MIIM Designs, along with Harvard Center for African Studies and Golden Palm Investments are proud to sponsor the CleanAcwa Sanitation + Innovation Prize.
According to WHO/UNICEF 2012 joint report, about forty (40%) percent of the world’s population practice open defecation or lack of access to improved sanitation facilities, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 700,000 children annually. The sanitation on Millennium Development Goal (MDG7) target is among most off-track MDGs; it is expected that half a billion people will miss the MDG sanitation target. Financing for sanitation is low in comparison to water and abysmal in comparison to other development sectors such as health and education. The World Bank AICD (2010) surveyed 18 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and found that in most cases investment in sanitation was less than 0.1% of GDP. Lack of sanitation also adversely affects countries’ economies.
Cleanacwa and partners will select ten (10) finalists to pitch their innovative ideas at the Innovation Prize event on World Toilet Day on Thursday November 19, 2015. The best ideas will also be piloted in selected communities in Ghana and the results / outcomes shared among the WASH sector players, donors, academic researchers and government.
Water
Water Down Your Earth Day /
This week the world will
celebrate "Earth Day", many commemorate
this day by planting trees on April 22 trees on April 22. Planting a tree is a
wonderful way to commemorate; however, our studio, MIIM Designs, celebrates the environment
in a number of other ways, namely through sustainable living and our projects
that preserve the environment rather than damage it, extending this celebration
of our Earth to everyday. It is very common for architecture and design studios
to mull over the celebration of sustainability through LEED certifications. Projects
such as Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory, one of the "greenest buildings
in the world", written by Architizer,
clearly express why Phipps Conservatory not only met, but rather also exceeded all expectations, allowing it to
receive the Platinum LEED status, meeting the Living Building Challenge
(net-zero water, net-zero energy) and making use of "Sustainable Sites
Initiative". Another example is the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse
in Eugene Oregon, a project that we had the opportunity to be a part of,
alongside Thom Mayne - Morphosis and DLR Group. The Wayne L. Morse
Courthouse received Gold LEED certification. For runoff from rainwater that irrigates
the landscape and natural light is celebrated adequately to allow for an
efficient HVAC system. All of the construction materials were sustainable:
sealants, carpets, paints, and adhesives, preventing 90% of construction waste
from entering the landfills. Considering that sustainability should be of
second nature and an integral part of our day to day, a building to just be
LEED certified is not an aspect that is readily accessible at the tip of our
fingers and simply is not enough.