is deemed feasible, it moves on to the implementation stage and one or more partners are approached to carry out the project. In some cases EMF remains involved, though in the background.
Disseminating knowledge
Apart from incubating projects, EMF has published a variety of articles in professional journals and delivered presentations at congresses. EMF has also sat on internal corporate committees for sustainable development and water, including for Rabobank (1997/8) and Unilever (1998/1999).
Funding activities
EMF initiatives usually require seed money to create a favourable environment for initiating and catalyzing social, commercial and technological innovations. So far EMF has been able to finance these initiatives with donor-funds and cash-flow generating activities connected with project development. In the coming years, new innovative projects will be developed and likewise donors will be required to put up the seed money. In the future the aim is for activities to be self-supporting.
(231) Our expertise
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) has extensive expertise in 2 main areas: developing and promoting large and small scale ecologically sound desalination technologies, and combatting world water scarcity through appropriate technical, commercial, financial and social innovation in both developed and developing countries. In addition EMF has long-standing experience with activities that support these: in networking and cooperation with international partner organisations, and in the making of documentaries and other promotional media and instruments.
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(556) Desalination technology
Ecological Management Foundation believes that within the next 10 years, desalination installations will increasingly and substantially deliver high quality water in a manner economically and ecologically superior to that delivered by further conventional investments.
Common View
The common view, still very much engrained in people’s minds, is that desalination is too expensive, too fossil energy intensive, technically complicated and environmentally unfriendly. In the NGO world it is regarded as a technical fix and hence inappropriate.
Objections
Policy makers tend to take the view that after raising public awareness to the scarcity of water for decades, opening up the enormous water resources of the world’s oceans would have an extremely counterproductive effect on water saving practices.
Vast improvements
What these policy makers do not seem to realize is that over the last five years, desalination technologies have vastly improved with respect to cost, energy use and source and environmental effects, while conventional water procurement and treatment of water from rivers, lakes and groundwater have steadily become more expensive and environmentally harmful. Marginal conventional cost prices will cross desalination cost prices within 10 years from now.
Memstill
From 1995 to 2005 EMF worked on the Memstill desalination technology, based on membrane distillation, with the following consortium.
In 2007 the Keppel Group in Singapore and Aquastill in The Netherlands started preparations for commercialisation.
Voltea CapDi technology
In 2006 EMF joined the Voltea team, a Unilever Venture based company (www.Voltea.com), which was working on a new desalination technology, now known as Capacitator De-ionisator (CapDi). The CapDi technology, invented by Marc Andelman in the USA, is removes ions (i.e. dissolved salts such as sodium, calcium, chlorine, nitrate and arsenic) from a variety of water sources ranging from tap to brackish ground water. The technology uses little electricity, has high water recovery a nd does not need any chemical regeneration. In 2012 Voltea is set to enter the market place in Europe and USA for industrial and commercial applications and in Asia for village use, as in Bangladesh. Read more about the Bangladesh project.
(557) Combatting world water scarcity
The world's water supplies are under increasing pressure in both developed and developing countries, while millions of people worldwide remain excluded from sufficient safe drinking water and sanitation. Ecological Management Foundation addresses these issues by pioneering and promotiong appropriate technical, commercial, financial and social innovations in developed and developing countries. Much of EMF's work is in partnership with organisations around the world dedicated to the same cause.
The Bangladesh project
EMF currently co-heads a groundbreaking water purification project in Bangladesh that is set to provide safe drinking water for 24 million inhabitants of areas affected by serious arsenic contamination and salinity problems. This project focuses not only on field testing the FTC technology developed by Voltea in Leiden, but also aims to set up local small-scale water purification factories which will eventually be able to function without foreign support.
Water Schools
Since 2010 EMF has partnered the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in its Water Schools Programme Its mission is to promote sustainable clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene in faith-related schools. This will ultimately lead to a reduction in water-related school absenteeism and, in the long run, to a community-wide reduction in water-borne disease.
