Today Ecosistema Urbano has been announced as one of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge´s 21 semifinalists. Named “Socially-Responsible Design’s Highest Award” by Metropolis Magazine, this prestigious prize will award 100,000 dollars to one project strategy with potential to solve world problems through humanitarian action and environmental responsibility.

Ecosistema Urbano´s submission is What if Water… Community Macrophyte Lagoons, a water purification initiative that doubles to engage communities in water conservation activities.  The purification system that has been engineered to assist the natural macrophite purifying processes in plants. After purifying the water, the natural system stores water for reuse on the project site or within the surrounding community. To support community macrophyte lagoons, which initiate physical networking at project sites, the creation of an online social network will allow community members to share their What if Water, Community Macrophyte Lagoons experiences with each other locally and globally.

This system has been designed to provide an architectural method for lowering the startling 40% of the world’s water consumption at building facility sites. Because of the projects ecological nature,  the adaptation of similar systems for residual or spare city spaces would help to meet water shortage concerns that will come hand-in-hand with future desertification effects of climate change all over the globe.

As the world’s population grows, so does the over-development of agriculture, housing and industry, which increases the demands for fresh water well beyond the finite supply. Acknowledging this, Ecosistema Urbano’s What if Water.. Community Macrophyte Lagoons initiative aims to cope with water challenge today in order to prevent hunger issues, environmental degradation, and water wars that are expected to threaten humanity in the future.
With the spreading of this conservation strategy, Ecosistema Urbano will both help to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change and jointly promote environmental responsibility within receiving communities. Exemplifying the trimtab principle, installing just one of Ecosistema Urbano’s water purifying systems can transform a spare city space into a conservation opportunity for many members of the surrounding community, and ultimately, support a more respectful attitude towards water conservation to be spread throughout the world.

more info: http://challenge.bfi.org/2011Semi_Finalist_EcosistemaUrbano