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This year's festival will host "The Aquaduct: Mobile Filtration Vehicle,"a potentially revolutionary new bicycle that filters dirty water as it isbeing transported.
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The Aquaduct was the winner of the Innovate or Die Pedal-Powered MachineContest. The contest, sponsored by Specialized Bicycles; Goodby, Silverstein &Partners; and Google, challenged participants to create a pedal-poweredsolution for offsetting climate change.
The pedal-powered machine successfully transports and filters waterwithout burning fossil fuels or wood, which contributes to a reduction in CO2emissions.
Clean water has been a focus of The Clinton Foundation since TheFoundation's formation in 2004. The objective of The Children's Safe DrinkingWater Program is "to reduce childhood death and diarrhea through the provisionof safe drinking water at the household level."
"Access to clean drinking water continues to be a major health issue inmany countries around the world. The Aquaduct has great potential tomake a profoundly positive impact on this critical challenge," said PresidentWilliam J. Clinton. "I'm pleased my presidential center will host the teamthat invented this incredible machine, allowing its innovation to inspire anew generation of public servants, scientists, engineers and designers vitalto creating realistic solutions to solve this crisis."
The Aquaduct was initiated and conceived independently by five PaloAlto based designers. They are now working with their employer, designand innovation firm IDEO, to identify ways to provide clean water to thedeveloping world.
"The Innovate or Die contest provided the team with an opportunity toapply our background in design and passion for cycling to address one of thebiggest issues in the developing world," said Aquaduct team member Adam Mack."We hope that through creating the Aquaduct, we will raise awareness andinspire others to tackle challenging real world issues."
The Aquaduct, and the team who created it, along with Specialized Bicyclesand local dealer Arkansas Cycling and Fitness will be in Little Rock for theEarth Day Festival on Saturday, April 26. The public will have an opportunityto see the bike and meet the winners at a public ceremony on Friday, April 25.
"We believe in the power of the bicycle," says Specialized's Founder andPresident Mike Sinyard. "We believe that the bicycle can be a self-poweredsolution for reversing global warming, improving the environment and makingthe world a better place for future generations."
For more information about Earth Day at the Clinton Center, please visithttp://www.clintoncenterearthday.com.
For more information on the contest, please visithttp://www.innovate-or-die.com.
SOURCE The William J. Clinton Foundation