(565) International partnerships
Besides being a source of inspiration, EMF's close cooperation with numerous international partner organisations has proved invaluable to the successful outcome of its projects. Over the past 20 years EMF has built an extensive, authoritative and active network, and has good connections with the private sector. In addition, EMF has long-standing experience with networking and bringing matching partners together.
Alliance of Religions and Conservation
EMF and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) have been looking into how the clean water and sanitation problems in developing countries can be linked to their religious institutions. As more over half the schools in these countries are directly faith related, clean drinking water and sanitation at schools was chosen as a starting point for tackling the problem. The International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) in the Netherlands was approached and agreed to cooperate with EMF and ARC on this initiative, which has meanwhile led to the establishment of the Water Schools programme.
Founded in 1995 by HRH Prince Philip, ARC is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to develop their own environmental programmes, based on their own core teachings, beliefs and practices. It help the religions link with key environmental organisations – creating powerful alliances between faith communities and conservation groups.
Daoist Ecological Temples
For the past five years ARC and EMF and more recently WWF International/UK have been assisting Daoist nuns and priests with the building of new ecologigally friendly temples in harmony with their sacred environment to replace those destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.The Daoists have pledged pledged to bring ecological education into their temples, to reduce pollution caused by insense burners, to sustainably farm the land, to protect specials and forests, to save energy, and to protect water resources. EMF has been providing technological expertise.More
Voltea and Proportion Foundation
In 2007 EMF joined the Voltea team working on a new desalination technology called Flow Through Capacitator (FTC), invented by American Marc Andelman and further developed by Unilever Ventures. The FTC water purification technology, which uses little electricity, has high water recovery and needs no chemical regeneration, is currently being tested in the field in Bangladesh to rid the drinking water supply of dangerous levels of arsenic and its salty taste. The Bangladesh project [link] is an initiative of EMfF and the Proportion Foundation, directed by Iqbal Quadir, founder of the Grameen Phone Company. It is the outcome of the Clean Water Foundation they jointly set up to develop a program for an entrepreneurial model for arsenic-free drinking water in Bangladesh where 25 million people are obliged to drink water this the lethally contaminated water.
Valley Foundation
EMF works closely with the Valley Foundation. The Valley Foundation co-finances small-scale water initiatives that promise to have a high impact in increasing access to water for the poor.
(584) Documentaries
EMF started making documentaries in 1999 as a supporting activity, to raise public awareness to the issues it addressed. Since then EMF has continued to explore and initiate documentaries in the field of water, poverty and microfinance, in cooperation with professional filmmakers.
The Blue Gold
A 4-part TV documentary series Het Blauwe Goud (The Blue Gold) on the problems and solutions to freshwater shortages in the developing world was broadcast on Dutch television by the NCRV in June/July 2008. Besides taking the initiative for the series, EMF also selected the projects and conducted an extensive interview with the Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands. The series featured the following countries and organisations:
- Kenia (Amref/Flying Doctors)
- India and Sri Lanka (Clean Water Now!)
- Gambia (Acqua Aero Water Systems)
- Cambodia (WaterRight)
- Vietnam (Vitens/Evides and the Dutch Government)
- Nigeria (The Association of Water Boards (UVW))
- Nicaragua (Friesland Foods)
- Kenia (ISCOM and SNS Waterfund)
The Blue Gold Part 1
The Blue Gold Part 2
The Blue Gold Part 3
The Blue Gold Part 4
A Dollar A Day
A Dollar A Day, a 6-part series produced in cooperation with EMF Films BV was broadcast by RVU on Dutch television in 2005 (August 31, September 7, 14, 21, 28 and October 5) by RVU (www.eendollarperdag.tv).
Poverty [title series??]
The 2005 United Nations Year of Microfinance provided a context for EMF's 4-part documentary on poverty that was shown on Dutch television by AVRO in its program "Twee Vandaag” in August 2005. It featured the following countries and companies:
- Nigeria (Heineken)
- Surinam (Waterleidingbedrijf Amsterdam)
- India (DSM/Unilever)
- Mozambique (Vitens)
- Malawi (TNT)
- Peru (Rabobank/Oikocredit)
Water, The Drop Of Life
Water, The Drop Of Life is a 6-part international documentary on water problems and solutions to them, was produced by EMF in cooperation with the Dutch television producer Swynk:. The first comprehensive screening of the series took place at the start of the World Water Forum and ministerial conference in the Hague in 2000. In the meantime, the documentary has been screened in 60 countries, including the United States by Public Broadcasting Systems (PBS).
