Engineering and Education for Affordable, Sustainable Rainwater Harvesting

Abstract

663 million people still lack access to improved water sources. Rainwater harvesting, collecting rainwater that falls on roofs, offers a solution, but is often unaffordable for poor families. In collaboration with the NGO Fundación Paraguaya, this project aimed to make rainwater harvesting more feasible through the design of educational materials and inexpensive water storage tanks. The learning module teaches rural youth critical thinking and project management skills and introduces a DIY storage tank made of recycled tires that was ‘ethno-engineered’ for Paraguay’s unique socio-cultural context. Both the module and tank were piloted in Worcester and Paraguay in April 2016. Evaluation is ongoing, but both the module and tank promise to inspire self-efficacy in sustainable development