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(232) Our services
The Ecological Management Foundation offers three types of services.
Thinktank
We watch trends and set out a vision on the kind of innovation that would alleviate the shortage of clean water in developing countries. We spread awareness of third world water issues through articles, documentaries and workshops.
Matchmaker
We build networks and translate trends and visions from the thinktank into viable projects and initiatives by bringing key partners together.
Incubator
We initiate pilot projects, compile business plans and road maps to scale up successful pilots.
(221) Who we are
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) is a public benefit charity in the water sector, dedicated to improving access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities in developing countries.
Broad impact
Since its foundation by Allerd Stikker in 1990, EMF has built a solid track record in initiating water solution projects, raising public awareness and stimulating innovative water technologies.
EMF identifies, promotes and incubates small-scale projects that are innovative, practical, solution-oriented, and have a broad impact on the target country.
Themes
EMF's projects and activities target three themes:
- Blue Energy: technologies that use a minimum of energy and can be widely deployed locally to provide large numbers of people access to clean water
- Blue Highway: efficient and reliable community and or entrepreneur-run distribution channels that get products to end users at affordable prices
- Blue Gold: appropriate instruments for financing distrubution channels and end users.
(227) Mission
EMF strives to help provide clean and safe and water for everyone. For 20 years EMF has identified and pioneered small-scale solutions that are innovative, practical, solution-oriented, and that will have a broad impact in the target country. In addition EMF undertakes to raise public awareness to the world's pressing water issues and promotes innovational solutions.
Water 12 billion years old
Water as a substance emerged in the universe some 12 billion years ago, and every molecule on earth, including the water in our bodies, dates from that time. Seventy percent of our bodies is water; 70% of the surface of the planet is water.Without water life is not possible.
Clean water basic requirement
Clean drinking water, good sanitation and hygiene are the basic requirements for good public health and development. About 900 million people worldwide have no access to clean drinking water and 2.6 billion people do not have adequate sanitary facilities.
Water-related disease
In Africa on average 40% of the population do not have a supply of clean drinking water; in the rural areas the proportion is more than 50%. Most people living in Sub-Saharan Africa are exposed to diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria, dengue fever, schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and trachoma.(Data from WHO/UNICEF 2005).
Millennium Development Goals
These diseases are linked to a lack of clean drinking water. The Millennium Development Goals set by the Western world have set out to halve the scale of these problems. In step with the Millennium Development Goals, EMF strives to address this issue and to help realise the provision of clean water and proper sanitation for those who still have no access to these basic amenities.
Business Principles
EMF operates in accordance with generally accepted business principles and work closely together with the business community, NGOs and public sector.
(228) Organisation
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) and its younger business development spin-off, Micro Water Facility (MWF) are independent, typical non-profit, network organizations. To maximize efficiency, they share the same director, board of directors and advisory board: their common head office is quartered in Amsterdam and staffed by a committed group of employees. In addition, EMF is supported by dedicated part-time volunteers and a number of partner organizations around the world which share the same ideals and ambitions and provide assistance where and whenever needed.
The foundations are run by a director supported by a board of governors and advisory board composed of prominent professionals from a variety of dsiciplines. A secretariat looks after the foundations' day-to-day affairs, while the director, governors and advisory board members look after the various projects and ventures.
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(485) Frederik Claasen, Director
Frederik gave up a career in banking to set up and direct the Micro Water Facility in 2007 and in 2010 he was appointed director of the Ecological Management Foundation. He comes from ABN AMRO Bank where he held a number of commercial and senior management positions in the Netherlands Division. He has a solid financial background and widespread experience in business development, and maintains an extensive network. Recently, Frederik was appointed Commercial Director of Aidenvironment, a sustainbility consulting firm which houses both the MWF and EMF, and which provides a fruitful breeding ground for sustainable solutions. Download CV Frederik Claasen
(349) Derk Stikker, Chairman of the Board of Governors
After obtaining a Master's Degree in Finance from the George Washington University and after living abroad for many years, in 1991 Derk Stikker moved back to The Netherlands to work for the Oranje-Nassau Group. He subsequently served as Chief Financial Officer of IMC, a Dutch financial institution. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of RPG RE, the single biggest player in residential real estate in the Czech Republic.
(350) Bert Brenninkmeijer, Member of the Board of Governors
Bert serves on boards as a delegate for venture capital as well as his own investments, which are in the area of water and sanitation. In addition to this, he is a member of the board of various non-profit organizations. Bert has extensive experience in retail and (venture) investing and has held senior positions in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and London. Bert holds post-graduate diplomas in Textile Engineering and Production Management from the University of Manchester, UK, as well as a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, USA.
(347) Jean-Pierre Sweerts, Member of the Board of Governors
Jean-Pierre Sweerts is the founder of Linius Capital. Linius Capital arranges financing and gives business development support to clean energy and clean technology projects, companies and funds. Prior to that he was Managing Director of DIF Renewable Energy, an investment fund in renewable energy assets for institutional investors. Between 2002 and 2007 he was Head of Sustainable Development at Rabobank. He joined Rabobank in 1998 to secure a position in the water sector after holding managerial, business development and consultancy positions worldwide at Delft Hydraulics. He is Chairman of the Board of DOB Foundation. He has an IEP from INSEAD. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Mathematics and Natural Sciences and studied Biology at the University of Amsterdam and the Freshwater Institute in Canada.
(348) Jan Vet, Member of the Board of Governors
Jan Vet is Senior Client Partner at the Amsterdam office of Korn/Ferry International and is a member of the Global Financial Market where he focuses on senior client work in the financial services and real estate areas. Previously, he was based at Korn/Ferry's headquarters in Los Angeles. Prior to this, Jan Vet served as assistant to Korn/Ferry's chairman and participated in international business development and strategic planning initiatives. Before joining Korn/Ferry Jan worked for Rodamco in The Netherlands and Paribas Capital Markets in London. Jan holds a Master's Degree in Finance and Real Estate Investment Analysis from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA, and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Art History from the University of Notre Dame, USA.
(591) Aleid Diepenveen, Member of the Board of Governors
Aleid Diepeveen has a degree in Management and Technology from the University of Twente with a specific focus on water treatment technologies and an MIT Sloan School of Management degree after following the Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership. She is currently active in the water sector as Director of the Innovation Program in Water Technology at the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP). Aleid has developed a deep understanding of the relation between research, market and entrepreneurship and the public water infrastructure during her current and past employment at knowledge institute Wetsus (Scientific Project Manager), water supply company Drenthe (Account Manager Industrial Water Supply) and technology provider Norit (Business Development Assistance).
(351) Allerd Stikker, Member of the Advisory Board
Allerd Stikker is a retired industrialist. He served on the Executive Board of AKZO between 1969 and 1973 and as Chief Executive Officer of RSV from 1973 to 1983. He holds a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University Delft and a Master's Degree in Theology from Leeds University. During his active career, he served as a non-executive director on the board of various companies, including AMRO Bank, Heineken and Rothmans International. In 1990 he created the not-for-profit Ecological Management Foundation to promote sustainable business practices. Over the past 10 years he has concentrated on addressing the world's water scarcity problems. To this end in 2007 he co-founded the Micro Water Facility. He has published a number of books on ecological and economic issues and most recently, in 2007, on water management.
(352) Michiel de Wilde, Member of the Advisory Board
Michiel de Wilde is Managing Director of PharmAccess Foundation, a Dutch not-for-profit organization dedicated to the strengthening of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa ('Africa'). PharmAccess also executes the programs of the Health Insurance Fund, the Medical Credit Fund and the MatchFund, and closely cooperates with the Investment Fund for Health in Africa. Before this he was a member of the Executive Board (Chief Operating Officer) of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), an independent center of knowledge and expertise that contributes to sustainable development, poverty alleviation and cultural preservation and exchange. Michiel serves on the supervisory boards of the RAIN Foundation and the Adessium Foundation, and the Advisory Board of Ashoka Netherlands. Previously, he was director of Aidenvironment, a sustainability consulting firm, the owner-manager of an organic chocolate company and a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company. Michiel holds a master’s degree in business administration from Nyenrode Business University (Breukelen) and a NCD Nyenrode Commisarissencyclus certificate (for supervisory board members).
(497) Gerhard van den Top, Member of the Advisory Board
Gerhard van den Top combines 25 years of international experience in the field of natural resource management, with a focus on developing countries, with the management of projects, programmes and international organizations active in this field. After a ten year career at Leiden University, culminating in a PhD degree in Environmental Sciences and ten years in international NGO and multinational work, Dr van den Top was appointed CEO of Vitens Evides International in 2009, connecting his MSc degree in Tropical Land- and Water Management with other practical experience and skills acquired in his international career. His vision is in the next decade to fully unfold the potential in gearing international centres of excellence in the field of water management, such as the Netherlands, towards the provision of better water services in the developing world. His international experience spans countries in all continents, with long and short term assignments in Asia (Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam), West- and Southern Africa, Russia, the Gulf, US and Europe.
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(229) Partners
The Ecological Magement Foundation (EMF) works closely together with its business development spin off Micro Water Facility (MWF). Besides sharing the same core values, the two organisations share the same staff and work with the same partner organisations.
Of its many partners EMF is closely affiliated with the Valley Foundation. The Valley Foundation co-finances small-scale water initiatives that promise to have a high impact in increasing access to water for the poor.
Partners are very important to EMF. Together we can make a difference. If you would like to join our network, we invite you to Get involved
Our partners
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(632) Micro Water Facility
(631) Norton Rose LLP
(592) Clean Water Foundation
(545) Proportion Foundation
(544) Voltea
(543) Valley Foundation
(537) Netherlands Water Partnership
(535) Akvo
(513) Safe Water Network
(510) ARC Alliance of Religions and Conservation
(508) Aqua For All
(507) Aidenvironment
(226) History
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) was created in March 1990 by Allerd Stikker.
Environmental awareness
In the early days EMF’s activities focused mainly on promoting environmental awareness and taking concrete action in the corporate and banking sector in The Netherlands.
Water scarcity
Appalled by the idea that unaware to most Westerners 10,000 people a day were dying from a lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, from 1995 Stikker shifted the focus of EMF's activities to raising the public's awareness to the world's water scarcity problem and to initiatives for practical solutions for the problem.
Desalination technology
Initially, EMF worked on ecologically acceptable and economically sound technologies for the desalination of brackish and salt water.
Drinking and sanitation water
While desalination remains a key theme, today, in cooperation with the private sector and institutions in both the developed and the developing world, EMF along with Micro Water Facility concentrate on social and appropriate technical solutions for the provision of clean drinking and sanitation water in developing countries.
Allerd Stikker, Founder of the Ecological Management Foundation
(223) What we do
The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) initiates and incubates projects. Our projects focus on desalination and the combination water, finance and energy.
Selected projects
The following selection of projects initiated by EMF since 1990 offers an idea of the range of our activities:
- Promotion of new accessible seawater desalination technologies ecologically and economically superior to conventional technologies, both on a large and small scale
- International promotion of the Integrated Water Resource Management Concept, including desalinated brackish water and seawater
- Promotion of horticulture in the Caribbean area through desalination of brackish water and seawater
- Initiation and coordination of a Business and Industry CEO Panel on water, involving 13 major multinationals at the World Water Fora in The Hague in 2000 and in Kyoto in 2003
- Building three water treatment units in Bangladesh, removing Arseen and Salt
- Support of and assistance with the initiative of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) with respect to the sustainable management of natural resources
- Regular contributions to professional magazines and books on the subject of corporate social responsibility in sustainability issues
(233) Current projects
Our projects incubate small-scale water techniques and initiate networks that have strong potential to increase access to water for the poor.
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(520) Sujol
Since hand pumps were installed to supply the population with drinking water, some 77 million people in Bangladesh have been exposed to contaminated groundwater, with 10 million drinking highly toxic water every day. A water treatment plant using proven techniques incubated by EMF is now being built to remove the arsenic and salinity from the water.
Pilot launched
The pilot that will test the purification technology in the field in Bangladesh was officially launched by Allerd Stikker of EMF at an opening bell ceremony at Amsterdam's Stock Exchange on 15 December 2010. It followed the award that month of a substantial grant by the Netherlands Water Partnership to the consortium composed of the Dutch Ecological Management Foundation (EMF), the Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), Voltea - a company of Unilver Ventures, the Proportion Foundation, Micro Water Facility and Akvo to start the ambitious project. Legal support is provided by Norton Rose LLP.
Arsenic contamination
Founded by Allerd Stikker and Iqbal Quadir of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship and founder of the Grameen Phone Company, in 2009 the Clean Water Foundation launched an initiative designed to provide safe drinking water in areas of Bangladesh affected by serious arsenic contamination and salinity problems.
Field tests
After completion of the exploratory stage of analysis and feasibilities studies, in June 2010 EMF took over the project and started testing a technology developed by Voltea in Sassenheim that purifies groundwater contaminated with arsenic and turns it into safe drinking water while ridding it of its salty taste.
Upscaling
If the current pilot iin Bangladesh is successful, the project aims to set up small-scale water purification factories which will eventually be taken over by local entrepreneurs.
(521) Water Schools Program
Since 2010 the ‘Water Schools’ program - a joint initiative of EMF and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) - has promoted sustainable clean water and sanitation facilities in faith-related schools. Access to clean water and sanitation facilities and proper hygiene will lead to a reduction in water-related school absenteeism and, in the long run, to a community-wide reduction in water-borne disease. EMF continues to support the program by providing the Water Schools with access to its network of innovators and portfolio of techniques.
Water central to religion
Water is central to many religions. It cleanses and purifies the body, and these two qualitites give water a highly sacred status. This is reflected in the way people use water, in the way they design water systems, and in their need for access to water for washing after toilet use or washing hands.
Schools too are central to all religions: over fifty percent of the world's schools are connected to a faith, and all faiths have links not only to schools of religious thought but also to the local and regional faith community involved.
Faith Schools and Water Program
In 2009 The Ecological Management Foundation (EMF), the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) and the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) organized the Salisbury Faith in Water Workshop. The event brought together key faith school networks from six faiths, innovative entrepreneurs and secular bodies (including UNICEF, UN-Water, the World Bank, the Norwegian government, USAid and the UK Department for International Development) to discuss water, sanitation, and hygiene issues in faith schools. The workshop resulted in the establishment of the Faith Schools and Water Program in early 2010, now known as the Water Schools Programme which is based at ARC’s headquarters. ARC recently completed a first draft of its guide to WASH solutions for schools participating in the Programme.
Pilot projects
In 2010-2013, the Water Schools programme will be extended to faith-school networks internationally and develop partnerships with water innovators and relevant secular groups, such as UNICEF and the World Bank. This will be followed by pilot projects in schools in developing countries, based on guildelines, currently under preparation, on how to run an effective water program. The results of this work will be presented at a second Faith in Water conference, which in turn will lead to further initiatives and outreach.
Current status
ARC and EMF are planning the first pilgrimage: a visit to several regions in Uganda, in order to determine the water and sanitation needs of the population, to explore the local and regional faith networks and their contacts, and to arrange roundtables with local experts on water, education, technology, and religion. The information gained from the visit will be used to develop a more elaborate plan of action.
(590) Voltea
In 2006 EMF joined the Voltea team, a Unilever Venture based company, which was working on a new desalination technology, now known as Capacitive deionization (CapD-I). The CapD-I technology, invented by Marc Andelman in the USA, is removes ions (i.e. dissolved salts such as sodium, calcium, chlorine, nitrate and arsenic) from a variety of water sources ranging from tap to brackish ground water. The technology uses little electricity, has high water recovery a nd does not need any chemical regeneration. In 2012 Voltea is set to enter the market place in Europe and USA for industrial and commercial applications and in Asia for village use, as in Bangladesh.
Capacitive deionization (CapD-I)
Voltea has developed a unique and simple way to obtain clean, desalinated water with low energy consumption, no added chemicals and a high water recovery rate. This award-winning platform technology – Capacitive deionization (CapD-I) – has numerous applications, from water softening in domestic appliances to treatment of water used in industrial processes. Read how the Cap-DI works.
Competitive
Voltea's technology is flexible and economic, helping consumers and industry reduce water usage and save money.
Flexible
Voltea’s CapD-I systems are based on a single technology platform that has numerous applications. Voltea’s systems require minimal pretreatment of input water, allow for variable salt removal, and are scalable across water volumes ranging from a few millilitres per minute to many cubic metres per hour.
Economic
Voltea’s technology uses much less energy than desalination systems and has higher water recovery than competing technologies, enabling users to reduce water consumption significantly. Voltea CapD-I systems reduce or eliminate the need for chemicals to prevent scaling and biofouling.
Trials in Bangladesh
In 2012 Voltea is set to enter the market place in Europe and USA for industrial and commercial applications and in Asia for village use, as in Bangladesh. Read more about the Bangladesh project.
(605) Daoist Ecology Temple Project
Through its partnership with the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), the Ecological Management Foundation (EMF) has become involved in a program linking the renewal of the Daoist temple presence in China with the setting up and funding of educational ecology centres at the temples.
The first such temple project in 2005 was initiated and supported by ARC, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) China and EMF, in close cooperation with the China Daoist Association, in Taibaishan in central China.
In 2010 this project was copied in over 12 provinces of China, and will ultimately be applied in over 10,000 Temples in the coming years. Given the Daoist view of life, the Daoist Ecology Temple project will lead to greater attention in rural China to the responsibility we have for looking after nature, and water, energy and forestry resources, as well as biodiversity and protection of endangered species, in particular.
EMF has been providing technological expertise.
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(234) Completed projects
Projects in 2009
Assessment of technology for arsenic-free water in Bangladesh
In June 2009 EMF published an assessment of the available technology for removing arsenic from well water in Bangladesh. The report was compiled by Dorota Juchniewicz as part of her Master's thesis in chemical engineering at Grenoble University in France.
The study was supervised by EMF chairman Allerd Stikker. EMF collaborates with the Clean Water Foundation, a US foundation dedicated to producing clean drinking water from the contaminated supply currently available to 49 million people in Bangladesh. The study found the technology developed by Voltea, a Venture company of Unilever Ventures, to be the most reliable and versatile technique to date.Entrepreneurial model for the provision of arsenic-free drinking water
Development of an entrepreneurial model for the provision of arsenic free drinking water in rural areas of Bangladesh.
Partners: Clean Water Foundation and Safe Water Network in the USA.
MoreProjects 2003–2008
Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC)
EMF, ARC and IRC organized a workshop on water, sanitation and hygiene at faith schools that was held at Sarum College in Salisbury, United Kingdom, from 5 to 7 July 2009.
The object of the workshop was to produce an engaging and inspiring publication entitled: Faith in Water: A Guide to Ideas, Inspiration, Stories and Action. Participants submitted papers outlining what water meant within the context of their respective faith traditions and religious schools, which formed the initial sections of the book. The rest of the publication captured the ideas, conversations and inspiration of the two-day event.Micro Water Facility
EMF launched the Micro Water Facility (MWF) to broker between water technology inventors, NGOs, financial institutions, donors and local communities in developing countries, introducing small scale drinking water and sanitation water techniques for the poor. MWF was formally established as a not-for-profit foundation in August 2007.
MWF was set up in close collaboration with AquaForAll, Aidenvironment, the Adessium Foundation and the Entrepreneur Fund.
MoreMemstill
From 1995 to 2005 EMF worked on the Memstill desalination technology, based on membrane distillation, with the following consortium.
In 2007 the Keppel Group in Singapore and Aquastill in The Netherlands started preparations for commercialisation.
Documentaries 2000–2008
EMF 's involvement with documentary filmmaking started with an initative in 1999 to develop a 6-part international documentary on water problems and solutions Water, The Drop Of Life. The first full-length screeening took place at the start of the World Water Forum and ministerial conference in the Hague in 2000. Meanmwhile, the documentary has been shown in 60 countries, including the United States where it was broadcast by Public Broadcasting Systems.
TV documentary series
Since then EMF has continued to explore and initiate documentaries in the field of water, poverty and mictrofinance, in cooperation with professional filmmakers. This resulted in four 6-part TV documentary series on water issues in developing countri
es:- A Drop of Life (2000)
- A Dollar a Day (2005)
- Private Sector Projects in Developing Countries (2005)
- Blue Gold (2008)
Participating organisations included Vitens, Rabobank Foundation, TNT, Friesland Foods, Unilever, Heineken, SNS Water Fund, Waterschapsbank, and DOB Foundation.
The Blue Gold
In 2009 'Het Blauwe Goud' (The Blue Gold), on problems and solutions on freshwater shortages in the developing world, was broadcasted on Dutch TV by NCRV. Besides initiating this series, EMF also selected the projects that were featured and conducted an extensive interview with Crown-Prince Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands.
HandsOn Microkrediet
December 2006 saw the launch of HandsOn Microkrediet Nederland and HandsOn Microkrediet Amsterdam, an initiative of the Ecological Management Foundation and Carnac.
Projects 1999–2003
CEO Panel for Industry and Water at the World Water Fora in The Hague (2000) and Kyoto (2003).
Partners: Unilever, Suez, Veolia, Thames Water, Heineken, Nuon, ITT, Rabobank, CH2MHill, Royal Haskoning and 3 Japanese Companies.
MoreProjects 1996–2005
Development of a new ecologically acceptable and economically sound technology for desalination of brackish and salt water.
Partners: TNO, Heineken, Evides, E.On, Waternet (formerly Gemeentelijk Waterleiding Bedrijf Amsterdam, GWA), Seghers Keppel and Technical University Twente.Projects 1992–1993
Development of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI) for corporations.
Partners: Coopers & Lybrand, Nuon and AKZO.Projects 1992–1993
Development of a blue print for introducing environmental criteria in credit rating procedures for banks and environmental performance of the banks themselves.
Partners: ING Bank and TNOSustainable Management
When EMF started up in the early 1990s, it mounted two programs to alert the business world to its involvement with sustainable development.
Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI)
Working in cooperation with Environmental Management Consultants Group of Coopers & Lybrand, in 1993 EMF launched a program that introduced Dutch industry to Environmental Performance Indications, based on the Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) in Washington in 1992.
EMF and Coopers & Lybrand published three articles on the subject in 1994.
The current outcome of this programme and subsequent Initiatives outside EMF can be traced at:www.globalreporting.org
www.epifinance.com
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consult/envrp/general/pdf/05.pdf
www.xlp.com/article.asp?pass_article=904
www.vnci.nl/Environmental Performance for Banks
Inspired by publications by NatWest in the late 1980s and EMF's visits to NatWest, EMF approached the major banks in The Netherlands to draw their attention to the need to include environmental performance in their credit rating systems.
EMF's chairman published an extensive article on the subject in the1991 December issue of the Dutch Magazine Bankers'and Traders' Association.A subsequent blueprint on how to include environmental issues in credit rating systems was drawn up by ING Bank in cooperation with EMF, Coopers & Lybrand Financial Services and TNO.Although unprecedented at the time, nowadays all the major banks have implemented environmental procedures which are extensively documented in their annual reports.
(272) Contact
Postal and visiting address
Ecological Management Foundation
C/o Aidenvironment
Donker Curtiusstraat 7-523
1051 JL Amsterdam
The NetherlandsE-mail and telephone
emf@emf.nl
+31 (0)20 581 82 50 / +31 (0)6 1133 2383